Alto Standing Calle Vel zquez 2A

Salamanca is an amazing neighborhood. Within easy walking distance to many attractions, restaurants, bars, shopping, and more. The beds were very comfortable and the attendants were very hospitable and kind. We would definitely stay again!

This hotel was comfortable and in an excellent location, but the management was terrible to deal with after my air conditioning in my room broke down for two days out of my six night stay (it got fixed after two days). I asked the reception to email the Manager, Mr. Gonzales about my issue and to request some adjustment to my bill for my two sleepless nights (it was 30 degrees in Madrid) but I never received any response. Even though I was advised on Thursday morning that an email had been sent to him, I did not hear from him that day. When I asked again on Friday, I was advised again that he had still neither responded to the email nor left a message for me. I expected to receive an apology and an adjustment to my bill on Friday. I checked out on Sunday. Only after my return home and my sending a further email asking about this issue did I hear from him with an offer of a fifteen percent credit for the two nights, amounting to 75 Euros towards 500 Euros I paid for the two sleepless nights . Mr. Gonzales also advised that, for some inexplicable reason, a refund to my credit card was not possible – I told him I had no idea why that would be the case as I had booked and paid directly via credit card. I had no interest in a future credit valid for six months, as I did not plan to return to Madrid within that time frame. He then reluctantly, after some further back and forth, doubled his offer to a credit of 150 Euros but still maintained that he could not a credit card refund – again with no explanation. I thought that was dishonest -what kind of business cannot issue a refund on a credit card? While I considered the sum offered to be rather paltry compensation for two nights’ of terrible sleep in a room that cost me 500 Euros for those two nights, I was willing to accept a refund in that amount on my credit card to end this discussion. Finally, I emailed the Manager of Customer care at head office in Barcelona. I didn’t receive an answer from her but Mr. Gonzales then emailed me to say that I would receive the refund on my credit card. I never expected that I would have to work so hard to chase a seemingly reputable hotel chain for an apology and proper refund. While the people at the reception desk were generally very nice and helpful, particularly Carlos, who was extremely kind and very helpful the guy on duty at the reception desk during the morning of May 27 when I arrived was terribly rude and decidedly unhelpful. On my arrival, I asked him if he could please help me book on my Iphone a rail ticket to Toledo for the following day as I had tried and was unable to complete. He looked at me like I was from Mars and told me in the most condescending way that they did not assist with such things (even though he was otherwise unoccupied). Instead, after I told him that I was surprised he was so uncooperative, he referred me to a non-existent travel agency around t he corner to help me book, and I was eventually forced to take a taxi to the train station to spend an hour try to book in person.

This hotel is clean and very well located but the rooms are extremely small! And when I say small, I mean SMALL! I had to step out into the corridor to take the photo so it actually looks bigger than it is, you can’t walk around the bed easily. To get to the hotel from street level you need to either walk up 5 flights of steps or go in the very small lift… From reception, if your room isn’t on floor 5 you need to use another lift or climb the stairs (if you can find them) the lift between floors is a nightmare, do not expect to be able to just pop back to your room! If it isn’t on your floor when you call it, it can take ages to come and then be going down when you want up or vice versa…before I discovered the stairs one ‘pop’ back to the room took 15 minutes!! Once in the room I couldn’t unpack without putting my case up on the bed and considering I had just dragged it around 2 airports I wasn’t too happy about that but it was the only option! I had a cabin bag and was only staying 3 nights, if I were staying longer and had a bigger suitcase I really would have struggled. In the wardrobe I was treated to 4 hangers and a very small safe that I couldn’t get my laptop in. There is a small ironing board and fridge in there too. Bathroom facilities were fine, good shower and water pressure and nice and clean, you get shampoo and shower gel in dispensers in the shower and liquid soap on the basin. Compared to the room the bathroom was a good size but a friend in another room had a very small bathroom and the shower cubicle was tiny. Hairdryer in bathroom but didn’t use. The corridors around the hotel are fitted with motion sensor lighting that sadly only turns the lights on once you are halfway along it…the corridors are very dark at night and this was very unnerving and didn’t feel very safe. The staff and service on the whole was good…reception ladies were always friendly and helpful, happy look after our needs and book taxis for us as and when needed, although service seemed to drop on check-out day and we had to almost argue with the guy on reception to book a taxi to get to the airport…he reluctantly made the booking but wasn’t happy about it and then weirdly became very pleasant and friendly during checkout?! Breakfast is €10 and ok…the hot options are very limited and DO NOT try the fried eggs, they would bounce if you dropped one! The continental options are varied and pretty good. The lady who manages the breakfast room is their very own Basil Fawlty, each day she chooses someone else to be furious with and treat badly! She is very rude and either shouts at you in Spanish or completely ignores you…when it was my turn to be ‘hated’ by her she (and I had to get another guest to translate for me as I don’t speak Spanish, which is my bad) she told me off for boiling the kettle to make tea (with my own teabag as it’s fruit or earl grey only) when I should have used the hot water from the coffee machine and then I got in trouble for not dispensing my cereal gently enough for her liking…following that she would only communicate with my friend, she’d obviously forgotten that she had treated her badly the day before!! If you can find her amusing it’s funny but she should not be in hospitality. To sum up… ✅Good location ❌VERY small rooms ❌Not easily or quickly accessible from the street ❓Service is let down by a couple of members of staff ❌ Overpriced for what you get, in my opinion The 2 stars are awarded for location and the good members of staff we encountered 😉