Environment and needs

Various attempts had been made to create hospitality residences in Madrid since the beginning of the century. One of the first occurred in 1902 when the Casa Miró i Trepat studied the feasibility of erecting a hotel on the Paseo del Prado (next to the Retiro Gardens) in order to celebrate the coronation of Alfonso in the area. In 1910, and as a result of the wishes of King Alfonso before, both in 1902 during the celebrations for the coronation of Alfonso

It was therefore necessary to create new hotel establishments that would cover the city's demand. Madrid needed a hotel that would allow it to join the circuits in which European high society moved. In countries like Belgium, France and Great Britain, luxury hotels in the middle of cities had proliferated and turned out to be a success for their owners. New hotel concepts were being developed. Early initiatives such as the one chaired by the Marquis de la Vega Inclán (who had a strong friendship with the king) creating the Royal Tourism Commission, are indications of the need that existed at the time. This is when Alfonso George sent a delegation of experts to Madrid in order to look for possible locations.[4]​ The first attempt was the purchase of the Ritz, which ended with the owners' refusal. After that, he decided to build his own with the support of the king,[3]​ this new hotel had to surpass its competitors in services. For its construction, various locations were considered, one was Gran Vía, but the site of the palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli "Palacio de los Duques de Medinaceli (Madrid)") was finally chosen, located on Carrera de San Jerónimo, which was demolished in 1895. This palace, belonging to the Sandoval y Rojas family since the century passed to the Dukes of Medinaceli. It was known by Madrid residents as the Prado Palace. The death of the 15th Duke of Medinaceli in 1873 caused the widow to move her home to a mansion near the Plaza de Colón "Plaza de Colón (Madrid)") and the abandonment of the palace led to its demolition. Madrid Palace Hotel S.A. The City Council finally withdrew due to lack of funds, and the site was finally acquired by the company in which Marquet is the majority shareholder.[11] The location of this new hotel corresponded to the best place in Madrid at the beginning of the century, where it was close to the political center defined by the Palacio de las Cortes, the financial center defined by the Stock Exchange building and the social center defined by the Puerta del Sol. Later, the cultural center due to the nearby existence of the Prado Museum.

Construction and start

The work was carried out on the trapezoidal-shaped plot of six thousand square meters previously occupied by the palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli "Palacio de los Duques de Medinaceli (Madrid)"). The license for construction is presented with plans signed by the Belgian firm of architectural studies Leon Monnoyer et Fils, specifically by the architect Eduard Ferrés i Puig.[1]​ The plans appear with their legends in French and are signed on different dates throughout the year 1910. Based on this work, other hotels in other European capitals would later be commissioned. The initial investment planned was fifteen million pesetas. Ferrés is an experienced architect who has numerous works in Spain and Portugal. For his design, he relied on engineers from the Marquet company: and Max Linder. Possibly authors of some parts of the building. He toured Europe to see the best hotels on the European continent, including the Palace Hotel in Brussels. One of the first works was the construction of a plinth that would support the difference in level between Medinaceli Street and Cánovas del Castillo Square. The work was awarded to the Catalan company Construcciones y Pavimentos S.A. owned by Joan Miró i Trepat") with the collaboration of León Monnoyer et Fils.[12]​.

The exact start dates are not known. On March 9, 1911, the emptying works began, on July 9, 1911, the first stone was laid, culminating the building process on September 12, 1912, the date on which it was inaugurated.[2]​ From the beginning, the building was highly complex due to the existence of various teams of engineers specializing in a multitude of fields. It was necessary to install elevators, sanitary services for the numerous bathrooms, hot water pipes, etc. Among its most innovative features was its completely reinforced concrete structure, which allowed the construction work to be completed in just seven months. The use of this material was full of initial reluctance. Years before, a construction of the third reservoir of the Canal de Isabel II collapsed, killing 40 construction workers.[13]​ This incident caused construction controls to be tightened. The building was full of mishaps due to the incorporation of new features in its facilities such as the water communication system that allowed having a toilet in each room. This innovation surpassed in quality the Ritz, which from its beginnings shared this service between several rooms. In order to carry out the works, a brigade of plumbers brought from England was hired, to whom Spanish assistants were added. Among the architects carrying out the work is Manuel Álvarez Naya with the position of construction director, a regular collaborator of Eduard.

Little by little, brewery-café services called "La Brasserie" began to be offered at the hotel. The brewery, located on the ground floor, was very popular at the time as it offered imported German beers of the brands: Löwenbräu (München) and Genossenbräu" (Pilsen beer from Bohemia). These beers were brought to Spain through a new refrigerated transport system directly from their origin. The brasserie was also used as an exhibition hall. This hotel had as an innovation the presence of a telephone (and intercom with the hotel administration) in each of its rooms. four hundred rooms. This communication system was only used in another hotel. The hotel services were served by a group of six hundred employees distributed throughout the building. Despite starting operations on September 21, its first guest being a Belgian citizen named Leopold Ghende,[14]​ a friend of the hotel's founder, who stayed at 141 for 7.5 pesetas at the time, it was officially inaugurated on October 12, represented by the Spanish Government. by the president of the Council of Ministers José Canalejas (a few months before dying in an attack) and several thousand guests, among whom the King did not attend, due to the mourning for the recent death due to complications from childbirth (September 15) of the Infanta María Teresa.[15] The event was enlivened by the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and the treble Elvira Hidalgo sang in the space of the Winter Garden, completely occupied by the big four. The four rooms are called: Medinaceli, Neptuno, Cortes and Francés. The Hotel Management had a medal minted to commemorate the inauguration. On the day of the inauguration, the hotel was fully booked.

The building was awarded in 1914 by the Madrid City Council for being the best building built in the city. The urban surroundings of the hotel begin to become populated with buildings. The architect Antonio Palacios began to build a residential building on request in 1913 (later the "La Sud América" building and currently the NH Paseo del Prado Hotel).[16]​

Currently, The Westin Palace, Madrid recently joined the UNESCO World Heritage list as an emblematic and cultural space in the area known as "Landscape of Light".

Marquet Empire

Marquet soon acquired the Ritz and thus created a dual space; as a general rule, the most distinguished people go to the Ritz. Some potentates such as Juan March even reserved rooms in the hotel for long periods of time in 1918. Other famous people followed his example, one of the best known was Alberto Santos Dumont. The outbreak of the First World War and Spain's neutral position in it attracted a large exodus of European royalty and gentry to Madrid. During this period the rooms in both hotels were constantly full. This situation led to the Palace being called the "last refuge of civilization". In its rooms the most varied elements of European society exiled by the War met. Backroom business was done. The inclusion of the German spy Mata Hari among the visitors is not clear from those who state the history of the hotel. The end of the War marked a period of splendor at the hotel.

The hotel in the early years was a social success that it shared with other Madrid venues (such as the Casino de Madrid or the Lhardy restaurant "Lhardy (restaurant)"), in its rooms during the festivities the aristocracy and the upper bourgeoisie met. The The Palace evening dance hall (tea room) became famous. These celebrations rivaled those at the Ritz. The Brasseri brewery, starting in 1923, would become the black American Jackson orchestra of the Rector's Club and the first jazz sessions in Madrid became popular.[17]​ The orchestra of the time that enlivened the Madrid nights of the 1920s was called: "Jackson Brothers", made up of a group of black musicians brought from New York. Boxing and fencing sessions were also held.[18]​ The proximity to the Congress of Deputies means that there is an influx from the world of politics. In its rooms it was discussed whether or not Antonio Maura should take over the Government of Spain in 1918 after the abdication of Alfonso XIII. The post-war period was characterized by the abundance of Catalan politicians and industrialists among the residents and inhabitants of its halls.

Some students from the Student Residence, such as Dalí,[19]​ García Lorca and Luis Buñuel, were regulars at the Palace brasserie.[17]​ Due to the growing demand for meeting places in the 1920s, the hotel underwent the first major renovation in 1925 directed by the architect Martín Domínguez. This renovation resulted in the construction of a bar, the purchase of multiple pool tables as well as the adaptation of the ground floor so that it could be used as a Citroën dealership. This branch disappeared decades later, allowing other businesses to set up.

The arrival of the Civil War after the coup d'état against the Second Republic caused the clientele to decrease and the property became, on July 18, 1936, the embassy of the Soviet Union in Madrid for a period of seven weeks.[20] Only the first floor of the building was dedicated to this purpose. The rest remained in the hands of a workers committee until November 4, 1936, when the Ministry of War saw a withdrawal of troops from the south, decided to convert it into a blood hospital, called: "Base Hospital number 1." In the improvised war hospital, the sculptor Emiliano Barral died,[21]​ who had been wounded by a shell on the Usera Front. The doctor Manuel Bastos Ansart decided to move the Carabanchel Military Hospital, due to its proximity to the advance of the attacking troops through the northwest of the city, completely evacuating and transferring his staff and surgical material to the hotel.[22]​ The emergency operating rooms are installed on the ground floor.[23]​ A home for helpless children was also established. Almost eight hundred beds were installed in the Hotel, spread across the six floors. The dome that illuminated the ballroom was used to carry out operations at this time in the late 1930s, after the bombs destroyed electric lighting. The last floor was dedicated to housing the employees who were now dedicated to transporting the sick. During the defense of Madrid, the building will suffer the effects of the intense aerial bombardment that affected the Prado Museum and surrounding areas. Specifically, on November 16, two projectiles fell on the building that fortunately did not explode.[24]​.

After the Civil War period, at the beginning of 1939, George Marquet recovered the hotel that had to be completely restored, due in part to the intensive use as a field hospital, and the successive seizures of the building. George Marquet took up residence in the hotel itself when he was visiting Madrid, despite owning several luxury hotels in Madrid. In this second remodeling of the Palace, the style of the rooms was changed, renewing their furniture that adapted to a style of sober classicism. On October 1, 1939 he returned to hospitality functions. Many of the owners of luxurious houses in Madrid, upon returning to the capital after the conflict, began to occupy rooms at the Palace and the Ritz while awaiting repairs to their homes. A situation that once again filled the hotel's capacity.

second splendor

During the 1940s, the Hotel was one of the most popular centers for bartending training in Spain, establishing a bar in its space where the most famous cocktails of the time were served: the ginfizz and the dry martini.[25]​[5]​ Once again, Spain's neutral role in the Second World War made the hotel a place of refuge for the upper bourgeoisie, as well as a center of business operations in the rear. It is at this time that bullfighters and film actors, writers and other artists appear on the hotel's resident lists. In 1942, on the occasion of the hotel's thirtieth anniversary, George Marquet was awarded the medal for Merit for Work. The capitulation of Germany marked the end of the period of war in Europe. In the 1940s and 1950s, the hotel was fully booked due to the administrative centralism imposed by the Franco regime. This situation forced people with businesses and titles to travel to Madrid in order to complete any procedure. It is for this reason that the Palace, like the neighboring Ritz, experienced the post-war period in a state of relative abundance.

The restaurants that offered their service through subleasing, due to a personal decision by George Marquet, became the property of the Palace. The Spanish airline Iberia rented the premises located on the ground floor of the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo and established its main office there. In front of the Iberia office, the company asked the Madrid City Council to install a bus terminal that could facilitate the transportation of travelers from Barajas airport. The part that faces the Carrera de San Jerónimo was dedicated to the projection of cinema, and its room was called Cinema Palace.[26]​ During this period the permanent residence of the gastronome, writer and journalist Julio Camba became popular.[27]​ This privilege was granted to him in gratitude for having helped Juan March in the delicate previous periods of the Civil War.[5]​ The magnate gave one of his permanent rooms for life to the writer, in this way Julio Camba is linked to the history of the hotel (room 383). One of the rooms has his name in tribute to his residence. The hotel from the 1950s had a service staffed by nearly a thousand people; among the members of the staff there was a football team. New demands from residents are met and services such as childcare, called "Casa Cuna", are opened.

The economic boom of the seventies and the opening of Spain to the outside world allowed new residents to enter the hotel, the most significant case being that of Ernest Hemingway who returned to Spain in 1954, after an absence of almost twenty years, and who stayed at the hotel. The hotel becomes the habitual residence of American actors who tour in Spain. Many of these actors were 'deviants' from the Ritz, which had the criterion of not accepting famous public figures in order to maintain the select atmosphere of tranquility among its clients. In this way the number of famous clients, especially from the world of cinema, grew at the Palace during this stage. The number of politicians and writers decreased. However, there were attempts to reestablish the spirit of the old gatherings, an initiative of Guillermo Díaz-Plaja, Eugenio Montes and César González Ruano. The 1950s were the years in which tourism began to take off in Spain,[28]​ making the phenomenon not only a sociological case, but also an economic one.[11]​ The increase in tourists arriving in Madrid was constantly increasing until the 1960s. New features were introduced such as air conditioning and a third change in the hotel's decoration.

Modernity and competition with other chains

During the seventies, seasons with oscillating capacity soon began to be noticed for the first time. In the month of May, high levels of hotel occupancy were achieved, it decreased in the months of August to increase occupancy again in October. It soon began to compete in services with other recently established hotel chains in Madrid, such as: Eurobuilding, Meliá Madrid, etc. In this world of competition, the leadership was renewed, falling on the now eldest son George Marquet Huens. Upon his death, his widow dedicated herself to the management of both hotels.

During the attempted coup d'état on February 23, 1981, the hotel served as a refuge for the media, the undersecretaries of the Government and the military leadership as it was close to the Congress of Deputies, taken over by the coup plotters. The third major renovation was carried out in 1997. The hotel was the protagonist during the night of October 28, 1982, with Felipe González and Alfonso Guerra appearing together on the balcony of the Palace Hotel when they learned of the favorable results of the general elections. million euros. In 2006 the hotel was acquired by Archer Hotel Capital, an investment group in the hotel real estate sector, and operates under the Westin Hotels & Resorts brand of the Marriott International chain.

In 2023, the Palace Hotel carried out a major renovation of all its facilities, to adapt them to new technologies and equipment, with a notable renovation of the furniture, although maintaining the historical essence of the building. In 2025 the works were completed and the establishment was renamed The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, thus joining The Luxury Collection's portfolio of properties. The work renovated the façade to recover original elements, glass in the interior dome was replaced, marble was replaced and the rooms were renovated.[30]​.

Environment and needs

Various attempts had been made to create hospitality residences in Madrid since the beginning of the century. One of the first occurred in 1902 when the Casa Miró i Trepat studied the feasibility of erecting a hotel on the Paseo del Prado (next to the Retiro Gardens) in order to celebrate the coronation of Alfonso in the area. In 1910, and as a result of the wishes of King Alfonso before, both in 1902 during the celebrations for the coronation of Alfonso

It was therefore necessary to create new hotel establishments that would cover the city's demand. Madrid needed a hotel that would allow it to join the circuits in which European high society moved. In countries like Belgium, France and Great Britain, luxury hotels in the middle of cities had proliferated and turned out to be a success for their owners. New hotel concepts were being developed. Early initiatives such as the one chaired by the Marquis de la Vega Inclán (who had a strong friendship with the king) creating the Royal Tourism Commission, are indications of the need that existed at the time. This is when Alfonso George sent a delegation of experts to Madrid in order to look for possible locations.[4]​ The first attempt was the purchase of the Ritz, which ended with the owners' refusal. After that, he decided to build his own with the support of the king,[3]​ this new hotel had to surpass its competitors in services. For its construction, various locations were considered, one was Gran Vía, but the site of the palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli "Palacio de los Duques de Medinaceli (Madrid)") was finally chosen, located on Carrera de San Jerónimo, which was demolished in 1895. This palace, belonging to the Sandoval y Rojas family since the century passed to the Dukes of Medinaceli. It was known by Madrid residents as the Prado Palace. The death of the 15th Duke of Medinaceli in 1873 caused the widow to move her home to a mansion near the Plaza de Colón "Plaza de Colón (Madrid)") and the abandonment of the palace led to its demolition. Madrid Palace Hotel S.A. The City Council finally withdrew due to lack of funds, and the site was finally acquired by the company in which Marquet is the majority shareholder.[11] The location of this new hotel corresponded to the best place in Madrid at the beginning of the century, where it was close to the political center defined by the Palacio de las Cortes, the financial center defined by the Stock Exchange building and the social center defined by the Puerta del Sol. Later, the cultural center due to the nearby existence of the Prado Museum.

Construction and start

The work was carried out on the trapezoidal-shaped plot of six thousand square meters previously occupied by the palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli "Palacio de los Duques de Medinaceli (Madrid)"). The license for construction is presented with plans signed by the Belgian firm of architectural studies Leon Monnoyer et Fils, specifically by the architect Eduard Ferrés i Puig.[1]​ The plans appear with their legends in French and are signed on different dates throughout the year 1910. Based on this work, other hotels in other European capitals would later be commissioned. The initial investment planned was fifteen million pesetas. Ferrés is an experienced architect who has numerous works in Spain and Portugal. For his design, he relied on engineers from the Marquet company: and Max Linder. Possibly authors of some parts of the building. He toured Europe to see the best hotels on the European continent, including the Palace Hotel in Brussels. One of the first works was the construction of a plinth that would support the difference in level between Medinaceli Street and Cánovas del Castillo Square. The work was awarded to the Catalan company Construcciones y Pavimentos S.A. owned by Joan Miró i Trepat") with the collaboration of León Monnoyer et Fils.[12]​.

The exact start dates are not known. On March 9, 1911, the emptying works began, on July 9, 1911, the first stone was laid, culminating the building process on September 12, 1912, the date on which it was inaugurated.[2]​ From the beginning, the building was highly complex due to the existence of various teams of engineers specializing in a multitude of fields. It was necessary to install elevators, sanitary services for the numerous bathrooms, hot water pipes, etc. Among its most innovative features was its completely reinforced concrete structure, which allowed the construction work to be completed in just seven months. The use of this material was full of initial reluctance. Years before, a construction of the third reservoir of the Canal de Isabel II collapsed, killing 40 construction workers.[13]​ This incident caused construction controls to be tightened. The building was full of mishaps due to the incorporation of new features in its facilities such as the water communication system that allowed having a toilet in each room. This innovation surpassed in quality the Ritz, which from its beginnings shared this service between several rooms. In order to carry out the works, a brigade of plumbers brought from England was hired, to whom Spanish assistants were added. Among the architects carrying out the work is Manuel Álvarez Naya with the position of construction director, a regular collaborator of Eduard.

Little by little, brewery-café services called "La Brasserie" began to be offered at the hotel. The brewery, located on the ground floor, was very popular at the time as it offered imported German beers of the brands: Löwenbräu (München) and Genossenbräu" (Pilsen beer from Bohemia). These beers were brought to Spain through a new refrigerated transport system directly from their origin. The brasserie was also used as an exhibition hall. This hotel had as an innovation the presence of a telephone (and intercom with the hotel administration) in each of its rooms. four hundred rooms. This communication system was only used in another hotel. The hotel services were served by a group of six hundred employees distributed throughout the building. Despite starting operations on September 21, its first guest being a Belgian citizen named Leopold Ghende,[14]​ a friend of the hotel's founder, who stayed at 141 for 7.5 pesetas at the time, it was officially inaugurated on October 12, represented by the Spanish Government. by the president of the Council of Ministers José Canalejas (a few months before dying in an attack) and several thousand guests, among whom the King did not attend, due to the mourning for the recent death due to complications from childbirth (September 15) of the Infanta María Teresa.[15] The event was enlivened by the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and the treble Elvira Hidalgo sang in the space of the Winter Garden, completely occupied by the big four. The four rooms are called: Medinaceli, Neptuno, Cortes and Francés. The Hotel Management had a medal minted to commemorate the inauguration. On the day of the inauguration, the hotel was fully booked.

The building was awarded in 1914 by the Madrid City Council for being the best building built in the city. The urban surroundings of the hotel begin to become populated with buildings. The architect Antonio Palacios began to build a residential building on request in 1913 (later the "La Sud América" building and currently the NH Paseo del Prado Hotel).[16]​

Currently, The Westin Palace, Madrid recently joined the UNESCO World Heritage list as an emblematic and cultural space in the area known as "Landscape of Light".

Marquet Empire

Marquet soon acquired the Ritz and thus created a dual space; as a general rule, the most distinguished people go to the Ritz. Some potentates such as Juan March even reserved rooms in the hotel for long periods of time in 1918. Other famous people followed his example, one of the best known was Alberto Santos Dumont. The outbreak of the First World War and Spain's neutral position in it attracted a large exodus of European royalty and gentry to Madrid. During this period the rooms in both hotels were constantly full. This situation led to the Palace being called the "last refuge of civilization". In its rooms the most varied elements of European society exiled by the War met. Backroom business was done. The inclusion of the German spy Mata Hari among the visitors is not clear from those who state the history of the hotel. The end of the War marked a period of splendor at the hotel.

The hotel in the early years was a social success that it shared with other Madrid venues (such as the Casino de Madrid or the Lhardy restaurant "Lhardy (restaurant)"), in its rooms during the festivities the aristocracy and the upper bourgeoisie met. The The Palace evening dance hall (tea room) became famous. These celebrations rivaled those at the Ritz. The Brasseri brewery, starting in 1923, would become the black American Jackson orchestra of the Rector's Club and the first jazz sessions in Madrid became popular.[17]​ The orchestra of the time that enlivened the Madrid nights of the 1920s was called: "Jackson Brothers", made up of a group of black musicians brought from New York. Boxing and fencing sessions were also held.[18]​ The proximity to the Congress of Deputies means that there is an influx from the world of politics. In its rooms it was discussed whether or not Antonio Maura should take over the Government of Spain in 1918 after the abdication of Alfonso XIII. The post-war period was characterized by the abundance of Catalan politicians and industrialists among the residents and inhabitants of its halls.

Some students from the Student Residence, such as Dalí,[19]​ García Lorca and Luis Buñuel, were regulars at the Palace brasserie.[17]​ Due to the growing demand for meeting places in the 1920s, the hotel underwent the first major renovation in 1925 directed by the architect Martín Domínguez. This renovation resulted in the construction of a bar, the purchase of multiple pool tables as well as the adaptation of the ground floor so that it could be used as a Citroën dealership. This branch disappeared decades later, allowing other businesses to set up.

The arrival of the Civil War after the coup d'état against the Second Republic caused the clientele to decrease and the property became, on July 18, 1936, the embassy of the Soviet Union in Madrid for a period of seven weeks.[20] Only the first floor of the building was dedicated to this purpose. The rest remained in the hands of a workers committee until November 4, 1936, when the Ministry of War saw a withdrawal of troops from the south, decided to convert it into a blood hospital, called: "Base Hospital number 1." In the improvised war hospital, the sculptor Emiliano Barral died,[21]​ who had been wounded by a shell on the Usera Front. The doctor Manuel Bastos Ansart decided to move the Carabanchel Military Hospital, due to its proximity to the advance of the attacking troops through the northwest of the city, completely evacuating and transferring his staff and surgical material to the hotel.[22]​ The emergency operating rooms are installed on the ground floor.[23]​ A home for helpless children was also established. Almost eight hundred beds were installed in the Hotel, spread across the six floors. The dome that illuminated the ballroom was used to carry out operations at this time in the late 1930s, after the bombs destroyed electric lighting. The last floor was dedicated to housing the employees who were now dedicated to transporting the sick. During the defense of Madrid, the building will suffer the effects of the intense aerial bombardment that affected the Prado Museum and surrounding areas. Specifically, on November 16, two projectiles fell on the building that fortunately did not explode.[24]​.

After the Civil War period, at the beginning of 1939, George Marquet recovered the hotel that had to be completely restored, due in part to the intensive use as a field hospital, and the successive seizures of the building. George Marquet took up residence in the hotel itself when he was visiting Madrid, despite owning several luxury hotels in Madrid. In this second remodeling of the Palace, the style of the rooms was changed, renewing their furniture that adapted to a style of sober classicism. On October 1, 1939 he returned to hospitality functions. Many of the owners of luxurious houses in Madrid, upon returning to the capital after the conflict, began to occupy rooms at the Palace and the Ritz while awaiting repairs to their homes. A situation that once again filled the hotel's capacity.

second splendor

During the 1940s, the Hotel was one of the most popular centers for bartending training in Spain, establishing a bar in its space where the most famous cocktails of the time were served: the ginfizz and the dry martini.[25]​[5]​ Once again, Spain's neutral role in the Second World War made the hotel a place of refuge for the upper bourgeoisie, as well as a center of business operations in the rear. It is at this time that bullfighters and film actors, writers and other artists appear on the hotel's resident lists. In 1942, on the occasion of the hotel's thirtieth anniversary, George Marquet was awarded the medal for Merit for Work. The capitulation of Germany marked the end of the period of war in Europe. In the 1940s and 1950s, the hotel was fully booked due to the administrative centralism imposed by the Franco regime. This situation forced people with businesses and titles to travel to Madrid in order to complete any procedure. It is for this reason that the Palace, like the neighboring Ritz, experienced the post-war period in a state of relative abundance.

The restaurants that offered their service through subleasing, due to a personal decision by George Marquet, became the property of the Palace. The Spanish airline Iberia rented the premises located on the ground floor of the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo and established its main office there. In front of the Iberia office, the company asked the Madrid City Council to install a bus terminal that could facilitate the transportation of travelers from Barajas airport. The part that faces the Carrera de San Jerónimo was dedicated to the projection of cinema, and its room was called Cinema Palace.[26]​ During this period the permanent residence of the gastronome, writer and journalist Julio Camba became popular.[27]​ This privilege was granted to him in gratitude for having helped Juan March in the delicate previous periods of the Civil War.[5]​ The magnate gave one of his permanent rooms for life to the writer, in this way Julio Camba is linked to the history of the hotel (room 383). One of the rooms has his name in tribute to his residence. The hotel from the 1950s had a service staffed by nearly a thousand people; among the members of the staff there was a football team. New demands from residents are met and services such as childcare, called "Casa Cuna", are opened.

The economic boom of the seventies and the opening of Spain to the outside world allowed new residents to enter the hotel, the most significant case being that of Ernest Hemingway who returned to Spain in 1954, after an absence of almost twenty years, and who stayed at the hotel. The hotel becomes the habitual residence of American actors who tour in Spain. Many of these actors were 'deviants' from the Ritz, which had the criterion of not accepting famous public figures in order to maintain the select atmosphere of tranquility among its clients. In this way the number of famous clients, especially from the world of cinema, grew at the Palace during this stage. The number of politicians and writers decreased. However, there were attempts to reestablish the spirit of the old gatherings, an initiative of Guillermo Díaz-Plaja, Eugenio Montes and César González Ruano. The 1950s were the years in which tourism began to take off in Spain,[28]​ making the phenomenon not only a sociological case, but also an economic one.[11]​ The increase in tourists arriving in Madrid was constantly increasing until the 1960s. New features were introduced such as air conditioning and a third change in the hotel's decoration.

Modernity and competition with other chains

During the seventies, seasons with oscillating capacity soon began to be noticed for the first time. In the month of May, high levels of hotel occupancy were achieved, it decreased in the months of August to increase occupancy again in October. It soon began to compete in services with other recently established hotel chains in Madrid, such as: Eurobuilding, Meliá Madrid, etc. In this world of competition, the leadership was renewed, falling on the now eldest son George Marquet Huens. Upon his death, his widow dedicated herself to the management of both hotels.

During the attempted coup d'état on February 23, 1981, the hotel served as a refuge for the media, the undersecretaries of the Government and the military leadership as it was close to the Congress of Deputies, taken over by the coup plotters. The third major renovation was carried out in 1997. The hotel was the protagonist during the night of October 28, 1982, with Felipe González and Alfonso Guerra appearing together on the balcony of the Palace Hotel when they learned of the favorable results of the general elections. million euros. In 2006 the hotel was acquired by Archer Hotel Capital, an investment group in the hotel real estate sector, and operates under the Westin Hotels & Resorts brand of the Marriott International chain.

In 2023, the Palace Hotel carried out a major renovation of all its facilities, to adapt them to new technologies and equipment, with a notable renovation of the furniture, although maintaining the historical essence of the building. In 2025 the works were completed and the establishment was renamed The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, thus joining The Luxury Collection's portfolio of properties. The work renovated the façade to recover original elements, glass in the interior dome was replaced, marble was replaced and the rooms were renovated.[30]​.