PROJECT STORY
The challenge
The challenge is rehabilitating a historic building listed as a Monument by the Ministry of Culture while also meeting the needs of a 21st-century guest and adhering to current regulations.
The Westin Palace Hotel, Madrid
An architectural gem tailored to the 21st-century customer
The solution
Carrying out the renovations with the hotel in operation is an extraordinary job of coordination, as it has the highest level of protection, Level 1.
The impact
Establishing this architectural gem as a modern luxury hotel, giving it a revamped look without losing the essence that makes it emblematic of the Spanish capital.
470 rooms
Gradual renovation of each of the six floors of rooms
48,500 m²
total surface area
Time has left its mark on this historic hotel
There are many historic buildings in Madrid, but only a few have been true witnesses to history. The Westin Palace Hotel is one of them. Located right in the heart of the capital, it opened its doors as the largest luxury hotel in Europe in 1912. Since then, its beautiful halls have been graced by countless well-known aristocrats, politicians and figures from the world of art and culture.
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However, the passage of time has left its mark on a building that is listed as a national monument. In 2008, the owner of the building, Archer Hotel Capital, commissioned us to manage the project and the costs of renovating one of the hotel's 11 floors. Over the following decade, it has continued to put its faith in us to rehabilitate and modernize its 470 rooms, halls, rooftops and facades. This was no mean feat — it meant adapting the rooms and services to the 21st-century customer, while preserving what it is that makes The Westin Palace, Madrid unique.
A decade of challenges and improvements
Modernizing an exclusive hotel like Madrid's Westin Palace has been an enormous challenge, but it is also one of the projects we are most proud of. For more than ten years, Arcadis has been part of the Palace's history. Thanks to a harmonious relationship with the owner and the success of the complex rehabilitation carried out with the hotel running at full capacity, we have secured 15 new projects of varying scope in the same building.
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Arcadis has been providing consultancy related advice to both the hotel owner and operator during various stages of construction works, advising on work-related costs, and coordinating a list of suppliers with the main contractor and the architect. In addition, we have provided architectural services, procurement advice, and health and safety coordination. With these different aspects in mind and the resultant impact on the hotel in terms of scopes of works, we ensured that consideration was given to the fact that the hotel remained in operation. As business continuity was of paramount importance for our client, we set ourselves the goal of delivering an outcome that would allow guests to return to the Westin Palace as soon as possible. This has positively been achieved, with works completed ahead of schedule.
As the building has listed status as a Monument by the Ministry of Culture and as a BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural — site of cultural interest), we ensured that all the necessary construction licenses and permits were retrieved. This activity involved careful due diligence and experience, given the historical significance of the building. For more than a decade working with this building, our project management team were in a good position to advise and help the client navigate through the licence and permitting process.
A benchmark of luxury in Madrid
The Westin Palace, Madrid of 2020 is still the majestic building that architect Eduard Ferrer designed more than a century ago. However, after more than a decade of room renovations, service modernization and fine-tuning of the building without disturbing its clientele, the Palace Hotel that Alfonso XIII opened all those years ago looks somewhat different nowadays.
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The Westin Palace, Madrid now boasts new halls and meeting rooms to respond to the city's growing demand for conferences and events. Its rooms have also been equipped with the technology and comfort befitting a 21st-century 5-star hotel — all while maintaining the Palace Hotel's classical and elegant essence. Today as in yesteryear, The Westin Palace, Madrid is not only a beautiful building — it is also a modern and exclusive hotel; a benchmark of luxury in Madrid.
