A Night Tour Behind the Scenes at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid

22.12.2023 - 23:09 / cntraveler.com

A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveler España. This article was translated and adapted from the Spanish by John Newton. The Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid is one of our editors’ picks for The Gold List 2024.

It is eight o’clock in the evening on a late November day. Some winter weather has finally arrived in Madrid when a cab takes me to the heart of the Spanish capital, specifically to one of its most famous and historic hotels. There is a pre-Christmas energy in the air and I almost feel transported, as if I were Scrooge in A Christmas Carol accompanied by one of those three ghosts, when I arrive at a legendary address, Plaza de la Lealtad 5. That is to say: the Ritz.

Yes, it’s officially called the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, though for many Madrileños, the hotel is—and always will be—simply, the Ritz.

After a streak of unusually warm days, there is now a chill in the air. “I have seen people catching a cold in a matter of minutes after leaving the hotel,” explains Iván García Velasco, the doorman of this legendary hotel for no less than 28 years, with his characteristic wit. His friendly and warm welcome is paired with an elegant demeanor while his blue eyes and wide smile have held my attention since I got out of my cab. I knew at that moment that I would start this story with him, as I attempt to capture a magical evening at the hotel, one that would extend until dawn the next day.

This is the first time the hotel has invited a media outlet to have a look behind the scenes, in the back of the house normally limited to hotel staff. It is even more remarkable that they have scheduled this unusual visit at night, when most of the guests are happily sleeping. The main characters of this story follow routines they have executed every night for years—and in some cases, decades—work that is central to the smooth operation of this luxury hotel.

Welcome to the Ritz!

Iván García Velasco, a doorman at the Ritz

The hotel’s cozy lobby is undergoing a transition tonight. Like Santa’s little elves, Barbara Velasco, the director of engineering, and Mariluz Peñalver, founder and owner of the florist Brumalis, and their teams are hard at work decorating a huge Christmas tree. It will be the centerpiece of an evening cocktail party the next day that will kick off the holiday festivities. I watch them perched on a ladder, draping strings of glittering little lights on the tree, like Cinderella’s bird friends preparing her for the prince’s ball. At this hour, there are few guests in the lobby to disturb their important work.

The Christmas decorations will be fabulous, but even without them, the hotel’s light is captivating. “What we did was turn up the light,” architect Rafael de