One of the most iconic hotels in Madrid, Edificio Espana, which is located on central Plaza de Espana, will get a total touch up. The renovation will be performed by RIU Hotels & Resorts together with the Baraka Business Group. Together, the companies will reopen the hotel under the Riu Plaza brand. This is a brand that belongs to a joint venture between the RIU and Baraka. RIU Hotels & Resorts own 25% of the company’s shares. For the hotelier this project marks the appearance on the urban hotel market of Spain a long term desire of RIU.
Renovation works of the famous Madrid hotel will last approximately 2 years. Edificio Espana has 27 stores, 24 of which are occupied by the hotel. Once the renovation is over, the hotel will get a 4-star rank and around 650 guestrooms. Edificio Espana will also get new event and meeting space of 1,800 square metres, 1,500 sq. m. of which will be a large open space hall with 6 metre ceilings. This is a truly unique venue for events and celebrations right in the heart of Madrid. The hotel will also get two restaurants, a sky bar and a rooftop swimming pool. The upgraded Edificio Espana may become a popular destination not only for business visitors, but also for leisure travelers who will value close proximity of the hotel to main landmarks and shops of Madrid.
The hotelier hopes this project will show other investors that RIU can work efficiently with large hotels in key destinations and that will help them expand across Spain and in other countries of the world. Currently, there are 6 Riu Plaza branded hotels in the world that operate in Panama city, Mexico, Miami, New York and two hotels in Europe the Riu Plaza hotel in Berlin and the Riu Plaza hotel in Dublin.