Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid
Commissioned by King Alfonso XIII and opened in 1910, Madrid’s Ritz was Spain’s first purpose-built luxury hotel — its listed façade still frames the approach to the Prado.
At a glance
French architect Charles Mewès (1858–1914) — designer of the Ritz hotels in Paris and London — drew the plans in 1908 alongside Spanish architect Luis de Landecho. The structure was among the first in Madrid to use reinforced concrete and steel framing. Over 115 years the hotel has hosted Mata Hari, Ernest Hemingway, and Grace Kelly; served as a Civil War military hospital; and survived a catastrophic scaffolding collapse during a 2018–2021 renovation costing $103 million. The façade is a listed national monument. Now managed by Mandarin Oriental, it operates 167 rooms and suites.
Key facts
- Built: 1908–1910 by Charles Mewès and Luis de Landecho
- Style: Belle Époque / Art Nouveau
- Status: Operating five-star luxury hotel (167 rooms)
- Address: Plaza de la Lealtad 5, 28014 Madrid, Spain
- GPS: 40.4156, -3.6928 — Open in Google Maps
- UNESCO/Listed: Façade designated a national monument (Bien de Interés Cultural)
History
King Alfonso XIII initiated the project after touring the great hotels of Europe and finding Madrid without a comparable establishment. He contributed capital to the venture and placed it under the nominal direction of hotelier César Ritz, who was by then incapacitated by illness. Construction began in 1908 on the site of the former Tivoli Theatre, and the hotel opened on 2 October 1910 with a gala attended by the king, his ministers, and the mayor of Madrid. The first manager, Antonio Mella, had previously run the Paris and London Ritz properties; the inaugural kitchen was inspired by Georges Auguste Escoffier.
In 1916, Mata Hari stayed at the hotel under the alias “Countess Masslov.” In 1926, Belgian financier Georges Marquet acquired the property. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) it was requisitioned as a military hospital and witnessed the death of anarchist leader Buenaventura Durruti. The hotel returned to civilian use in 1939. Subsequent decades brought a succession of owners: Trusthouse Forte (1981), Le Meridien (2001), and Orient-Express / Belmond (2003). In 2015 Belmond sold to Mandarin Oriental and the Saudi Olayan Group for $148 million.
A scaffolding collapse on 18 September 2018 killed one worker and injured eleven, pausing the renovation. Rafael de La-Hoz Castanys served as architect for the reconstruction, with interiors by the Paris studio Gilles & Boissier. The hotel reopened on 16 April 2021.
What you see
Mewès favoured an elegant recall of 18th-century France over the organic curves of contemporary Art Nouveau. The symmetrical cream-coloured façade on Plaza de la Lealtad rises six storeys, its rhythm of tall windows, pilasters, and restrained classical ornament echoing the Louis XVI register he had refined at the Paris Ritz a decade earlier. The building was a structural pioneer: one of the first in Madrid to use reinforced concrete, with a steel frame that allowed the generous window openings characteristic of Edwardian luxury hotels.
Inside, the public rooms were originally furnished with carpets woven at the Spanish Royal Tapestry Factory, Limoges china, Irish linens, and mirrors by the workshop of Pereantón. The 2021 renovation by Gilles & Boissier has preserved the Belle Époque palette of pale golds and soft whites while introducing a new garden terrace — Jardín del Ritz — that has become one of Madrid’s most sought-after summer destinations.
Practical information
- Open to hotel guests and restaurant patrons; the Jardín del Ritz terrace is accessible without a room reservation
- Best visited in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October) when the garden terrace is at its finest
- Guided architectural tours: not regularly scheduled; inquire at the concierge
- Estimated visit time: 1–2 hours for drinks or afternoon tea; full day for guests
Getting there
Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport is 12 km from the city centre; the Metro Line 8 connects to Nuevos Ministerios, from where Line 2 reaches Banco de España station (exit Paseo del Prado) in under 30 minutes. The hotel sits on Plaza de la Lealtad, directly across from the Prado Museum and a five-minute walk from Retiro Park. The Banco de España metro station (Line 2) is 400 metres away.
Nearby
- Museo del Prado (200 m) — Spain’s national painting museum, housing works by Velázquez, Goya, and El Greco; one of the world’s great art collections.
- Parque del Retiro (500 m) — Madrid’s 125-hectare historic park, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape since 2021.
- CaixaForum Madrid (600 m) — Herzog & de Meuron’s conversion of a 1900 power station into a striking contemporary art centre.
- Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (700 m) — Neoclassical palace housing one of Europe’s finest private collections, from the 13th century to the 20th.
Sources
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Diventa un fotografo di Cultural Heritage Online
Condividi le tue foto dei luoghi: restano pubblicate con la tua firma come autore. Più vengono viste, più ti fai conoscere — e presto un concorso premierà le foto più apprezzate.
Accedi o registrati gratis per aggiungere una foto