AC HOTEL RECOLETOS BY MARRIOTT

I would rate this betel Ween very good to excellent. All of the staff were friendly and very helpful. The bellman helped direct n my car out of the tight space in the parking garage. There is and underground parking garage, for an extra fee. We had a large modrrn room, with a well appointed bathroom. It was clean. One can walk to the Prado from the hotel, and return by bus 27, which stops two blocks away. The Retiro subwsy b stop is about 3 blocks away, as is the National Museum of Archeology. The upscale Salamanca district starts a few blocks away. There are several restaurants and cafes nearby. A good choice.

This property is now owned by Marriott, and I don't think it lives up to the standard of a Marriott level 7 hotel. I will first give its good points. The room and the lobby were clean. The front desk staff were superb. The neighborhood is pleasant and walking distance to a great many, but not all of the places you want to see. The room was provided with one small packet (4 pieces) of tissues which wasn't replaced when used. There was no 120 volt outlet for shavers (or in our case electric toothbrush) in the bathroom, or anywhere else in the room. The hotel had no converter to borrow. We were directed to a nearby hardware store which didn't have one either. We had forgotten ours. There was only one bar of soap, for both the sink and tub, which wasn't replaced if you left it in the tub. There were no instructions on how to use the phone, which did not use common numbers. For example, you had to dial 9 for the front desk and 0 for an outside line. The bathroom was a glass enclosed box in the room. If lights were out in the rest of the room, you could see into the bathroom. Kind of tacky. It's not that I think this is a terrible hotel, it's just not up to the standards we expect for a four star hotel.

Couldn’t quite run to the price of the retire, so opted for this property. Taxi from airport is currently a fixed price of 30euros Very friendly and efficient reception staff, Rebecca and her colleague can answer any of your queries, and of course English no problemo. As a platinum elite it was interesting to see what you do and don’t get. You get a choice of arrival snack, a wine and olive ensemble or cheese and water, the cheese plate was very nice and promptly delivered. You also get 250 points anyway and your first day of the mini bar is free. My room was a strange one, 502 has a king bed but no windows other than skylights. This does mean once you get your head around it that it’s very quiet. Some other guests were moaning about noise from the street, so I was happy with my choice. Breakfast is not included and costs a shade under 20 Euro Location is very good many restaurants locally, and sights within walking distance. As usual anyone wishing to eat before 8:30pm will have a hard time!!! Traffic in and out of Madrid is usually pretty bad in the rush hour so leave plenty of time. Room was large, face cloths and premium toiletries supplied. Would happily stay here again if I could have the quiet room.

My sister and i travel in Europe together and always look for a decent hotel in a safe neighborhood where we can walk to everything. This hotel was clean, pretty quiet, room/closet size was decent, bath was well appointed (and kind of funky). We got the option for breakfast which was a standard european buffet with fruit, breads, yougurts, fish and cheeses. Juice and coffee. We had zero issues or complaints and there were a ton of good (but more expensive) restaurants within walking distance and the hotel shared some of there favorite options. We could walk to museums, Atocha, botanical gardens, grand via and there were a lot of high end shops to look thru.

I have stayed in a few 3/4 star hotels in this area from the various brands (NH, AC, Marriott). I wouldn't choose to stay here again because I think there are better options. Plus - great location near the Retiro - good restaurants nearby, and Salamanca is a great neighbourhood - well located by the train to the airport from Recoletes - decent AC brand standard rooms Minus - the reception is horrible. It's a jazz club and feels oppressive and bit sleazy to me. The office around the reception is messy, tatty and visible. Not somewhere felt good about coming into. - the immediate street of the hotel is far from the nicest in Salamanca - prices for this hotel are high compared to other options. I paid quite a high rate because lots of other places were sold out. At their rates, it doesn't surprise me that this was the last to sell-out - the bathroom towels were thin and cheap (which is an AC Hotels issue). So once you're in your room, it's fine. And the location is good. However, I would pick other options before this one in future.