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It has not been open for a week, but the JW Marriott bustles with activity at number 2 Seville Street. Just opposite stands another of its kind, the Four Seasons, but as if it were not with him. This is also a historic building, but with a very different story. It was in this corner a few meters from Plaza Canalejas where in 1899 the perfumery Álvarez Gómez was installed. The management brought them fortune because four years later they found the formula of the popular eau de cologne.

This aromatic heritage so linked to Madrid could not disappear. So the hotel giant has not hesitated to recover it. To do this, he went to the experts: "We are a non-profit institution dedicated to spreading the culture of perfume," explains Irati Herrero of the Perfume Academy, who has prepared for Marriott a study that collects "the olfactory cartography of Madrid throughout history." "Smell is like a time machine. It allows us to travel to the past," says Irati, the academy's director of training.

And what does the history of Madrid smell? Well, among other essences, the spikenards of popular songs and zarzuela; to the carnations of the chulapas; to the roses and violets of the gardens of Arab origin, to the lemon of the donuts, to the chocolate of the snacks or the golfing nights ... With all this, the hotel has created a holistic wellness experience that stimulates the senses of its guests.

The first hint of this approach is given by the violet cocktails that run from hand to hand through the lobby. They are skillfully prepared by the mixologist Laurentiu Subtirica with the idea of welcoming the guest and beginning to feel the heartbeat of Madrid. It is an aromatized tea with that sweet flavor that every cat joins the La Pajarita confectionery, although the bartender recently arrived from London also proposes his own version, with violet, yes, but well accompanied by gin, lime and organic tonic.

The lobby of the new JW Marriott.M. G. H.

The JW then gives the guest a choice of four scents (lemon, rose, violet or chocolate) with which they can personalize the aroma of their room's wardrobe, the amenities of the bathtub or the treatment they can order at the spa. Located in the basement, the small spa with yacuzzi shares space with a well-equipped 250-square-meter gym. The laboratory of Alvarez Alvarez's first store was here. The property would later be the Asturias hotel, a classic of the center that boasted precisely that its rooms "did not cost a fortune".

These are different times and it is another Madrid. One of the bets of the JW are two floors of suites, twelve in total, with glamorous and large terraces, sun loungers included, from which to enjoy the good life. Sleeping in these urban oases is a matter of 1,200 euros a night. The price of the rest of the rooms is around 500 euros. Even less common is that among the extras (see, yoga mats and access to meditation practices) there is also the possibility of giving yourself a culinary tribute with Michelin star aura.

One of the 139 rooms.M. G. H.

Because thanks to the collaboration with Mario Sandoval, the hotel treasures the new Qú restaurant, where the chef and his brothers, Juan Diego and Rafael, have created a menu that "subtly reinvents the local flavor". But in addition, the haute cuisine chefs have accepted the challenge of taking care of the hotel's 24-hour room service.

The architecture and design of the JW retains many original elements of the property's historic past, such as the nineteenth-century wrought-iron columns found throughout the building. Also the exposed brick walls and the two interior courtyards. It has been the work of the acclaimed Rockwell Group, with studios in Los Angeles, New York and Madrid, and authors of the design of some of the most exciting hotels in the world. The leather-lined elevators, the lobby bar, the library with books and boxes of essences wrap and wrap the traveler with sophistication and warmth.

M.G.H.

This is the first JW in Spain (the tenth Europe), a brand that was born as a tribute to the founder of Marriott International, J. Willard, and his commitment to give a vital and wellness approach to his hotels. The concept has spread rapidly. With Madrid, the JW have 115 properties around the world, most of them on the Asian continent.

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