The Diplomat
The Hotel Ritz in Madrid, founded in 1910, reopened its doors yesterday as the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, after three years of extensive refurbishment.
The establishment, which now belongs to the Mandarin Oriental group, is located in the central Plaza de la Lealtad, a short distance from the Prado Museum, the Thyssen Museum and the Congress of Deputies. Over the years, it has hosted numerous royalty, tycoons, dignitaries and celebrities from all over the world.
After its refurbishment it has 153 rooms, including 53 suites, as well as spaces and lounges for events and the classic glass roof in the centre of the hotel, which the hotel originally had and which has now been restored. Room rates will range from 650 euros to 15,000 euros per night.
It also has five gastronomic spaces created and directed by the three Michelin-starred Quique Dacosta. Specifically, three restaurants – Deessa; Palm Court, under the glass dome, and El Jardín del Ritz – and two bars, Pictura and Champagne Bar.
The 99 million euro renovation was led by Spanish architect Rafael de La Hoz and French designers Gilles and Boissier.
The new design of the common areas has focused on the meticulous restoration of the hotel’s interior architectural features, incorporating a number of valuable art pieces from the property’s collection, including crystal chandeliers, classical paintings and sculptures.
Yesterday, the inauguration of the renovated hotel was attended, among others, by the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the Mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the General Manager of Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, Greg Liddlell, and the CEO of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, James Riley.
Ayuso stressed that projects like this make the Community of Madrid “the leading economy in Spain” and said that this long-awaited reopening symbolises “coming back to life” after the pandemic. “It is an ideal moment for the citizens of the world to get to know what it means to live in Madrid”, he said, after defending the fact that the city combines “health and economy”.
Martínez Almeida, for his part, said: “The refurbishment of the Ritz will allow us to strengthen the image of Madrid as a tourist destination of excellence. This is a message from Madrid to the world: we are alive, we are enduring the pandemic and above all we are working to recover the future as soon as possible. We are doing it from the institutions, but also with the invaluable help of society and companies”.
To conclude, the CEO of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, James Riley, indicated that the Ritz is “a jewel”, a “very good” hotel, above all for its colleagues, the clients and for Madrid. “It is the most iconic hotel in Spain and certainly in Europe,” he said, while predicting that there will be great celebrations when the “difficult times” are over.
