Few addresses in Madrid carry the weight of Plaza Mayor's southern arcade, where the terracotta-rendered facades and slate-capped towers of Juan Gómez de Mora's seventeenth-century ensemble have defined the city's ceremonial heart for four centuries. Pestana Plaza Mayor was carved from three of those historic buildings facing the square, opening in 2019 after a substantial renovation that preserved the Habsburg-era street frontage while threading 89 rooms across the upper floors — many with balconies that look directly onto the cobbled expanse below. The interior design navigates the gap between that monumental exterior and a contemporary hotel brief with varying degrees of success. Guestrooms pair deep-navy velvet headboards, set within industrial steel surrounds with exposed riveting, against hand-tufted carpets in scrolling botanical patterns — a juxtaposition that feels more atmospheric than coherent but gives the rooms a recognizable character. The wildcard is the basement spa, where barrel-vaulted brick passages dating to the original construction were left entirely intact, their amber stonework now framing backlit alabaster hydrotherapy pools in a sequence that turns the building's foundations into the most arresting space in the property. The glass-roofed restaurant courtyard, planted with mature ficus trees and furnished with wire-frame bistro chairs in ochre and grey, offers a lighter register — a garden room suspended between the street arcade and the historic roofline above.

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Sleeping in the historic centre of Madrid, in a baroque building in the most iconic square in the city. It’s an experience only possible at the Pestana Plaza Mayor, an exclusive hotel of the Pestana Collection brand that combines the baroque architecture of the 17th Century with a sophisticated decor and the amenities of the 21st century. Madrid is a city with a life of its own, where there is movement, noise and people. But if you want to relax for a moment, all you need to do is close the windows. The hotel is your refuge whenever you want, simultaneously at the centre of everything is the centre of tranquillity. With its spectacular Spa, an inner patio lit with natural light, its own library, a Rooftop bar with seasonal pool with views over the most genuine neighbourhood in the city, a terrace right on Plaza Mayor and rooms that prime for supreme comfort, this is the place to stay in the centre of Madrid. The Pestana Plaza Mayor Madrid is a unique and unrivalled luxury hotel, located a stone’s throw away from the main monuments and tourist attractions, such as Puerta del Sol square, the Royal Palace, Madrid Cathedral, Gran Vía, Plaza del Callao square, the Temple of Debod, or the iconic El Rastro flea market. The Paseo del Arte, where you’ll find the main museums such as the Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen, is only a 20-minute walk away.