Hotel Review: Thompson Madrid

Related Post: Overview: Our Thanksgiving Trip to Madrid

The beauty of staying in different areas of a city on each visit is that each visit feels new, with so much to discover each time. On my prior visit to Madrid, in 2016, we stayed near the Prado Museum (see, Hotel Review: Radisson Blu Madrid, Prado). The Thompson Madrid, our first hotel of two on this trip, is located in a different area of Madrid – close to both the Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía street.

I must admit that I chose Madrid for our recent trip destination in part because I really wanted to check out the Thompson Madrid! I had heard so many rave reviews of the hotel, including the fact that it was a current steal as a category 4 hotel. In fact, people are hedging on whether it will go up to a category 5 hotel or jump to a category 6.

The hotel is spectacular from an architectural and design standpoint and the staff is very friendly and helpful. The Thompson Madrid certainly lived up to my expectations. Having recently stayed at another Thompson hotel, the Cape in Cabo San Lucas (see review), I am now thoroughly and unapologetically hooked on Thompson hotels!

The Thompson Madrid is a 175-room luxury lifestyle hotel which opened in 2022, and is the first Thompson hotel to open in Europe. The hotel is centrally located, which, depending on how you feel about busy streets and crowds (especially before Christmas), can be a blessing or a curse. As mentioned above, surprisingly, the hotel is a category 4 World of Hyatt hotel, meaning that it can be booked using Cat 1-4 free night certificates, or 15,000 WOH points (or 12,000 if off peak, or 18,000 peak).

When I visited in late November, there were portions of the hotel  that were still under construction (most notably, the rooftop and the small bar on the ground floor). The square, Plaza del Carmen, where the hotel is located is also under construction, making it a little difficult at first to find the hotel.

When you enter the hotel, the front desk is directly in front of you, a lobby and new bar area is to the right, and the entrance to the hotel restaurant, the Omar, is to the left.

Having flown from the United States, we arrived in Madrid in the morning. We arrived at the hotel in the late morning. As our room wasn’t ready just yet, we were invited to have a seat and we were treated to delicious bakery items from the hotel restaurant while waiting for our room. It didn’t take long and we were soon checked in and given our keys.

This is the hotel hallway.

We used a suite upgrade certificate. Our room was beautifully decorated, with lots of great details, with dark woods and a large terrace.  We honestly weren’t sure if our room was in fact a suite, but we were assured that it was a junior suite and that this was the suite which was available for World of Hyatt upgrades. Since we had a couch and a terrace, we were happy.

We received a lovely welcome note and gift of a bottle of wine and a plate of exotic fruits.

This is the bathroom.

Throughout the hotel, there were nice, sometimes whimsical, details, such as these paintings of women.

The rooftop was still under construction, but it looked really nice, with a pool and a bar/restaurant area and fabulous city views.

Breakfast was served in the hotel restaurant, the Omar. It was an absolute delicious feast experience. Everything is fresh and locally grown or sourced. The first day we were shocked because, even before you order, they bring over a full table worth of delicacies – and that’s just the start of the meal!

These are the starter items!

Each day we also ordered one or more of the main dishes. The portions were modest (like tapas), and there seemed to be no issue if you ordered a second item. Everything was great!

The restaurant is also a full bakery with so many delectable pastry items.

The Churros con chocolate was to die for!

I enjoyed breakfast each day at the Omar. It was truly a treat and we loved it! The restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner and it looked to be quite popular.

The hotel fitness center was clean and well equipped with new machines, and you couldn’t ask for a better view while working out.

My only complaint is not the fault of the hotel. When we arrived in Madrid it was Thanksgiving which coincides with the lighting of the holiday lights all over the city. This is a time, we learned, that the world converges on Madrid. Especially over the weekend, the center of Madrid was extremely and uncomfortably crowded. Other than that, we loved our stay.