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Hotel Emperador, Madrid

Calle Gran Vía, 53, 28013 Madrid, Spain (show on map)

Hotel Emperador stands as an iconic fixture on Madrid’s famous Gran Vía. Designed by architects Julián and Joaquín Otamendi, the building was completed in 1947 and quickly became a glamorous hub for the city’s cultural elite. Throughout its history, the hotel has hosted legendary figures like Ernest Hemingway, Ava Gardner, and Sophia Loren, cementing its status as a symbol of mid-century sophistication.

The property is perhaps most famous for its stunning 10th-floor rooftop terrace. Featuring a large swimming pool that dates back to 1948, it was one of the first of its kind in Madrid. Even today, it remains a premier destination for those looking to enjoy a cocktail while overlooking the city’s historic skyline, including breathtaking views of the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral.

Beyond its history, the hotel offers a refined mix of classic elegance and modern comfort, with over 200 well-appointed rooms. The lobby bar is a favorite spot for guests to unwind, providing an intimate setting that feels worlds away from the bustling energy of the avenue outside.

Its location is unbeatable for anyone wanting to explore the heart of the capital. You are within walking distance of the historic Puerta del Sol and the grand Plaza Mayor. For art lovers, the famous “Art Triangle”—home to the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Reina Sofía museums—is just a short, pleasant walk away, making the Emperador a perfect starting point for discovering Madrid’s cultural treasures.

Expert reviews

CNN review:

“The chief recommendation at The Emperador, certainly in the summer, would be the roof-top swimming pool. There’s a bar up there, too, and captivating 360-degree views of the Spanish capital.”

Guest rating

4.2 out of 5.0

Ranked 18th in Madrid


This an aggregated guest review rating of Hotel Emperador, Madrid. We have taken customer review ratings from hotel booking sites, search engines, the official hotel website and other travel platforms. This is the average of all those ratings. We only list places that have a guest review rating of at least 4.0 out of 5.0


What guests liked


Value for Money

85.51 %

Ranked 17th in Madrid


We use a smart algorithm to determine the value for money each hotel offers. The score is based on a combination of aggregated guest review ratings and the average nightly rate. The higher the percentage, the better the overall value you receive for the price you pay.


Location

Recent guest reviews

5.0
Nicole

2 July 2026

Fabulous location in the heart of Madrid.

The pool area is amazing!

4.5
Gail

30 June 2026

Very comfortable bed & a lovely suite with separate sitting room was wonderful. The rooftop pool was very large with

The location, the pool & the staff…the fact that we got an upgraded room was greatly appreciated!

The breakfast buffet

5.0
Meg

29 June 2026

Central Madrid hotel with the facilities of a resort.

No one could doubt the convenience and facilities of this lovely hotel in central Madrid. The pool area, in a heatwave, was like an oasis.

It was expensive and more than we would usually pay but it was a real treat!

4.5
Antonia

28 June 2026

Buena ubicación y atención

Personal amable, buena ubicación

Piscina con mucha gente, no se podia usar

5.0
Susanna

28 June 2026

This hotel was luxurious, well located and had a buzz to it.

I loved the pool, pool area and pool bar.

Nothing

4.0
Martin

27 June 2026

Great downtown choice for Madrid and only 35 mins metro to IFEMA conference

Would stay again.
Excellent downtown location near Plaza España metro.
Lovely architecture especially the reception and breakfast lobby.
Fabulous rooftop bar.
Excellent breakfast with a great range of options.
Spacious shower and powerful.

No light from the window which faced internally to the building and was a very small room (but NB, this type of room was possibly much quieter, which I wanted, so it might be a trade-off).

5.0
Julia

26 June 2026

Great home base during a hot summer week!

Stayed with spouse and teen. Room was a good size. Coffee/tea in the room replenished daily. Wonderful rooftop pool and restaurant. Perfect location for our holiday in Madrid. We did not get the breakfast option as we wanted to freedom to roam and try other things. Lots of places to eat nearby. Even though Gran Via is always bustling, our room was quiet.

There is some noise heard between rooms - the sound insulation isn’t 100% - but not really a big deal.

5.0
John

25 June 2026

A great city break

Excellent location, beautiful hotel and great staff

4.5
Geoffrey

25 June 2026

Very relaxing hotel, wonderful pool

Central location, great staff at all levels

No loo brush, no hand rails or none slip
Matts on bath/shower

5.0
Debbie

25 June 2026

Great location, stunning rooftop

The hotel is stunning, we felt we had arrived somewhere very luxurious and grand. The room was the same. The photos do not do justice to the rooftop area. The pool is really nice, you get a towel to use on arrival, first come first served for hotel guests but we went twice and didn't have much trouble finding a lounger. The views and the bar are stunning and not what I expected. I had been looking for a rooftop bar to visit whilst in Madrid and didn't realise we had the perfect one at our hotel. Loved our stay

4.5
Sue

25 June 2026

A very comfortable and well appointed hotel in a convenient location

Excellent central location

Nil

5.0
Levy

23 June 2026

I would totally recommend this hotel

Everything
Great location
The pool area is great

Nothing

5.0
Choate

23 June 2026

Was much better than expected the room was nice with an upgrade to a room with a balcony. The staff were extremely helpf

Location, staff, room was extra nice, amenities were good.

Blow dryer-it was connected permanently under the sink and hard to pull out far enough to use along with having to hold the button the whole time I was drying my hair.

4.5
Nhat

22 June 2026

Perfect location and comfortable hotel

-rooftop terrasse and pool
-comfortable room with good amenities
-perfect location

-drinks very expensive at the terrace
-not enough sun loundge chairs (especially in the shadows)

5.0
Brett

20 June 2026

Absolutely loved it , we will return very soon . Thank you !

Helpful staff, superb location , amazing roof top pool

Nothing

4.0
Simon

15 June 2026

Enjoyed this recently refurbished and elegant old hotel, well located for city centre.

Amazing double deck pool space on top floor with deep water and views across Madrid - great facility

Poll deck restaurant is pricey for what it is. Disappointing that lifeguard didn't tackle large bunch of loud young men who were repeatedly jumping into pool, drinking beer in pool, and making unpleasant environment for other guests

4.5
Neil

14 June 2026

Great balance of facilities in city location

Great rooftop and pool

5.0
Ursula

14 June 2026

We really enjoyed our stay. Location was great and staff were very friendly and helpful

We loved everything

5.0
John

13 June 2026

Spectacular facilities and location in beautiful Valencia.

Spectacular location and beautiful facilities for a good price. Breakfast is exceptionally good and delicious

Nothing

4.5
Alexandra

13 June 2026

Would come here again. Good place to stay at to see Madrid

Roof top, staff, lobby was a 10/10

It was hard to get staff attention at the pool bar/ restaurant at times. Nothing too bad.

5.0
Mercedes

12 June 2026

Amazing hotel with great location and staff !

The hotel is great ! Super well located and the staff super professional !

Nothing !

5.0
Mark

12 June 2026

Beautiful hotel in a terrific location! Can’t go wrong with this one.

We loved the clean comfortable rooms. And our family especially enjoyed the pool area. We had a beautiful sunset dinner there.

4.0
Christopher

8 June 2026

Good one night stay for us...

Very central, room immaculate and clean. No complaints

The view could have been better..

4.0
Mandy

7 June 2026

Enjoyed the holiday but hard on the picket

Roof terrace and pool excellent. Location perfect

A bit pricy for small and tired room
24 euros per person for breakfast

4.5
Philip

7 June 2026

All you will need for a great stay in Madrid.

Excellent location and great facilities.

Very small issue. Not a criticism but a suggestion - a more varied selection of fruit in the morning for breakfast but all in all a great hotel for a stay in Madrid. Staff were great.

5.0
Ana

7 June 2026

Fantastic place to stay while visiting Madrid

We been here before and for sure will come back the location is great, the rooms are very comfortable, even being by a busy street we were surprised with the great windows

Nothing

4.5
Ferdinand

3 June 2026

Very much recommendable.

Great location. Very clean. Spacious lobby. Friendly and helpful staff.

4.0
Ming

2 June 2026

Met my needs for the trip

Central location in Gran Via, very convenient to walk

The room they gave me didn’t have any views, you were basically looking at the back of another building

4.0
Yanrong

2 June 2026

An older style hotel in a central location.

The central location.

The old-style shower over bath

5.0
Merve

31 May 2026

It was wonderful.

The hotel's location, staff, and cleanliness were excellent. The breakfast was very varied. The poolside area was also a great place to relax during this hot weather.

5.0
Randolph

28 May 2026

Great Hotel in Downtown Madrid

Great hotel in the heart of Madrid. Easy walk to so many things - restaurants, parks, Prado Museum, Royal Palace, Plaza del Sol, etc. Very nice lounge/restaurant/pool on the roof, with great views of Madrid. It had the best breakfast buffet of any Spanish hotel we stayed in.

5.0
Madeleine

28 May 2026

Our dream stay in Madrid

Everything! Location was amazing, so central. The room was so spacious and perfect room temp in hot weather. Super clean. Staff extremely attentive. Rooftop is worth going here for alone but everything was superb! Really appreciated the unexpected room upgrade and little birthday treat for my Mom. Attention to detail here is 100%!

Nothing!

4.0
Jennie

26 May 2026

Great spot for shopping/sightseeing and relaxing!

Swimming pool and rooftop area amazing. A real oasis in the city when it’s hot.
Staff all lovely.

Nothing.

Hotel facilities

General

  • - Room service
  • - Non-smoking rooms
  • - Facilities for disabled guests
  • - Lift
  • - Safety deposit box
  • - Soundproof rooms
  • - Heating
  • - Non-smoking throughout
  • - Air conditioning
  • - Shuttle service (additional charge)

Business facilities

  • - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
  • - Business centre (additional charge)
  • - Fax/photocopying (additional charge)

Food & Drink

  • - Bar
  • - Snack bar
  • - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
  • - Fruits (additional charge)
  • - Coffee house on site

Reception services

  • - 24-hour front desk
  • - Currency exchange
  • - Tour desk
  • - Luggage storage
  • - Concierge service
  • - Invoice provided

Activities

  • - Fitness centre
  • - Massage (additional charge)
  • - Fitness
  • - Temporary art galleries

Outdoors

  • - Terrace
  • - Outdoor pool
  • - Sun terrace
  • - Outdoor pool (seasonal)

Cleaning services

  • - Laundry (additional charge)
  • - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
  • - Ironing service (additional charge)
  • - Daily housekeeping

Accessibility

  • - Wheelchair accessible

Pool and wellness

  • - Rooftop pool
  • - Pool with view
  • - Pool bar
  • - Sun loungers or beach chairs
  • - Swimming pool

Miscellaneous

  • - 24-hour security
  • - Key card access
  • - Security alarm
  • - Smoke alarms
  • - CCTV in common areas
  • - Fire extinguishers
  • - Delivered food is securely covered
  • - Access to health care professionals
  • - Thermometers for guests provided by property
  • - Face masks for guests available
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