Hotel Puerta America

This hotel's unique feature is that each floor is designed by a different artist, resulting in distinct and sometimes extreme styles. I deliberately booked two different rooms, staying 2 nights in each for a total of 4 nights, so I could experience them. The young lady at the front desk who checked me in at dawn was incredibly friendly and professional. She even encouraged me to visit the lobbies on different floors to experience their unique styles and noted my preferred floor for the room change. The issue arose the night before I was due to switch rooms. I spoke to the same front desk agent, asking if I could change rooms after 2 PM the next day, due to jet lag and needing time to pack my belongings. She generously agreed, stating it was fine since I was extending my stay rather than checking out, and my next booking was a suite. However, at exactly 10 AM on the day of the room change, someone repeatedly knocked on my door. Still asleep, I went to ask what was going on. It was a cleaner who apologized, saying they thought the room was already vacated. I explained I was changing rooms in the afternoon, and she left. Immediately after, I noticed the TV screen indicated 'no guest checked in,' and I couldn't watch any channels. The front desk called right away. It was a middle-aged woman who sounded very experienced, and she spoke with a stern tone: 'Your suite is ready, on the floor you requested. I'm sending someone with the key now; please move immediately. There's a guest waiting for your current room.' I told her I had confirmed with them last night that I would move in the afternoon, and I wasn't even out of bed yet. She immediately replied, 'No, that's not possible. We can't wait. I can send someone to help you pack and move.' Her attitude was awful. What's more, she didn't sound like a regular front desk agent; she seemed to be a manager. This kind of service is nowhere near five-star standard.

The room design is really fun and creative. Same goes for the hotel hallways and elevators. The room was super clean, the kind that grows on you the more you look at it. And breakfast was incredibly rich and varied!

The room was quiet and had character. The location is great, within walking distance to the city center and very close to the airport.

The room design is quite stylish, though some things took a bit of exploring to figure out. The location is convenient for the airport but a bit far from attractions; it's over half an hour by metro to Puerta del Sol. There's a skywalk on the 13th floor after 8 PM. Breakfast doesn't have a huge variety, but the ingredients are good quality. The room size is decent. They charge a deposit upon check-in, and it's quite a large amount, which feels a bit petty given many hotels no longer do this. The swimming pool was a bit cold; even in July, it felt chilly if the sun wasn't directly on it. Just a minor complaint about a male staff member in the restaurant – I'd call him the stingiest man in Spain. Spanish ice cream shops are usually very generous, even with small cups, but this guy managed to scoop a smaller ball than you'd get in China, and he was quite arrogant about it.