Four Seasons to Debut in Spain with Madrid Hotel

Great news for Spain's hotel industry today: Four Seasons has announced that it will make its Spanish debut in the capital city within the next four years. 

The new Four Seasons will be housed in the series of heritage buildings comprising the Canalejas complex, adjacent to the Puerta del Sol and close to Madrid’s major landmarks and city center. The buildings include frontages on Alcalá Street, Sevilla Street, Canalejas Square and Carrera de San Jerónimo.

Following repairs, restoration and renovations, Four Seasons Hotel Madrid is looking to be a social and business center. The multi-use complex will include the 215-room Four Seasons Hotel Madrid, luxury residences also managed by Four Seasons, a shopping center, and a 500-space parking garage. Following the planning process, construction is projected to begin at the end of 2013.

“The introduction of the world’s most prestigious hotel brand reinforces Madrid’s position as a venue for major international events,” said Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, head of Grupo Villar Mir, which through its subsidiaries Inmobiliaria Espacio and Grupo OHL is investing EUR 500 million in the project. “Further, the development project will contribute significantly to the reactivation of the local labour market, generating 4,800 jobs, including 1,800 during the construction stage and 3,000 direct and indirect permanent jobs.”

Madrid, says Scott Woroch, executive vice president worldwide development for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, has long been on the brand's wish list. “The team of Grupo Villar Mir, Grupo OHL and Four Seasons is uniquely placed to create a spectacular property in Madrid,” he said in a statement.

The Four Seasons collection of heritage hotels in Europe includes buildings whose origins range from the 15th to the early 20th centuries. These include Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, adapted over ten years from two Renaissance palaces and set in an 11-acre (4.5 hectare) garden; Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, an Art Nouveau landmark in Budapest; Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, housed in a century-old neo-Classical prison; Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, transformed from a 19th century former Ottoman palace; Four Seasons Hotel Milano, developed from a 15th century convent; and the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, an eight story landmark built in 1928. Set to open in 2013, Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg is a fully restored 19th century palace designed by the same architect as and located next to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and named for the two stone lions in Alexander Pushkin’s The Bronze Horseman that guard the entrance to this day.