Eurostars not worried about crowded Madrid

Spanish hotel and travel services group Hotusa has opened its latest property, the five-star Eurostars Madrid Tower, the newest addition to a luxury market that is becoming increasingly crowded despite the economic woes affecting the sector.

“Logically, opening the hotel at some other time would have been better, but we’re optimistic,” said Amancio López Seijas, the president of Hotusa, which includes the 51-hotel Eurostars chain.

Located in one of four new skyscrapers that define northern Madrid’s skyline and flanking the city’s main north-south artery, the 474-room Paseo de La Castellana property—for which Eurostars contributed a €8-million (US$10.3 million) outlay for furnishing, equipment, interior design and additional costs—is accessible from both the city’s international airport and the IFEMA trade fair venue.

López Seijas said the location will be appreciated by business guests, especially once a major new convention center opens just down the street in 2013. He also is counting on tourists keen on visiting the city’s world-class cultural attractions. But the Eurostars Madrid Tower is several miles from Madrid’s famed Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza art museums, which are all much closer to the five-star Ritz, Palace, Hospes, Me and newly-refurbished Villa Magna hotels. 

López Seijas said that’s not a concern.  “We’re expecting guests who want something different from the traditional luxury hotel experience, and we believe that our hotel, with its vanguard design which is so unique, so exceptional and so special, will fill that need,” he said. “It will become a destination in its own right.”

Situated on the first 31 floors of the 58-story black glass-enclosed Torre Sacyr Vallehermosa skyscraper, the Eurostars Madrid Tower boasts one presidential suite of 110 square meters, an executive suite of 80 square meters and 25 junior executive suites featuring the latest electronic gadgets and high-end bath amenities.

“What’s special about the hotel is that all of the rooms have windows allowing views over the city,” said Enrique Alvarez Sala, one of the building’s architects. Also, in each of the rooms, one glass wall of the bathroom separating it from the rest of the space has vertical wooden blinds so guests can let in natural light.

Rooms and corridors are decorated in dark walnut and buffed metallic materials while a black-and-white motif dominates the public areas. There are 2,500 square meters of meeting rooms, including the 1,500-square-meter Salón Gran Barcelona, which is the largest room in Madrid without columns.

“Regarding security, we put in three emergency stairs instead of the usual two, and there is one elevator for the exclusive use of firefighters,” Alvarez Sala said.

The hotel’s food-and-beverage service is overseen by Spanish chef Josu Sedano-Martin, whose resume includes stints at such prestigious London eateries as The Ivy and Quaglino’s. The restaurant is bossed by American Jennifer Cole, who specializes in Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine.

Based in Barcelona, the Hotusa Group includes travel agencies, tour operators, online reservation systems, Hotusa Hotels and the Eurostars chain, which, along with Spain, has properties in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Portugal and the United States.

Source: HotelNewsNow