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Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá
Madrid, Spain · Gran Meliá · Grand Luxury
Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá occupies the restored 1893 palace of the Dukes of Granada de Ega y Villahermosa, art collectors whose Velázquez portrait donation to the Prado still shapes the hotel's design: nine reproductions of the painter's work decorate its suites and public rooms. Meliá spent 18 months and 30 million euros converting the former Hotel Ambassador, reopening it in July 2016 beside the Royal Palace and Teatro Real, with its original 19th-century glass-domed cloister now serving as the lobby.
- 179 rooms
- Opened 2016
- Neighborhood: Puerta del Sol / Plaza de Celenque
- Rooms from 269 sq ft (25 m²)
- Architect: Matías Laviña Blasco
About Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá
- The building sits on the former site of the 13th-century Convento de Santo Domingo, whose foundations lie beneath the current hotel.
- The Dukes of Granada de Ega y Villahermosa donated their Velázquez portrait of Diego del Corral y Arellano to the Prado in the 19th century.
- Carlos Malibrán Vieytez and Raúl Eduardo Salata rebuilt the interiors as Hotel Tryp Ambassador between 1985 and 1987, keeping the facade.
- Matías Laviña Blasco designed an Isabelline palace here in 1851 for the 6th Duke of Granada de Ega.
- Entry-level rooms start at 269 sq ft (25 m²).
History
Palacio de los Duques sits on Cuesta de Santo Domingo, over the site of the thirteenth-century Convento de Santo Domingo. Architect Matías Laviña Blasco designed an Isabelline palace here in 1851 for the 6th Duke of Granada de Ega; a second campaign is recorded in 1859. The atlas files the standing palace to 1893. The dukes, also of Villahermosa, were Velázquez collectors; their portrait of Diego del Corral y Arellano went to the Prado, and nine reproductions of the painter still hang in the suites.
Between 1985 and 1987 Carlos Malibrán Vieytez and Raúl Eduardo Salata rebuilt the interiors as Hotel Tryp Ambassador, keeping the facade. Meliá spent about 30 million euros from 2015 and reopened the house on 1 December 2016 as Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá, with the nineteenth-century glass-domed cloister as lobby, beside the Royal Palace and the Teatro Real.
The stay is a duke's palace that went through an Ambassador chapter, not a tower built for a brand launch.
The setting
Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá puts guests toward the west of Sol, Madrid. Mercado de San Miguel is roughly 6 minutes' walk. Plaza Mayor is roughly 6 minutes' walk, and Puerta del Sol is roughly 7 minutes' walk. Stay on Sol-Celenque to walk everywhere. This is the densest luxury stack in the city, loud on purpose.
Amenities
- Pool
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
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