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Review: AC Carlton Hotel by Marriott, Madrid, Spain

We arrived to Madrid Peurta Atocha at about 7 PM. We walked the one block from the train station down to the AC Hotel Madrid Carelton. We only had one night in Madrid and we were planning on leaving town early the next day.

Booking and the Arrival Process:

We had last stayed at the AC Carleton Madrid on our first around the world trip in 2012. Given that it was walking distance from the train station, and we knew the way, it was the right choice for our brief stay. Our stay was a reasonable 118 € for the night.

I had checked in online via the Marriott App from the Renfe train and received a push notification that we had been proactively upgraded to a suite as an Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum at about 2 hours prior to arrival.

The lobby is small and compact. There isn’t much charm to it but it’s completely functional. There was also a small dining area in the lobby that was pretty institutional. As in my last trip, there always seem to be senior citizens staying here on tours. The lobby was packed with chatting senior groups when we arrived.

We checked in at the front desk where copies of the passport were taken. Surprisingly, the computer remembered our last stay here six years ago. Instead of the 10 euro for food and beverage within the hotel platinum amenity, I just opted for the bonus 500 Marriott Rewards welcome points.

The Room: A Junior Suite

We were assigned room #712, a Junior Suite. The rooms here aren’t exactly large and spacious but it was more than enough for our brief stay.

There was a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom for those that are into that sort of thing. I think it’s a bit 1990’s.

There was also a complimentary mini bar that contained coca colas, sparking and still water.

In Summary:

In summary, the AC Carelton was a reasonable, clean but slightly dated place to stay near the train station. While it wouldn’t be a first choice for us in Madrid, it was a welcome choice for a quick overnight near the train station. It was also conveniently located for sightseeing around Madrid. As a result, it was the right choice for us on this brief stopover.

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Madrid, Spain
Stopover.

We dropped our stuff at the hotel and headed on a walk out for dinner. The AC Carelton is located within 10 minutes walk of the Plaza Santa Ana; an area that contains a lot of great outdoor restaurants. It was a beautiful evening as we strolled up the hill towards the Plaza.

We found ourselves a comfortable table immediately opposite the Theatro Espanol in the Plaza Santa Ana for our last night out in Spain. MrsWT73 was getting a bit cynical about the trip reporting by this point.

We had a nice evening out and a slow walk back to the hotel. There was no rowdy train tonight since we had an early departure the next day.

A pleasant evening all around thanks to the warm temperatures concluded with a pleasant walk downhill back to the room. The next day, new adventures awaited!

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