Gran Meliá Fenix

We were given a complimentary upgrade to Red Level, which we truly appreciated. Having the access to the private lounge for snacks throughout the day was a very welcome feature (which I have experienced at other Melia hotels in the past). Having a small, uncrowded area for breakfast also is pleasure, though when we visited the main breakfast area on the way out to the airport we realized how limited the selection was in the lounge.
Our main concern about the stay was the room. Because of the layout of the space, the room feels much smaller than it actually is resulting in a sense of being cramped. For example, the desk area is separated from the rest of the room by a large column, which makes movement very difficult. The bed and sitting area take up so much room that again movement around the rest of the room is limited, and it leaves little space to leave suitcases out, etc. Related to that, there is minimal storage — especially for two people who have been on the road for awhile.
The bathroom was much worse. Very narrow walking area, equally narrow bath tub and counter space. Plus the counters are broken into different areas, and the toilet is awkwardly set behind a glass door, creating more mobility issues. Further, the décor of the bathroom is very dark and depressing.
If you like firm beds, this is for you. We have gotten accustomed to softer ones, so it was a bit rough for us. A matter of preference to a degree, I guess.
When we arrived the internet was down. We were told that it was because there was too much wifi activity in the hotel. Huh? How can a hotel of this repute not have adequate servers to handle large occupancy?
House cleaning is very aggressive. They start very early in the morning and enter without knocking at that time. Tip: be SURE to put the do not disturb sign on your door when you go to bed if you do not want to be woken early. Similarly, leave the sign up in the afternoon, as they come in for afternoon check unannounced as well.
The concierge at the Red Level spent a lot of time with me trying to find a last minute reservation on NYE, for which we clearly should have planned better. After I left her, she told me she would call after working with colleagues. I never got a call. Only when I saw her in the lounge and approached her did I find out there was nothing at all available. She recommended we go to the hotel bar for their bar menu. When we went, the manager told us that they were not serving at the bar. We then went to the main concierge, who called the bar and found out that they had a cancellation and we could eat there after all! This was in the sitting area next to the bar — less than half the tables were taken when we ate there around 9pm! My partner also had frustration with the Red Level concierge service, as every time he went their the concierge was either helping some one else (totally appropriate) or simply nowhere to be found. We ended up having to call the concierge from the room to be able to track them down when they were not at the desk.
My partner did a massage in the Thai Wellness Room. He said the treatment was outstanding; however, they only provide medium sized robes, which can be a bit… uh…revealing and discomforting for large sized patrons (the staff acknowledged the problem).
Very much on the plus side, though, the location is excellent for accessing many of the major tourist sites, a wide array of restaurants, and tons of shopping if that is what you want to do. There is much antiquarian charm to be found throughout the hotel. But for us this was a very mixed bag experience.

We paid extra for the red level room/​service, but never found real value in this upgrade.
Our room was the size of a postage stamp and the bathroom was smaller yet. I had to wonder, «If this was the red level, „upgraded“ room, what were the rest of the rooms like in this property??» Two people do not fit into the bathroom comfortably and the toilet/​bidet area was in a claustrophobic nook in the back. The hotel did have a very classic feel, but it was too easy to find flaws upon closer inspection (e.g. the room and bathroom were unclean, I had – and have – more water pressure than the shower did, the plaster/​repairs were annoyingly evident and poorly finished on the various ceilings/​walls of our room, the supplied toiletries were in very short supply, etc.).
The red level «private breakfast hall/​open bar & snacks» room is also dated, stuffy, and in need of repairs (BEWARE: several of the glass table tops had broken and very sharp edges). The provided tapas-​style food and snacks were also a far cry from what my partner and I wanted or expected. There are various bite-​sized, mostly meat/​cheese options, but very few were appetizing to us. We had a cookie or two and an almond or two (mostly because both were in short supply) and healthy options were essentially non-​existent, save for a few, mostly bruised red delicious apples. During one day of our stay, many dishes/​bottles were empty and no one was tending the room. Even when the room was tended, numerous items were either in short supply or not available (e.g. dishes near empty, empty, or overpopulated with one item as opposed to several differing ones). We should never have had to request replenishment of anything, but we inevitably did each and every time we visited this area.
Surely we had our share of water and a few glasses of champagne during our three night stay, but we simply didn’t feel this «upgrade» was worth the added expense given the lacking selection, atmosphere, and service.
The breakfast service was generally very attentive, but even then things were overlooked and wanting (e.g. my partner was served ice-​cold coffee, the breakfast buffet wasn’t well or quickly stocked, our eggs took 30ish minutes to arrive, etc.).
Beyond these things, the hotel website boasts that if you book online you will be provided with $ 20 euros per day to spend on property (with some exceptions). The thing to know is that you must ask for this benefit and provide a voucher that is emailed with your confirmation, otherwise you won’t receive it. The front desk will neither inform you of this fact, nor will they meaningfully assist you (other than to tell you that they need the voucher information) when you do.
There were other flaws, such as the hotel’s attempt to charge us again when we had prepaid our stay, the uninteresting music that could be piped in via the TV, the uncomfortable warmth of several common areas (to include the red level common room), the fact that the chocolate «cake» and the «homemade chocolate cake» are the same thing (and not what we’d term chocolate cake in the U.S.), the early morning we were woken by a continuous knocking sound, the one small double-​window in our room, etc. All in all we enjoyed our stay because of the city we were in, not because of this hotel or its representatives specifically (even if some members of the staff easily outshined others in effort, interactivity, and personability).
Perhaps its informative to close with this: As a meliarewards member, I could have opted to stay at this property for free on my birthday. I actually returned to Madrid on my birthday (to travel home the following day) and I paid handsomely to stay elsewhere.
BOTTOM LINE: This hotel’s website paints a picture that doesn’t match reality. You’ll never see a «red glove» with the red glove service and you’ll likely not find any meaningful benefit in the upgrade (or in staying at this property, for that matter). The hotel is well located, but there are many better hotels in better, more central locations. Had we known about these many aforementioned shortcomings in advance, we would have chosen to stay elsewhere.

Truly Grand the instant you walk in. Expansive breakfast feast along with some of the freshest squeezed juice I ever. Took the tour bus to all the landmarks, castles and city centre, unforgettable. Home of R’eal Madrid though not my thing, be careful when planning shopping trips as they observe siesta FIERCELY and will close shop!!! LOLLLLL
Melia Fenix is luxury and staff can be a tad stiff nosed until they determine your leverage but Madrid as a whole is more breathtaking

Hands down, this is in the top three hotels I have ever stayed in when traveling abroad. From the car they sent to the airport, where the driver waited the two hours we were delayed and then cheerily took our fiend to a separate hotel without charging him, to the attentive staff who brought me bread and bananas free when my stomach wasn’t feeling well… the service here is second to none.
Centrally located to all the great sites and neighborhoods in Madrid, and with a knowledgeable, patient and helpful staff (who spoke really good English), this is a perfect place to establish base camp for one of the great cities of the world.
The breakfast buffet, which you can include in the price of your room, was quite a spread with a variety of local favorites and tons of fresh fruit. The homemade yogurt, with a choice of syrups made from fresh fruit (raspberry, Kiwi, etc.), was delicious. The hotel lounge is laid back, with excellent service. Perfect for a pre-​tapas drink before heading out on the town.
Lastly, the housekeeping service was impeccable. Everything was spotless.
When I return to Madrid, I will happily stay at the Gran Melia Fenix again.

I stayed at the Gran Melia earlier in the year and have meant to write a review for ages. Some pictures today triggered my memory.
The hotel reception is beautiful, spotlessly clean with a sweeping staircase. The bar has a stunning stained glass domed ceiling.
The room was extremely comfortable, made better my a pillow menu so you can order the one that is just right for you. The rooms are fitted with out with high quality furniture and fittings. The touch screen next to the bed for the air conditioning and lighting was excellent.
We ate the in the restaurant during our stay and the food was sublime! A real taste of Spain!
I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this hotel to anyone. So much so I will be staying again on my next visit to Madrid.

We stayed here for one night in July and thought it was great. The location is excellent, the room was really nice but most importantly the service was fantastic. I’ve found that standards of service in posh hotels can slip sometimes when dealing with scruffy English people (like me) but that was emphatically not the case here, within five minutes of arriving they had already sorted our evening’s entertainment for us, later on they agreed to us having a late checkout for no extra charge, and there was champagne and strawberries with chocolate sauce waiting in our room for us when we got back in the evening. The breakfast was good, and the hotel also has a cool little outside bar area with very friendly staff and cocktails (this bit had only recently opened when we were there).

Es un hotel fantástico y super caro. Pero lo que más me ha gustado es que tiene una suite con terraza y vistas a colón y que cuenta en la terraza con un jacuzzi exterior que está genial. Ideal para pasar un fin de semana súper romántico en madrid.

Rancio abolengo
Situado en la Plaza de Colón, junto al Sanvy, cuida los detalles como el que mas, dentro de un estilo antiguo muy especial. Trato muy amable y, al vez, el precio algo caro.

Los tryp nunca me gustaron
He estado en varios tryps, la mayoría fuera de Madrid, y siempre he tenido algo que objetar, y particularmente prefiero escoger otros hoteles.