Four Seasons Madrid
- Room Type: Four Seasons Suite
- Typical Nightly Rate: €2,500
- Price Paid: FSPP Agent rate
- Loyalty Program: FSPP
Intro
For many years, Madrid was a city oddly devoid of luxury hotels. The Ritz was under a seemingly perpetual renovation, Villa Magna was past its prime and none of the major international luxury chains appeared to have any interest in Spain’s dynamic and vibrant capital.
Indeed, for the longest time the best option in this city was the Westin, housed inside a grand historical building in the city centre but offering nothing close to luxury service at today’s modern international standards.
Then all of a sudden, just as the pandemic hit, Villa Magna reopened as a Rosewood, Ritz reopened as a Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons opened a brand new hotel inside the former headquarters of Banesto, a building which was declared a cultural heritage monument by the Spanish government.
I’m half Spanish and for years I’ve told friends and clients alike that Barcelona is ‘Spain-land’ and that Madrid is where visitors should come for a genuine Spanish experience. As such this radical transformation in the city’s hospitality landscape was extremely welcome!
Honestly I was keen to try all three hotels but our clients book more Four Seasons hotels than any other chain so it made sense for me to start here first before exploring the other new entrants to the Madrid hotel scene.
Booking
Our clients are able to enjoy Four Seasons Preferred Partner (FSPP) benefits when booking any Four Seasons hotel through us.
An example of FSPP benefits, which may be available on your stay:
- Upgrade of one room category, based on availability at time of check-in.
- Full breakfast, for up to two in-room guests. Either at the restaurant or via in-room dining.
- $100 Hotel Credit.
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability.
There are numerous additional offers available throughout the year too, including:
- Free nights (most commonly every 3rd night free).
- Guaranteed upgrades.
Your booking will be direct with Four Seasons. However, since we are managing the booking on your behalf, we are able to negotiate all the above extras for you.
NOTE: If you are able to find a cheaper rate elsewhere, we can help to get the price matched AND STILL add the FSPP benefits to your booking!
Arrival and Check-in at Four Seasons Madrid
Four Seasons Madrid is located in a prime location on Calle de Alcalá, in close proximity to both Sol and Sevilla metro stations.
Since we were travelling with a decent amount of luggage, we took a taxi from the airport at the fixed rate of €33. Given the complexity of locating Ubers and the low fixed airport price, Madrid is one of the few cities in the world where it absolutely makes sense to use a licensed taxi instead of a ride share.
Given the triangular shape of the Four Seasons building, it’s possible to enter the lobby from either side, although one entrance is easier to access by car and is therefore treated as the main entrance.
As we exited our taxi, multiple staff were on hand to greet us and assist with our bags, guiding us to the check-in counter.
The two-storey lobby is very impressive indeed, giving guests a fantastic first impression of the hotel. The materials used in the construction are clearly of extremely high quality and the choice of soft furnishings ensures that there is only a gentle murmur of conversation heard from guests enjoying the space.
The check-in experience was very quick and smooth, as tends to be the case with Four Seasons; after just a few moments, we were escorted up to our suite by a front desk associate.
The hallways at the property are very tastefully decorated, quiet and well lit, with fresh flowers and artwork periodically dotted throughout.
FS Madrid Four Seasons Suite
Floor Plan
Foyer
Our Four Seasons Suite featured a very clear demarcation between the hallway and the bedroom. Immediately upon entering the suite we entered a foyer area, which included a double-sized coat cupboard with full length mirrored doors.
The coat cupboard also featured a set of Four Season’s wonderful wooden hangers, with flared shoulders and felt trouser bars. I dream of owning a full set of these one day!
There was also a small guest bathroom here, featuring incredible smelling soap by Frederic Malle, just like at Four Seasons Otemachi Tokyo.
Continuing on from the foyer, we entered the suite’s expansive living room.
Living Room
The living room table was filled with a variety of welcome amenities, together with some balloons to celebrate Kamara’s birthday.
The welcome amenity consisted of a typical Spanish vermouth aperitivo, together with a tiered stand of Iberico ham and olives. Moments after our luggage was delivered, a member of the in-room dining team appeared to bring us a chilled bottle of white wine and an almond cake with a side of chocolate truffles.
Not only was this a very generous welcome amenity, we actually received a second set of amenities after our room was cleaned on day 2. This included a bottle of cava, a custom wall tile, more truffles and a rather phallic chocolate elephant statue.
I did wonder whether this was unusually generous but feedback from clients has been that the hotel is just really great with amenities and this was confirmed to me on a subsequent visit, when we stayed here during a Metallica concert weekend and received this incredible 72 Seasons chocolate vinyl amenity!
Much like the lobby, the finishes in our suite’s living room were absolutely immaculate. The quality of the cabinetry and the construction of the furniture was at the absolute highest level of any hotel I’ve ever seen.
Better still, there was no dreaded Nespresso machine here, instead the hotel went with the much higher quality option of a Lavazza machine. (How people in 2025 can think that a Swiss processed food conglomerate makes better coffee than a long-established Italian coffee producer is beyond me…)
In addition to the dining table, the suite featured a very comfortable sitting area, as well as a full-sized work desk with ample power sockets.
Hotels in Madrid are not exactly renowned for their views but given how central the hotel’s location is, it felt like our room was very private, since we faced the quieter of the two streets running alongside the property.
Bedroom
The bedroom featured the Four Seasons bed that we all know and love with a superbly finished headboard, featuring integrated reading lights and buttery soft leather.
The marble-topped bedside tables featured standard European power sockets, together with USB ports and a full selection of very intuitively labelled light switches.
One side of the bed also featured the standard Four Seasons tablet, which replicates many of the features of the FS mobile app.
At the foot of the bed was a marble topped set of drawers to match the bedside tables together with an enormous TV, which was exactly the same width.
The wardrobe was also incredibly well made, with precisely matched wooden panels, warm LED lighting and even carpeted interiors!
Bathroom
The bathroom was just as pristine as the rest of the suite, with the mirrored marble panel above the bath being particularly striking. The bath also featured a waterfall tap to ensure a very rapid fill and this was matched by waterfall taps in the twin sinks.
Despite the classical air of elegance in the design, the use of lighting here gave the bathroom a very modern feel overall. It feels very odd to see a toilet phone in a new hotel though. Presumably there’s still a Spanish regulation somewhere that states that all 5* hotels must have one or face demotion to 4* status.
One small design rule that I feel all hotels must abide by is that a bathroom with no natural light required fresh flowers or plants to add life and stop the space from feeling sterile. I was happy to see Four Seasons Madrid adhering to this standard.
Housekeeping / Service
Not only were we fed a seemingly endless stream of welcome amenities, the room was perfectly refreshed twice per day, with no intervention required on our part to have the room serviced.
Each time we returned from breakfast it was clean and upon returning from dinner, the turndown service took place like clockwork.
The latter involved whimsical cards being placed on our bed with bedtime messages:
Slippers were placed upon linen mats by the bed and two bottles of Solan de Cabras water were placed on each bedside table.
Aside from housekeeping, there also appeared to be a very high level of training for the staff here and everyone appeared to be very proud to be working at this property. Given how incredible the hardware looks, I’m not surprised!
Response times on the app were excellent and staff at the concierge desk were able to work magic to ensure that we got reservations at restaurants that showed no availability.
Food and Drink at Four Seasons Madrid
Four Seasons Madrid breakfast at Dani Brasserie
Breakfast is included free of charge for all guests of Four Seasons Preferred Partner agencies like The Luxury Traveller and in Madrid it is a real treat!
Dani Brasserie is the hotel’s flagship restaurant highlighting the cuisine of Spanish superstar chef Dani Garcia. Sometimes the breakfast experience can be a bit of an afterthought at a high level restaurant but clearly that is not the case here.
There is a real buzz here at breakfast time with the offering being a combination of buffet items, beautifully presented along the bar, together with an ample selection of a la carte dishes.
The interior seating is very modern and stylish, with vivid orange furniture and abstract artwork contributing to a very vibrant feel overall.
Given Madrid’s enviable climate, guests can also enjoy breakfast outdoors for most of the year; even in the summer months it doesn’t tend to get stiflingly hot until later in the day.
The Four Seasons building is not exactly a skyscraper but still it towers over most others in the local vicinity, meaning that the views are excellent.
Not only was the presentation of the buffet excellent, it also featured some very high quality produce with an emphasis on local Spanish delicacies, like these amazing tomatoes and variety of olive oils.
There was also a fantastic selection of cured meats, which stretched far beyond Iberico ham to also include cecina and even morcon!
Those seeking a hefty dose of carbs to start their day will be more than satisfied with the huge variety of freshly baked pastries on offer.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a top-tier hotel buffet without a fresh honeycomb too!
All of the a la carte dishes that we tried were excellent, from the decadent Iberico ham eggs Benedict to the traditional toast with ham and tomato and the richly savoury manchego cheese omelette.
I’m also very happy to report that actual, high quality espresso was served at breakfast too.
(I’m still suffering from PTSD after being told that Mandarin Oriental Barcelona didn’t have a single espresso machine on site and was contractually obligated to serve Nespresso swill to all guests.)
Four Seasons Madrid lunch at Dani Brasserie
We arrived at at the hotel just as the lunch service was finishing but managed to grab something quick before they shut.
We took a seat in the smaller bar area as there was a bit more of an atmosphere here, with nobody sitting in the main dining room.
Service was very prompt, efficient and friendly with the waiter effortlessly switching from Spanish to English when he noticed that Kamara wasn’t Spanish.
We ordered the paper-wrapped prawns and the croquettes, which were a slightly elevated take on traditional bar snacks.
However the real star of the show, literally, was the crayfish and prawn tartare.
FS Madrid Facilities
FS Madrid Gym
Four Seasons hotels are consistently the best in the world when it comes to delivering gyms that go beyond a simple ‘fitness room’. Given the quality of the hardware elsewhere in the property, I was excited to see how Madrid’s gym would stack up.
The gym is accessed via a golden staircase and sits directly above the spa reception.
Many of you will know that I’m not the biggest fan of Technogym since their machinery has a lot of slack in it and the cable crossovers break pretty easily. Still, it was great to see a gym with all the basics more than covered.
In addition to the Smith Machine there was a leg press, cable crossover, hip adductor, combined leg curl/extension and a chest press.
The cardio crowd was very well catered to as well…
…as was the nonsense crowd:
Four Seasons not only has some of the best gyms, they always go the extra mile when it comes to the F&B offering in the gym. I’ve still never seen anything that quite compares to the gym at FS Geneva but it was good to see a full offering of tea, coffee, cartons of water, fruit and protein bites.
FS Madrid Pool
Despite the relatively large footprint of the spa, the changing facilities are rather compact, with the idea being that most guests will come up from their rooms in swimwear and dressing gowns already.
The locker room offered a standard selection of toiletries with the most useful item on offer being the handy pool slides, since not everyone visiting a city hotel will have thought of bringing their own.
The locker rooms both also offer gender segregated steam and sauna facilities, as well as gigantic showers with nozzles firing from all directions.
The pool itself is located on the top floor of the hotel, above the spa and changing facilities. The design allows for plenty of natural light and in the warmer months, the floor to ceiling windows are completely opened, to give the pool an outdoor feel.
There is very efficient and friendly service on offer here with staff immediately greeting us and setting up towels and water for us on each visit.
In addition to the the main pool there’s also a small hydrotherapy pool.
Conclusion
Basics Checklist
☑︎ Power sockets near the bed
☑︎ Easy to understand light switches
☑︎ Coffee machine in the room
☑︎ Separate shower and bath
☑︎ Blackout blinds
☑︎ Stable, fast and free Wifi
☑︎ Feather pillows
☑︎ Quiet and powerful aircon
Four Seasons Madrid is arguably one of the best city hotels in all of Europe. Indeed the room hardware, service and F&B are at the very forefront of any Four Seasons city hotel globally.
The remarkable attention to detail in the craftsmanship seems to permeate every aspect of the experience here. Staff are incredibly attentive and helpful throughout every department of the property and the constant flow of in-room treats and amenities rivals even Aman hotels when it comes to generosity.
If I really had to nitpick, it would be good to get a destination bar added to the existing offering; this is a direction that Four Seasons has moved in to great effect, in Bangkok for example.
Overall though it is really hard to find fault with anything here. Staying at Four Seasons Madrid is a true joy and better still, I’ve seen consistent service standards maintained across two stays, a year apart.
In short: Four Seasons Madrid is a truly extraordinary property that elevates the status of Madrid as a city as a whole.
Book Four Seasons Madrid with FSPP Benefits
Our clients are able to enjoy Four Seasons Preferred Partner (FSPP) benefits when booking any Four Seasons hotel through us.
An example of FSPP benefits, which may be available on your stay:
- Upgrade of one room category, based on availability at time of check-in.
- Full breakfast, for up to two in-room guests. Either at the restaurant or via in-room dining.
- $100 Hotel Credit.
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability.
There are numerous additional offers available throughout the year too, including:
- Free nights (most commonly every 3rd night free).
- Guaranteed upgrades.
Your booking will be direct with Four Seasons. However, since we are managing the booking on your behalf, we are able to negotiate all the above extras for you.
NOTE: If you are able to find a cheaper rate elsewhere, we can help to get the price matched AND STILL add the FSPP benefits to your booking!
