Review: DoubleTree Hilton Madrid-Prado, A Spanish Stunner

The DoubleTree Hilton Madrid Prado is an elegant 61-room luxury hotel near the Centro district of Madrid, Spain. Along with seeing awesome sights of the city, this hotel helped make it a memorable 48 hours in the Spanish capital.

There have been numerous fare sales to Europe (especially for fall travel), so I couldn’t resist a quick trip to this beautiful metropolis that still maintains so much history and culture. Choosing between cheap fares to both Barcelona and Madrid proved difficult, so I actually booked both trips, separately.

For accommodations, I chose the DoubleTree by Hilton Madrid-Prado to use my Hilton Honors points that I have earned through recent Hilton credit card offers.

Overall, the hotel is impressive with its design, furnishings and service.  If you are visiting Spain, this is an excellent hotel to stay at near the top attractions in Madrid. Plus it can be easily reached from the airport via several options.

Booking DoubleTree by Hilton Madrid-Prado

This DoubleTree is the only Hilton property in Madrid’s downtown.

I was flush with Hilton points, thanks to welcome offers from cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card. With that one card, I earned 130,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. Cardholders also get a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after spending $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year. You can check what the current offers are now :  See rates & fees.

For this DoubleTree, a Queen Room was €307 (~$342 USD), or you can get it for a night for 60,000 Hilton Honors points.

A standard King Room ran  €316 Euros (~$352 USD), or 157,000 Hilton Honors points. The difference in points is a Queen as a Standard Room Reward and the King as a Premium Room Reward.

I took the lowest award room at the time for 60,000 points for two nights. That would turn out to be very wise choice upon arrival.

As Hilton Gold member, an automatic status when holding The Platinum Card from American Express, I hoped for an upgrade…

Where Is The DoubleTree by Hilton Madrid-Prado Located?

For me, the DoubleTree by Hilton Madrid-Prado is perfectly situated in the Centro of Madrid. On my most recent trip, I was only in the city for a couple of nights. A quick trip for me required easy access to many of the sights of this vibrant city.

DoubleTree by Hilton Madrid-Prado

The facilities at the DoubleTree provided everything I needed during my down time. The hotel has a complimentary breakfast buffet so I could hit the streets early to explore. After sightseeing, I found relaxation at the hotel’s bar. There is also a fitness center on-site and a full restaurant with 24-hour room service. Wi-Fi is complimentary for guests. The property is non-smoking.

Side Note: How To Earn A Lot of Hilton Points

I mentioned above how my status was given as a benefit for holding The Platinum Card® from American Express.

To earn a bunch of Hilton points, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors or sign up for a Hilton card or two, some of which are at all-time high bonus offers.

• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
  Earn 125,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Earn a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on purchases on your Card in a calendar year. (See rates & fees) Annual Fee: $95.
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
  Earn 125,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first three months of Card Membership. (See Rates & Fees) Annual Fee: $95
• Hilton Honors Card from American Express
  Earn 75,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Card after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. (See Rates & Fees.)

Need to top up your Hilton Honors account? Buy Hilton Honors points if you need some more points to reach that redemption.

Getting To The DoubleTree & The Center of Madrid

When traveling in Europe, I always look at two options: public transportation via rail or Uber. Taking the Metro subway (located within the airport) takes about 45 minutes, but does mean you have to change trains twice. The nearest metro stations to the hotel are Banco De Espana and Anton Martin. The fare runs about 2 Euros.

You could also opt for the express bus from the airport, which takes about the same time and costs around 5 Euros. You must get off in Cibeles Square, which is a 10 minute walk from the hotel.

Taxi costs are fixed from the airport at 30 Euros and takes about 30 minutes to reach the hotel.

You can also arrange a shuttle service directly with the hotel. My quoted price was 55 euros, so it’s definitely not economical and no faster than a taxi.

Metro Rail to/from Madrid’s Airport

I chose the Metro from the airport, primarily to see the landscape while riding by. I chose Uber for my return to the airport. I lucked out and got a Tesla ride for the trip back to the airport.

Checking In At The DoubleTree by Hilton Madrid-Prado 

Like most arrivals from the US to Europe, I got into Madrid early in the morning. I had chosen to take a direct overnight flight from New York-JFK. Feeling well rested, I dashed for the Metro and then onward to the DoubleTree. No checked bags made the task that much easier!

First impressions: The DoubleTree by Hilton Madrid-Prado is a magnificent architectural building from the outside. It looks as if history has been preserved and Hilton put a complete and modern hotel inside. It is Hilton’s first property to open (2016) in Madrid’s city center. Hilton also operates the Hilton Madrid Airport Hotel.

Arriving at the DoubleTree, I used a tried and true routine to get an upgrade. It usually goes something like this:

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Hilton Front Desk: Hi, sir, welcome….<then they proceed to tell me I am very early, check-in time is 2pm>

Me: Thank you. I know I am very early but I have to get to work as soon as possible. So if you could just let me  hold my bags, I would appreciate it. I’m a Hilton Honors Gold member and I recently stayed at <name of a recent Hilton> I won’t really need my room for most of the morning or early day. But I sure will need a comfortable room upon my return. If it’s possible to upgrade me, I don’t mind waiting.

Hilton Front Desk: Well, yes, we can hold your bags. I’ll do what I can to get you a satisfactory room in the meantime. When exactly do you expect to get back?

Me: Oh, not for some time. When do you think you could have an upgraded room for me? One that I can work in, relax in and perhaps I may have to take my meals there while I am working late.

Hilton Front Desk: Let me check. Well, I possibly might a better room around 1pm. Could you wait that long?

Me: Absolutely! I just flew in and I’ll be tired, but I am sure I could wait until then for the right room. Thank you so much! I love how Hilton treats its loyal elite members.

–      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –

Approaching it this way, I emphasize that I would like a better room, and I re-emphasize some key terms for the front desk (like “elite” and “loyalty”) and make them feel like I am waiting on them, when in fact I am intentionally very early.

Grabbing a few items from my bags, I begin to run out the door, remind them I’ll be back around 1pm and thank them profusely.

Before I can get away, the  front desk person offers me two chocolate chip cookies and says “you need something to eat before you go. Enjoy.”

Then, I begin my tour of the city.

The Room

Back at the hotel, I was led up to the 5^th floor which is the highest floor for rooms in this 18^th century building. It’s a long walk…to the very end of the hall, which I had thought meant a corner room. Once the bellman opens the room’s door, there was the longest interior hall I think I have ever had for a hotel room.

A very long entry hall and a walk-in closet are perks with the King Superior Room With Terrace

The room is a beautiful king room, but there’s a catch. Although it is beautiful, large enough, and includes a walk-in closet and a very long bathroom (two side-by-side sinks) there is white paper taped to all the windows and interior bathroom doors. I ask the bellman. He says “no terrace. Not allowed.”

Hilton Doubletree Madrid-Prado King Terrace Bathroom

I wasn’t sure if he meant every room or just this room, but I let it go. His English was not good and I didn’t want to push the matter.

Snacks, Coffee & Tea Offerings

The bathroom featured Crabtree & Evelyn soaps and lotions of Verbena and Lavender.

Crabtree & Evelyn Bath Amenities

The room featured a very large flat screen television, a hot water kettle, and an espresso machine along with an accompaniment of snacks, candies, beverages, teas and coffees. There was a small work desk which would do for the short stay.

After checking out the room and putting away my two carry-on bags I had brought I decided to call the front desk. I thanked them for the room but asked about the white papers everywhere.

Then, a maintenance person showed up. He entered the bathroom and surveyed the situation. He then said some things in Spanish I couldn’t quite understand. Then he began working on the door located in the bathroom and unlocked it — opening out to a huge terrace attached to my room!

King Superior Room’s Terrace

He mentioned that it had recently been renovated and the workmen left the papers and the door locked which was not supposed to happen. So I got a special King room with terrace for my upgrade. I was able to work out on the terrace and enjoy the warm summer air of Madrid in the heart of the city — all from my own private room.

The hotel has six listed room types:

Double Guest Room, Queen Guest Room, King Accessible Room, King Deluxe Room, King Superior Room and King Superior Room With Terrace.

So my upgraded room was at the top of that scale and runs an average of €368 (~$410) or 175,000 Honors Points (premium room reward).

These are the posted amenities for the King Superior Room With Terrace

Dining

The DoubleTree Madrid-Prado has just one restaurant: Kirei by Kabuki. It features Kabuki cuisine, which is a combination of Japanese and Mediterranean food. I found the menu to be heavily Japanese with almost no Western alternatives — certainly nothing that one would expect in the heart of Spain.

It did have some chicken dishes on the menu. I ate there once and chose the Salmon Tataki. That’s salmon rapidly cooked in a hot pan and sliced. It was good, just not really a sizable portion.

Salmon Takati – Kirei by Kabuki

Kirei by Kabuki Dining Room

The breakfast buffet was very good. Amazingly, I was only one of three people in the restaurant for the morning buffet at 8:15am. That meant great service from the staff who continuously served coffee to my table.

Hilton Madrid-Prado Breakfast Buffet

The offering for the buffet had typical international and Western foods. The standard fare of meats and cheeses were offered. Fruits, yogurt and wide choice of breads and pastries also accompanied the setup. Eggs, mini pancakes, hash brown patties and sausage completed the menu.

The real star of the service was the coffee varieties offered. There were several coffee making devices and the staff could offer espresso, cappuccino, lattes and brewed coffees as well as teas and juices.

The bar offered many wines and certainly several sake varieties to choose from. I opted to eat and drink almost every meal outside, choosing to enjoy the energetic atmosphere of sidewalk bistros rather than a hotel’s closed dining setting.

Other Amenities

Although I did not use the service, parking for hotel guests is available. It’s a bit expensive, about $33 nightly for a remote parking area. It is about a 100 meter walk from the hotel.

Hilton Doubletree Madrid-Prado Fitness Center (Image: Hilton)

The fitness center on site had up to date equipment. I guess that’s to be expected for a hotel which opened about three years ago. There was a television, free weights, treadmills, stair stepper and some resistance equipment in the center. I never saw a single person using it, however. It was immaculate the times I checked it out — very clean and organized.

The Upshot

The DoubleTree by Hilton Madrid-Prado is a perfectly situated hotel in the heart of Madrid. It is conveniently located to many of the top attractions of the city. Add to that fact that some of the rooms are very well appointed and you have a great hotel choice.

While the prices are a bit high, a room can also be booked from 60,000 Hilton Honors points a night. I give it a top rating for Madrid.

Maybe you will get lucky as I did and parlay that 60,000 point room into a King Superior Room with Terrace. Buena Suerte!