Hotel Wellington & Spa — Hotel in Madrid

Historic charm, next-level brunch, and the kindest staff — but rooms could use a refresh

We just spent a night at this historic hotel, and it truly left an impression — the kind of place that feels like it has a soul. From the moment we stepped through the doors, the staff greeted us with such warmth and kindness that even our slightly under-the-weather family started to perk up. They gifted our two kids the most adorable teddy bears, and our 2-year-old beamed like it was her birthday. One kind staff member even helped clean her bib during brunch — despite the elegant, high-society setting, they made us feel entirely welcome.

Let’s talk about brunch, because oh my. I’ve had many brunches in my life, but this one easily made the top tier — it was a full-on produce-forward, dessert-spectacular, tea-lover’s dream. • First: the tea selection. Real teas, high quality, and beautifully presented. • Second: fresh and roasted vegetables galore — arugula, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts. As someone who eats mostly vegetables, this was a major standout. • Third: the fresh fruit was next-level. Raspberries, dragon fruit, blackberries, kiwi, grapefruit, and hands down some of the best pineapple I’ve ever had. • Fourth: plenty of protein options like eggs, little quiches, and beautiful cheeses. • Fifth: juices everywhere – fresh orange, carrot, green juice. • Sixth: a giant slab of honeycomb and multiple kinds of local honey. • And lastly: the dessert table was epic. Cheesecake, cookies, croissants, flaky layered wonders — I had to exercise serious restraint, and I still overdid it.

Now, for a little honesty: as charming as the hotel is, the rooms are ready for some renovation. The heating situation was tough — especially since we were all feeling a bit under the weather. There was no modern temperature control, and while the staff kindly brought us a space heater (no hesitation, and very appreciated!), it’s a noticeable gap compared to similarly priced hotels nearby.

The carpet in our room was also not ideal — it was grey and a bit dated, but more importantly, carpet just can’t be truly sanitized. It harbors dust mites, bacteria, and stains over time. As a family with little kids (and sensitive noses), we’d love to see this updated to hardwood or tile in the future.

We also noticed some drooping light fixtures and found the central courtyard a little underwhelming — it has so much potential, but doesn’t match the elegance of the interior spaces.

And while the hotel isn’t inexpensive, the room quality doesn’t quite justify the price, especially considering other nearby hotels (like the H10 we stayed at the night before) offer more modern comfort at a similar or lower rate.

Still — the heart of this hotel is undeniable. The people who work here clearly care deeply, and the building itself is full of history, elegance, and warmth. If they invest in upgrading the rooms while maintaining the charm, it could be absolutely spectacular.

We’ll definitely be back — at the very least for brunch and chocolate con churros — and to visit the lovely staff who made us feel right at home. A hotel with a heartbeat, and a brunch with its...

Had its day... a long time ago

This hotel apparently had a long standing reputation for luxury, and high value guests, however, things certainly appear to have significantly changed for the worse.

The reception staff were extremely rude, and bordering on aggressive and obstructive. The lady, at the desk, the first point of contact, refused to assist me with joining the iPrefer programme or adopt the pricing on the hotel's own website.

Walking into the bedroom was like going back in time. The room is in desperate need of not only basic maintenance, but complete renovation. I know not how the hotel gets away with charging the rates it does. The woodwork was rotten and had simply been painted over.

The plastic baby pink bath was from the 1970s and the waste did not work so I had to stand in used water to shower. The over head shower was covered in filthy limescale. No one answered the telephone when I got out of the shower to request a visit from maintenance. The bathroom mirror got so steamed up, I had to wait an hour to get ready. There were no other mirrors anywhere in the room which is frankly an astonishing state of affairs for a five star hotel.

I specifically requested a quiet room and got no sleep whatsoever. All I could hear through the night was noise from above, and below, Doors constantly crashed closed.

Don't be fooled by the photographs. The spa/ pool area bears no resemblance to reality. You walk out onto fake astro turf and have to be careful not to walk into a roof lantern. The pool is something you may see in a public park, rather than a supposedly high end hotel.

The primary purpose of staying in a hotel is to get a good night's sleep and I left more tired than when I arrived. When I raised my concerns with the male receptionist he simply sneered at me. Calls to reception about the noise during the night went unanswered. The ethos of this hotel appears to be to treat its customers with absolute contempt which is...

We enjoyed a two night stay at this hotel and the service was exceptional. We were travelling with a 6 month old baby and the staff made the whole experience very easy. All staff would assist with the pushchair when we reached stairs and there were high chairs available when dining. All staff were friendly and polite and made a great fuss of the baby which he loved. The room was spacious with plenty of storage for clothes. There was a cot/ crib in the room as requested and the baby slept all night so it must have been comfy (he doesn’t sleep all night at home)! The room was a great temperature, nice and warm for cold winter. Breakfast was excellent. A great selection of food and all extremely tasty. The service at breakfast was exceptional, and staff attentive and checking everything was okay and offering more hot drinks. On the first night we ordered room service and the food was delicious and the service again was exceptional. On the second night we attended a wedding reception at the hotel and the food was some of the best food I’ve eaten. There are taxis waiting next to the hotel so getting around Madrid with a young baby was very easy and convenient. Having said that, the hotel is an a great location for getting about on foot. It is very close to a beautiful park and other attractions for tourists to visit. Although this hotel might not be a typical place to bring a young baby we were very well looked after, and made to feel welcome. Some reviews have made unfair comments about the place being snobby. It is a very high class hotel, but we were never made to feel out of place or unwelcome, even when leaving breakfast covered in baby food! We would love to stay here again if we return to Madrid- but maybe leave the baby with his grandparents for a more...