HotelChatter

Tags: Hotels / → All Tags

Minimalist Meninas

Where: Campomanes 7, Madrid, Spain, 28013

The NY Times checked in on the fairly new (six months) Hotel Meninas in Madrid, named after the famous Velázquez painting "which hangs in the Prado and depicts the child, Infanta Margarita, daughter of Philip IV."

The hotel has taken its namesake very seriously by imprinting the image on everything from the hotel's pillows to the showers which sounds just a tad scary to us.

The location is central to the city's club scene, but the hotel had the foresight to invest in soundproofing, allowing guests to sleep in peace. Yet the clientele is mostly business travelers and the hotel's personality seems to suffer because of this:

The lobby feels like a lounge that hasn't opened yet -- hip but crisp and untried. The gray, black and white theme is accented by golds and turquoise. It is, ostensibly, a bar, but we never actually observed anyone drinking.

Originally, the hotel was a 19th century town house but now has 37 hotel rooms, decked out in some more minimalist decor colors of black, white and gray. However, they do spice up the bedding with a flourescent pink or green blanket.

Each room has flat screen TVs and DVD players, allowing guests access to a library of 150 DVDs. In addition there's wireless and DSL access but room service is for dinner only.

Overall, it sounds like this hotel still hasn't found its footing. Maybe the painting is putting everyone off. Or the fact that the breakfast buffet gets depleted too fast.

Related Stories:
· Check In, Check Out [NYTimes]
· Meninas reviews [TripAdvisor]