Urso Hotel & Spa, Madrid

Having booked a spa day at your hotel, our experience began poorly with coffee orders being completely mishandled multiple times. The initial drinks were wrong; the second batch was clearly made by an inexperienced barista, and though the third round was drinkable, the coffees were lukewarm at best. Following the spa, my daughter and I dined in the lounge/bar adjacent to reception, where the service deteriorated to an unacceptable level. Staff entirely ignored the tables; we had to repeatedly flag them down just to place or reorder drinks. After ordering a starter to share and identical mains, we were subjected to an outrageous wait of nearly 30 minutes before all dishes were brought out simultaneously. The starter arrived cold, and one of the mains was incorrect. After waiting another 22 minutes, a replacement main arrived stone cold except for the fries. Despite informing a waiter before eating, no apology, offer of compensation, or even acknowledgment was made. When we requested not to be charged for the incorrect cold main, we were flatly refused. A female staff member claimed to be a manager, and when we insisted speaking to genuine management, the F&B Manager Matias arrived only to deny any responsibility or rectification. Our request to escalate to the Hotel Manager was also denied on the grounds of him being “too busy,” with Matias claiming he had consulted the Hotel Director to enforce payment for the substandard meal. Matias later compounded the distress by blatantly lying, twisting our words, and fabricating a version of events designed to avoid accountability by saying it was the “hotel direction that we should pay”. This culminated in an unwarranted threat of police involvement, forcing my daughter to call the authorities. The police instructed us to file a formal complaint, which we did. Matias refused to translate his Spanish complaint form, and when pressed, his verbal explanations were evasive and dishonest. We view this behavior as a gross betrayal of customer trust and a stark violation of basic hospitality principles. It is not about the €20.00 charge it is about the principle. Dishonest, ill-trained, and argumentative staff with no sense of service or integrity have left us appalled. We have escalated this complaint to CEO Victor Vacas and the hotel’s stakeholders via LinkedIn, as this level of ineptitude and deceit is utterly unacceptable. There are countless far superior dining options in Madrid. We will certainly not recommend this hotel to anyone and expect a full investigation and an appropriate response to restore customer faith.

We had a wonderful stay at Hotel Urso. We enjoyed the beautiful rooms, spa, piano in the lobby, and both restaurants. Sara in the breakfast restaurant, Maria, Ana. Valentina, and Peatrice were friendly and helpful at the front desk. Alberto and all the bellmen were courteous. Denise and Luciano were marvelous concierges. Overall, the staff members were all fantastic. Hotel Urso is beautiful and we’d highly recommend staying there!

I stayed at the hotel with my friend for a short trip to Madrid, for watching a Champions League match. The rooms are comfortable. The location is excellent, making it a strong choice for a stay in Madrid.

I booked Urso Hotel & Spa through my Chase Sapphire Reserve points, part of the Edith Collection, which promises early check-in (upon availability), late check-out, an upgrade, $100 credit, and a welcome amenity. On paper, it sounded like a perfect five-star experience. In reality, it was anything but. We arrived at 10:00 a.m. and were told there were no rooms available—and no idea when one might be ready. Fair enough, but when I politely asked which room category we’d been assigned, I was curtly told there would be no upgrade because the hotel was “full.” The receptionist’s only suggestion? “You can sit in the lobby or go out for a walk.” I asked if we could at least have breakfast while waiting and was told, “Of course—but you’ll have to pay.” A warm welcome indeed. When our room was finally ready, we discovered it was a handicap-accessible room, complete with a shower that flooded the entire bathroom floor. So much for comfort. When I asked to move, I was told there were “no other rooms available”—unless I wanted to pay €600 extra for a suite. The so-called “gift amenity” was a single chocolate, the same one given during turndown service. I’ve received more thoughtful welcomes at mid-range hotels, let alone at supposed five-star properties. Breakfast the next morning was chaos. The staff looked half-asleep; my eggs Benedict never arrived even after 30 minutes and three follow-ups. The spa? A single large jacuzzi pool, no sauna, no steam bath—hardly the “spa experience” they advertise. Urso may have the decor of a boutique luxury hotel, but the service standard felt more like a tired three-star property. For a brand under the Edith Collection and affiliated with Chase’s luxury portfolio, this was a glaring disappointment. Perhaps I’ve just been spoiled by what true five-star hospitality looks like in Asia—where guests are valued, not tolerated.

Luxury boutique hotel in a quiet area. URSO offered friendly service and an escape from the busy city, but was close enough to everything we wanted to do and see.