The Principal Madrid

Our stay at The Principal Hotel in Madrid was disappointing. Though the staff was welcoming at first, the hotel itself fell far short of expectations. We booked a junior suite expecting extra space and quiet, but the room was surprisingly small, and the hotel was very dim with poor lighting. Worst of all, the noise outside was unbearable—people were yelling and drinking late into the night, making it impossible to sleep. This caused us to miss the prepaid breakfast the next morning. When we spoke to the front desk later, the clerk was apologetic and offered to comp our breakfast for the next day and cancel the previous charge. However, the new shift ignored this promise and charged us in full. They were so disorganized that when we asked for our luggage to be brought down (as we had a driver waiting), it was left untouched. After breakfast, we were stuck waiting for an elevator that didn’t work, and the staff offered no help. We had already checked out, so we didn’t have the key needed to access the other elevator, and again, no one assisted us. Despite the high rates, the service and experience were subpar. We had another reservation for the following week but canceled it. The hotel is overpriced, the rooms are small and noisy, and only a few staff members were helpful. They made promises they didn’t keep, and overall, they don’t seem to prioritize their guests. Avoid The Principal Hotel if you have the option.