Espahotel Gran Vía — Hotel in Madrid

I would like to give a better rating, but for me the cons outweigh the pros.

I would not recommend this hotel to anyone with respiratory sensitivities / allergies, the elderly, or handicapped.

The lobby has a heavy smell of smoke, which they attempt to cover with a synthetic air "freshener" so strong that it was extremely difficult to breath. I was unable to sleep without antihistamines and corticosteroid nasal spray.

We are staying there as they were gradually changing all of the room locks from keys to RFID tags, and one afternoon came back to our room with a new lock without prior notice. We had to go back down to the front desk to have the key replaced. A few people in our group had the locks changed while the "do not disturb" sign was hanging. It is rather unprofessional that they couldn't wait until between bookings, or at least warn us in advance.

For anyone with mobility issues, there are elevators, but as far as I can tell there are no completely stairs-free ways to get anywhere in the hotel and the bathrooms are not designed to be the easiest to get in and out of,especially when wet.

However, the location is very good, the air conditioning works well, and the furnishings are fairly nice. A great choice if you are an able bodied chain smoker or aspire to be one. Also great if you enjoy using air freshener sprays...

We visited this hotel at the end of November on a trip to see the Christmas lights and do some shopping. This hotel is perfectly located towards the bottom of the Gran Via and ideal for visiting many places of interest and shopping. An old building, it is narrow and on many floors all accessed by lifts. I noticed on several reviews the comments on how many stairs there were to reception which is on the first floor.....do not be put off by this, there is a dedicated lift from the entrance which only serves the first floor and reception. The dining room and bar, also on the first floor, is quite small but the breakfast they serve is wonderful. Buffet style, with lots of choice and regularly topped up. From my personal experience the staff in both reception and the dining room are friendly and helpful and for those who need, also speak English. Although some of the fittings were a bit "tired" the rooms were well appointed, clean and warm with a mini kitchen, large bathroom, telephone, tv and large comfortable bed. There was a constant supply of hot water. In reception there is a large variety of leaflets and maps to help find your way around. Overall a very pleasant, conveniently situated, reasonably priced hotel where I would certainly stay again and...

Fantastic location. Central for walking to main areas, great for transport links and shops. Close to lots of restaurants. Rooms are ok. In need of an update. Clean enough but bathrooms need re-tiling and could do with new carpets. Our room was on the 2nd floor directly over the busy street of Gran via but it wasn't noisy with the windows closed and we slept well. Twin beds in our room. 1 very comfy, the other very squeaky. The only issue for us was that the light switches were in the head board so when you moved in bed, often the lights would come on which was very annoying. The kitchenette was a good bonus for us as it had a fridge and a 2 ring hob so we could boil water for tea/coffee. There is also a safe in the room which is free of charge. Maids were very friendly and the 2 men on reception were very polite and helpful. Even though the rooms are very tired, we would stay here again due to the location and friendliness...