The RIU hotel chain finished remodelling the España Building in spring 2019, one of Madrid's most iconic skyscrapers, to open the doors to its four-star hotel in mid-July. idealista/news has visited the building and shows you the result of the transformation inspired by the decoration from the 50s and 60s.
The first thing that stands out is the location of the hotel. The España Building is one of the most iconic and representative buildings in the centre of Madrid. Located at one end of Gran Vía, the construction of the 77,000 m2 skyscraper began in 1948 by architects Julián and Joaquín Otamendi, although it was not inaugurated until five years later. Known in its day to be the tallest building in Europe, it is 117 metres high and remains one of the tallest buildings in the Spanish capital.
During these 61 years it has had several uses (it has housed a hotel, offices, apartments and shops) and also many different owners: from 2005 until now it has been in the hands of a developer, a bank, one of the largest conglomerates in the world and a hotel chain: Metrovacesa, Santander, the Chinese group Wanda and RIU Hotels, which has owned it since the summer of 2017.
In January 2018, the hotel chain began work on the building with the goal of opening the establishment in less than two years – which it did: the hotel opened in mid-July.
Named RIU Plaza España, it has a four-star rating, 585 rooms spread over 24 floors and required a multimillion euro investment to give it its current look. In addition, it is the first establishment of the chain in Madrid and the first RIU Plaza in Spain (the seventh in the world).
