Having just celebrated its centenary, number 21 of Madrid’s Gran Via is now home to one of the most unusual hotels of the NH Collection premium brand: NH Collection Gran Vía. Thanks to NH Hotel Group, one of the most characteristic buildings of the iconic avenue has been reborn as an exciting and unforgettable four-star hotel. The new hotel is a great example of how history, location, design and excellence can be combined to create a one-of-a-kind hotel.
A Bohemian Hotel
Known as Gran Vía 21, this architectural gem was part of the first section of the Madrid Gran Vía project. The work of architects Julio Martínez Zapata and José López Sallaberry (who is also the architect responsible for the Casino de Madrid), its construction as housing for Tomás Allende began in 1915. Finally, this beautiful Neo-Baroque style building opened its doors exactly one hundred years ago, in 1918.
Since then it has never ceased to surprise thanks to its beauty and location, on the corner with Calle Montera, as one of the most impressive buildings in the Gran Vía. The new hotel, located on what is known as Madrid’s Broadway, is close to the best musicals, theatres and one of the best shopping areas in Madrid. It is also near the iconic districts of Las Letras and Chueca.
As a new four-star establishment, the hotel offers an elegant and welcoming setting with interiors designed by Mercedes Isasa, Estudio TBC. The interior designer is responsible for giving the hotel its personality, from the public areas to the rooms and the restaurant. To do this, she brought back the classic elegance of the fifties and the emergence of Gran Vía, through materials and shapes, light and shades. A fusion between the purest Spanish tradition and the most avant-garde design, make the hotel both welcoming and sophisticated.
NH Collection Gran Vía has a total of 94 rooms, which are equipped with the company’s benchmark amenities, the Brilliant Basics: mattresses designed exclusively for NH Hotel Group, rain-effect showers, Nespresso coffee-makers and a kettle, 46’’ LED TV, as well as 1Mb Wi-Fi.
From Madrid to Heaven
The eighth and ninth floors of the hotel are home to its striking 360-degree rooftop terrace and restaurant, Picalagartos. Thanks to its position, the rooftop offers one of the most beautiful views of Gran Vía and the rest of the city.
This is where Picalagartos Sky-Bar, the new space from restaurant group Azotea Grupo, comes to life. Located on the ninth floor is the exclusive Tanqueray Sky Garden, an urban garden in the centre of Madrid where visitors can enjoy fantastic cocktails and the perfect gin and tonic.
Led by Madrid chef Javier Muñoz-Calero, this new space is a tribute to Spanish cuisine and seasonal produce. Visitors to the restaurant can enjoy Callos a la Madrileña with Catalan Santa Pau Beans, Bravas Montera, or Fried baby squid tentacles with black garlic alioli, as well as gastronomic interpretations of the classics of Madrid cuisine and dishes such as Candied Artichokes and Ibérico Ham pieces or Charolais topside dry-aged over 35 days with Guernica peppers.
In a clear tribute to well-loved traditional dishes, Muñoz-Calero includes a number of different sections in his menu, including a Finger Food section that offers, among others, Crunch bacon rashers with salt flakes and spicy sauce or Warm grilled octopus with Aragón black olive mayonnaise that are combined with options such as the Vegetable Garden with salads and which features his Porra de Antequera with bread. The menu also includes an Embers section featuring a number of dishes prepared in a special oven, offering both meat and fish dishes as well as grilled vegetables.
To complete the menu there is a fine selection of Spanish and international wines of the leading Designations of Origin, selected for their quality and also for their novelty. This also includes some D.O. Vinos de Madrid wines selected by Javier Arroyo, former sommelier of Diverxo, who completes the wine list with a wide selection of sherries.
Azotea Grupo also presents the Cardhu Scotch House on the ninth floor, a specialist bar where the best Single Malts and Blended Scotch Whisky can be enjoyed without leaving the hotel.
