The Edition Madrid

Character and identity

Set behind an 18th-century granite doorway on Plaza de Celenque, a few steps from Puerta del Sol, this is a 200-room contemporary grand hotel carved out of a former bank by Ian Schrager and John Pawson. A pearly-white spiral staircase anchors public spaces that mix antique tapestries with electric-blue baize and Jean-Michel Frank seating. Rooms are all-white minimalist envelopes with rococo headboards. Five food and drink venues include Enrique Olvera's Mexican Jerónimo, Diego Muñoz's rooftop Peruvian, and the clubby Punch Room. The rooftop holds the city's largest pool, an olive grove and a lawn. Service is uniformed, efficient, warmly Spanish.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What defines a stay here is the design ambition and the rooftop, plus two of the most interesting Latin American kitchens in the city, rather than the bedrooms themselves, which trade warmth for minimalism. Book a higher category for the Royal Palace or Gran Vía views, or, if rates bite, come for sunset cocktails and dinner at Jerónimo to catch the hedonistic side without committing to the room rate.