Thompson Madrid Review
The Thompson is among Hyatt's fastest growing brands. This luxury brand has opened many new properties in the U.S., but the Thompson Madrid is the brand's first European location. The hotel opened in September 2022. As we cover in this review, Hyatt has set the bar extremely high for Thompson hotels to follow in the old continent. Our stay at the Thompson Madrid was excellent in every way. In this Thompson Madrid review we go over the location, room, cost, dining and so much more on what this magnificent hotel has to offer. UPDATE 9/12/26: Sarah & Derrick share thoughts on their recent stay.
Location
The Thompson's location near the center of Madrid is excellent, since it's walkable to most of the main sights. The hotel is up the block from the Puerta del Sol square, a couple of blocks from the Gran Via, and less than 10 minutes away from Plaza Mayor, the city's main square. The Royal Palace is about 15 minutes away and the Prado museum isn't much farther in the opposite direction.
Taxis to and from the airport charge a flat rate of 30 Euro. If only other European capitals would take this same approach! Also, two subway stations are just a couple of minutes away. If you prefer rideshare apps, Ubers and Bolt were plentiful and very cheap (a ride to the airport was 14 to 22 Euro, depending on time of day).
Thompson Madrid Review: Typical Booking Cost
The Thompson Madrid was once a Category 4, then a Category 5, and now a Category 6 in the World of Hyatt program. Here are the award costs for each room type:
Standard Room
- 20,000 points Lowest
- 25,000 points Low
- 30,000 points Moderate
- 35,000 points Upper
- 40,000 points Top
Standard Suite
- 35,000 points Lowest
- 40,000 points Low
- 45,000 points Moderate
- 50,000 points Upper
- 55,000 points Top
Premium Suite
- 40,000 points Lowest
- 45,000 points Low
- 50,000 points Moderate
- 55,000 points Upper
- 60,000 points Top
The hotel has 175 guestrooms and 23 suites. The cash prices for the Thompson typically range between $500 and $750 but can climb higher during busier periods. When we booked, rooms were around $900.
Check-In
We arrived at the Thompson around 11 am. From the minute we approached the building, every member of the staff–from the doorman to the bellhops and the front desk team–was friendly, welcoming, and helpful.
After handing our passports to the staff at the front desk, we were greeted by name and welcomed as Hyatt Globalists. The staff member also noted we were celebrating P2’s and our kid’s birthdays, which had been just a couple of days before we arrived.
We were informed that we had been upgraded to a king suite city view, though the room was not yet ready. The representative offered us a standard room where we could freshen up or rest until our suite was ready. This was incredibly kind and very welcoming, especially when traveling with a toddler. We were also offered a complimentary welcome drink in the lobby while the staff prepared some paperwork and made copies of our passports. We enjoyed a couple of glasses of dry sherry and some Iberian ham (and a glass of milk for P3).
Thompson Madrid: King Room
The king room we enjoyed for a couple of hours was very nice, but would have been too small for us traveling with a kid. The room was spacious and faced an inner courtyard from which we could see other guest rooms. The window sheers were quite see-through, so guests should be mindful to close the curtains for actual privacy.
The room did not have a closet, but instead had a set of shelves by the front door with hangers, a couple of drawers, and a surface on which to leave a carry-on-sized suitcase. The large bathroom featured a wide vanity and spacious shower.
Thompson Madrid Review: King Suite City View
When we returned to the hotel late in the afternoon, our suite was ready. We asked the staff to deliver our bags to our suite from the previous room and they happily obliged.
Simply put, the king suite was fantastic. This corner suite featured floor-to-ceiling windows along the entire suite. We were only on the 6th floor, so the views weren’t out of this world. But we certainly didn’t turn our noses at the sunrise and sunset views.
The front door led to a small foyer with a set of shelves by the door to hang jackets and place our shoes. The foyer opened to a dining corner with a table and three chairs. Near the table was a minibar. The minibar was well-equipped with wine glasses, champagne flutes, and rocks glasses, as well as a corkscrew and some bar utensils for mixing drinks. A Nespresso machine with a couple of coffee cups was also available.
The living room featured a soft sectional couch where one could comfortably spend a night or two. Both the living room and the bedroom had large mounted televisions, but they were flush against the wall and very discreet, which I very much appreciated.
The bedroom was massive and very comfortable. A large closet with sliding doors provided ample space for luggage, clothes, shoes, and any of our belongings. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into the design and functionality of the room. Every drawer was soft-closing. The bathroom and bedroom doors were silent pocket doors. Multiple lighting options offer visibility without needing to light up the entire room.
The bathroom was huge, featuring a double vanity, a large bathtub, and a separate but spacious shower. The vanity included various bathroom amenities that were consistently restocked during our stay, and the towels, robes, and slippers were soft and comfortable. The toilet and shower were each behind glass doors that did not provide any privacy. The toilet was one of those fancy ones with a remote control and so many functions that I expected it to tell me my 5/24 status. Meanwhile, the rainshower offered a couple of different settings and was probably the nicest shower I’ve ever experienced.
A pack n play was already set up for P3 when we arrived at the suite, and included a set of baby toiletries, a special towel, and a toy sponge for bath time.
Property/Amenities Review
The lobby bar area was sleek yet cozy, featuring regular tables and sofas with coffee tables for guests to relax. We consistently noticed a few guests enjoying cocktails every night. In the morning, guests can enjoy breakfast at the lobby bar if the restaurant is too crowded.
The hotel’s rooftop pool was closed for the winter, but the space looked really cool.
The gym is located on the second floor and was smaller than expected for a five-star hotel. Although lacking in variety of equipment and space, it was well equipped with towels and bottles of water. The one standout piece was the punching bag (useful for those who have recently been #Bonvoyed and decided to move over to the Thompson).
Thompson Madrid Review: Hyatt Elite Perks & Status Recognition
The Thompson knocked it out of the park with status recognition. Our king suite was a premium suite, so it was nice to see they upgrade guests to those suites as well. In fact, when looking at our reservation in the Hyatt app just a couple of days before arrival, I saw that we had already been upgraded to that room.
This hotel appears to be generous with upgrades, even for lower tiered World of Hyatt members. When telling us our suite wasn't yet ready, the front desk staff mentioned that a Hyatt Explorist guest was enjoying a late check-out from that room. Late check-out and suite upgrade for an Explorist member sounds fantastic! Is this the opposite of #Bonvoyed?
Since the staff knew we were celebrating P2's and P3's birthdays on this trip, we were greeted with a personal note from the general manager and a chocolate entremet cake noting the occasion. The cake was delicious!
Globalist members enjoy complimentary breakfast at Makáá, which is the rooftop restaurant. Breakfast consists of entrees from the menu, which featured many egg dishes, some Moroccan dishes, and other traditional breakfast offerings, a full buffet, and coffee, tea, juices and water. Overall, the food was delicious, especially their pastries, which are all made in-house. I do note that the entrees were on the smaller side, though. Service was consistently friendly and attentive, but a bit slower on busier mornings. We also noticed non-hotel guests going to Makáá for breakfast, which speaks well of the restaurant.
Complimentary breakfast for Globalists also extends to room service. We took advantage of this benefit twice when we had early morning plans. All we did was call room service the night before and place our order and schedule our desired time for delivery. According to the staff, room service orders incur a flat fee of 5 Euro, but they did not charge this fee on one of our breakfast orders.
We also enjoyed two complimentary bottles of water each day. But on top of that, the housekeeping staff was generous with giving as many bottles as we needed as part of nightly turndown service.
Redemption / Value Breakdown
We visited Madrid during peak travel season over New Year's Eve. Cash prices were going for over $800 per night for a standard room. We redeemed 84,000 points for our five-night stay, which would have cost over $4,000 in cash. This means we got well over 4.0 cents per point! (Editor Note: This redemption was while this property was a Category 4).
We used a combination of World of Hyatt points and Chase Ultimate Rewards for this booking. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer 1 to 1 to the World of Hyatt. You can earn Hyatt points (either Chase Ultimate Rewards, Hyatt points, or Bilt Rewards) from these cards:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- World of Hyatt Credit Card
- Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Chase Freedom Flex
- Chase Ink Business Cash
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited
- Chase Ink Business Preferred
- Chase Sapphire Reserve For Business
- World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
- Bilt Blue
- Bilt Obsidian
- Bilt Palladium
UPDATE — 2026 Stay at Thompson Madrid
Changes Since Our Last Stay
Sarah and Derrick recently returned to this property for their second stay. Wow, have things changed! Most importantly, breakfast is completely different. It has moved from the lobby area up to Makáá on the rooftop. It now includes a full buffet, an entree per person from the menu, and coffee/tea, juices and water per person. It was still very delicious, especially the fresh pastries.
Room Issues
Unfortunately, most everything else new or different was disappointing. First, we booked a room for 2 nights with 25,000 Hyatt points per night and applied a Suite Upgrade Award. We booked a third night via Amex's Fine Hotels and Resorts. Prior to arrival, we were told the hotel was sold out for our last night and we were required to change rooms. When we arrived at check-in, our Suite was not ready. Long story short, our room was not ready until 6 p.m., 2 hours past check-in time. On the morning that we were to change rooms, we texted to confirm our check-out time and if our new room was ready. After waiting over an hour for a follow-up response, after being told they were “checking on it,” we called the front desk. They told us again they were checking on it and would call us back. After another hour wait, I went to the lobby to inquire. It was almost noon at this point.
Long story short, when I requested a manager take a look, including the 2 hour delay in getting our room at arrival, we were allowed to stay in the same room for the last night. Interesting how they were no longer “sold out.”
Billing Issues
At check-out, the person assisting us insisted that we owed 600 euros for the last night of the stay. We informed him that it was a pre-paid stay via Amex FHR, but he initially refused to accept that and demanded additional payment. When we asked for a manager, he quickly confirm it was, in fact, a pre-paid stay and nothing additional was owed.
Our travel companions had a similar issue. At check-in, they were told their 3 night stay was well over 1,000 euros, despite booking the first 2 nights on points. The hotel had not processed the points nights, but told our friends it was their responsibility to get Hyatt to complete the booking. Our friends had to spend many hours on the phone with Hyatt and the front desk to get the issue resolved.
Customer Service
Overall, it was a disappointing stay and I am not sure we would return. Even from before we checked into the hotel, and an email arrived stating we were required to switch rooms for our last night, the customer service was lacking. Service was abysmal most mornings at breakfast, service was slow in the Lobby Bar, and the entire front desk staff seemed to be oblivious to standard protocols for handing customer service issues. It is hard to say if it is poor staffing, poor management, or both, but it is certainly not a 5-star experience anywhere on property.
Thompson Madrid Review: ToP Thoughts
The Thompson Madrid set the bar high for future Thompson properties in Europe. This property very much found that balance of being both modern and sophisticated without ever being over the top. While we have had only good things to say about this hotel in the past, customer service has seriously declined as of 2026. You can still get incredible value from this hotel, but it no longer feels like a true 5-star experience in every way. Have you been to the Thompson Madrid? Let us know in our Facebook group, where we talk about traveling on points all day everyday.
