Boutique Urban Madrid Serrano

I stayed two nights for business, and the location suited me well. The area is nice, with a few good restaurants, a market, and the Metro a few blocks away. It’s close to the city center by Metro and about 30 minutes from the airport. For my short trip, the place worked, though there are probably better value options in Madrid at this price. The room was basic and not really a “boutique hotel,” but the beds were clean and comfortable enough. The kitchen had cookware, but there was nothing to wash dishes with, no sponge or washing-up liquid. There was no bathroom soap, just shower gel in the shower, no hairdryer, and no kitchen bin. The A/C didn’t work during my whole stay, though it wasn’t hot enough for me to complain. The staff were all super friendly and helpful. Some reviews say otherwise, but they were helpful if you make an effort to speak the language of the country you’re visiting. Adjust your expectations. It’s fine if you just need a place to sleep or are on a quick business trip, but don’t come expecting a nice getaway.

The location was good and not far from the sites, but I’d reconsider staying here if you care about your valuables. I’m writing to warn other travelers because neither the hotel staff nor local police were sympathetic, and multiple thefts are taking place here. We reported the theft to reception, but they did nothing to help. In fact, they told us another theft had been reported a few days earlier. Our stolen valuables had been hidden in our luggage, not left in plain sight. The room looked undisturbed apart from the missing things, and there were no signs of forced entry. Only staff had easy access, would know whether we were inside, and would face no consequences. There’s no security in the building, no cameras in the hallways, and no safe in the room. Beware of burglaries at this hotel.

Thanks to Trip.com, we were moved to a better room, and they helped us throughout this nightmare. The first room had dirty towels and no air conditioning, in the middle of August in Madrid. This is a SCAM. The people working here treated me like trash and seemed to be there only to take your money. I’ve visited more than 35 countries and stayed in all kinds of places, from expensive hotels to Airbnb and hostels with shared rooms, but this was by far the worst. Reception is only open until 23:00. If you check in even five minutes after that, they say you have to pay a 50€ penalty, though it isn’t stated in the Terms and Conditions. They wanted us to pay a doggie guy who arrived in a car with his girlfriend, in cash or by card, but without a receipt. I refused because I’m Spanish and said I’d call the Spanish police. He then agreed to check us in. At checkout, the guy forced us to give him our details, saying his boss wanted to talk to us about paying the 50€. Now they’re harassing us to pay. We won’t pay, and we’re opening a formal case with the Spanish institutions because this is a SCAM and your personal security, money, and GDPR could be in danger if you stay here.

We found the room undisturbed apart from the missing valuables, which had been hidden in our luggage, and there were no signs of forced entry. Reception did nothing when we reported the theft, though they told us another one had been reported a few days earlier. There’s no hallway camera, no room safe, and no security in the building. The location was good, not far from sites. I’m warning fellow travelers because hotel staff and local police won’t be sympathetic. It seems only staff had easy access, could know if we were inside, and would face no consequences. Beware, burglaries are being committed in this hotel. If you care about your valuables, reconsider staying here, where multiple thefts are taking place.