A hotel sitting area with green chairs, a green sofa, a mirror topped coffee table, a floor lamp, round ottomans and tree drawings on the walls.
(Image credit: blesscollectionhotels.com)

A hotspot for Madrid's elite when it first opened in 1946, the iconic Gran Hotel Velazquez has been given a second lease of life as the first outpost of Bless, a new collection of stylish urban retreats and beachside destinations from Ibiza-based Palladium Hotel Group.

Located in the city's upscale Salamanca District, an energetic half-hour stride from attractions such as the Museo del Prado or Plaza Mayor, the 111-room property is the work of prolific Barcelona-based designer Lázaro Rosa-Violan, who layered the building's original details, from the grand marble staircase to the glass dome, with contemporary touches that give a true sense of place – like the bed headboards and wall murals in the guestrooms that reference 19th-century Madrid with hunting scenes and country landscapes.

On the ground floor in Versus – originally called Ruleta – sip on cocktails under a roulette wheel ceiling installation, while in Etxeko, which is dominated by a central crystal pen that holds a life-size bull, cast in silver alloy, chef Martín Berasategui justifies his 10 Michelin stars with a menu based on the Basque standards of high quality raw ingredients, like the delicious oxtail cannelloni served on a bed of mashed potatoes and drizzled with a tempraillo bordeaux sauce, or the red tuna hot off the Josper Grill.

Come summer, Pico Pardos Sky Lounge will be the best place for a nightcap and views of the Golden Metropolis and beyond.

A hotel bedroom with a bed, round side tables with lamps, a patterned headboard, a burgundy bed bench, a round table and wood and glass door cupboards.

(Image credit: blesscollectionhotels.com)

A hotel bedroom with a bed, a blue sofa, red leather chairs, a wooden desk, two square white pillars and large windows.

(Image credit: blesscollectionhotels.com)

A restaurant with decorated tables, brown chairs, a brown sofa with a glass feature on it and many round pendant lights.

(Image credit: blesscollectionhotels.com)

A bar with a dark wood top, blue tiles on the side, light wood bar chairs, wood and glass liquor cabinet and many round pendant lights.

(Image credit: blesscollectionhotels.com)

Two ten pin bowling alleys with display cabinets on the left, wall paintings on the right and square lights built into the roof.

(Image credit: blesscollectionhotels.com)

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Calle de Velázquez, 62

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