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Hotel Riu Plaza España
Edificio España from Plaza de España
Map
Interactive map of the Hotel Riu Plaza España area
Alternative namesEdificio España; Hotel Plaza; Crowne Plaza Madrid City Centre
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeHotel; originally mixed-use
Architectural styleNeo-Herrerian, Neo-Baroque and Art Deco
LocationPlaza de España, Madrid, Spain, Calle de la Princesa, 19
Coordinates40°25′27″N 3°42′43″W / 40.42417°N 3.71194°W / 40.42417; -3.71194
Completed1953
OpenedOctober 1953
Renovated2005–2010; 2017–2019
Cost₧200 million
OwnerRiu Hotels & Resorts
Height
Architectural107 m (351 ft)[1]
Roof117 m (384 ft)
Technical details
Floor count26
Floor area77,000 m2 (830,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators32
Design and construction
ArchitectJulián Otamendi
DeveloperCompañía Inmobiliaria Metropolitana
Structural engineerJosé María Otamendi
References
[1][2][3]

Hotel Riu Plaza España, commonly known by its historic name Edificio España (English: Spain Building), is a skyscraper and hotel in Madrid, Spain. It stands in Plaza de España, at the western end of Gran Vía.[4] The building opened in 1953 as the Edificio España, a mixed-use complex containing a hotel, offices, apartments and shops.

The building is commonly listed as 117 m (384 ft) tall and has 26 above-ground floors,[5][6][3][2] although The Skyscraper Center records its architectural height as 107 m (351 ft).[1] It was the tallest building in Spain until it was surpassed by the nearby Torre de Madrid, also designed by the Otamendi brothers. Its architecture combines Neo-Herrerian and Neo-Baroque exterior features with Art Deco interior decoration.[7]

The Spanish hotel chain RIU Hotels & Resorts acquired the property in 2017 and refurbished it as a hotel.[8] It reopened in August 2019 as the four-star Hotel Riu Plaza España, the first Riu Plaza urban hotel in Spain.[9]

History

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The Edificio España in the 1950s

Construction and early use

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Construction began in 1948 on a site forming the corner of Plaza de España and Calle de la Princesa. The work was promoted by Compañía Inmobiliaria Metropolitana, later associated with Metrovacesa, and employed an average of about 500 workers per day.[7] The Hotel Plaza, the original hotel within the building, was inaugurated in October 1953.[10] The garden terrace on the 26th floor opened on 9 July 1954.[11] By 1955, the building was reported to accommodate more than 4,500 people on an ordinary day.[12]

The reinforced-concrete structure was calculated by José María Otamendi, while Julián Otamendi designed the architectural plans and the Baroque-inspired main entrance. The building has a stepped silhouette divided into four main levels.[13] Its style has been described as Neo-Herrerian with Neo-Baroque features and Art Deco decoration inside.[14]

Sale, vacancy and preservation disputes

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Until the early 21st century, the building housed the Crowne Plaza Madrid City Centre hotel, a shopping centre, apartments and offices.[15] On 28 April 2005, Metrovacesa put the Edificio España and Torre de Madrid up for sale to help finance its acquisition of the French property company Gecina.[15] Santander Real Estate acquired an initial 50% stake in the Edificio España for €138.6 million, with an agreement to acquire the remaining hotel-owned share.[15]

View from the north angle

After the sale to Banco Santander, the façade was refurbished between 2005 and 2010 under the direction of Rubio & Álvarez-Sala.[16] By 2012 the building was closed and had no confirmed use.[17]

In 2014, Santander announced the sale of the building to Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, for €265 million.[18] The local level of protection was reduced from "level 2, structural grade" to "level 3, partial grade", but Madrid authorities still required the front and side façades to be preserved.[19] Wanda sought to dismantle and rebuild the property while maintaining its façades, whereas the city insisted that works respect the building's protected elements.[20][21] In 2015, Ecologists in Action filed a legal challenge against the change to Madrid's General Urban Development Plan that had reduced the building's protection.[22]

In July 2016, Wanda reached an agreement to sell the building to the Baraka Group for €272 million.[23] Spanish business press reported in 2017 that Baraka planned to finance the acquisition with its own funds rather than bank debt.[24]

Conversion into Hotel Riu Plaza España

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On 1 June 2017, Baraka, led by Trinitario Casanova, closed its purchase from Wanda and sold the property the same day to Riu Hotels & Resorts.[25][26] The planned investment for purchase and refurbishment was reported at between €380 million and €400 million.[25] The project made the building the first Spanish property in RIU's Riu Plaza urban-hotel line.[27][28]

The then mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena, publicly welcomed the transaction and said that the existing consolidation permit allowed work to start immediately.[29] Earlier that year, Madrid City Council had taken part in an informational visit to the building with Baraka and heritage and environmental groups to explain the proposed works.[30]

After the necessary permits were obtained,[31] refurbishment works began on 23 October 2017.[32][33] The project initially envisaged a four-star hotel with 589 rooms and 15 meeting rooms.[34] Its upper floors were planned to include terraces, a swimming pool and panoramic sky-bar spaces.[35][36]

Riu and Baraka later negotiated the commercial area of the property.[37][38] In September 2018, Riu reached an agreement with Corpfin Capital Real Estate over the 15,000 m2 (160,000 sq ft) retail area, spread over three floors, in a transaction reported at €160 million.[39]

The hotel opened in August 2019 with 585 rooms, restaurants, meeting spaces and an upper-floor terrace.[40][2] Its formal inauguration took place on 11 September 2019 and was attended by Community of Madrid president Isabel Díaz Ayuso.[41]

Conservation campaign

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In January 2014, amid the sale process, the lowering of the building's protection level and public concern over possible demolition, Madrid resident José María Villalobos Matilla created a Change.org petition asking for the building to be conserved and its previous protection level restored.[42] The petition gathered more than 72,000 signatures and was delivered to Madrid City Council in November 2015.[43]

The campaign led to the creation of Plataforma Salvemos el Edificio España, a coalition that included local heritage and neighbourhood organisations. In 2017, after an agreement among Baraka, Madrid City Council and Ecologists in Action, campaigners said that the goal of saving the building had been achieved.[44][45]

Description

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The Edificio España behind the Monument to Miguel de Cervantes in Plaza de España

Exterior

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The building is prominent in Plaza de España because of its large symetrical façade, about 150 m (490 ft) wide.[7] It has 77,000 m2 (830,000 sq ft) of floor area and 32 elevators serving its 26 floors.[1][12] Its rear elevation is marked by five deep open courtyards, which provide natural light and direct ventilation to interior spaces.[12]

The façade is clad in artificial stone and forms a stepped profile. Architectural guides have described the building as one of the representative works of the Madrid of the autarkic period, because of its monumental language and its place within the post-war urban planning associated with the Plan Bidagor.[46]

Interior

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Lobby of the Hotel Riu Plaza España

When the original Hotel Plaza opened in 1953, it was conceived as a luxury hotel and as a showcase for foreign visitors to Madrid. Its interior decoration followed Art Deco conventions associated with early United States skyscrapers. The ground floor included commercial and art galleries.[7]

During the 2017–2019 hotel conversion, protected original elements, including marble finishes, bas-reliefs and decorative features, were retained where required, while the building was reconfigured to accommodate contemporary hotel use.[47] RIU's own account of the project emphasised heritage conservation and the creation of a public-facing rooftop terrace as key parts of the refurbishment.[48]

Sustainability and recognition

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In January 2019, during FITUR, the Hotel Riu Plaza España received a Re Think Hotel award in the "projects to be executed" category for a planned aerothermal domestic-hot-water system developed with Arditecnica and Clima Insular.[49][50] The system was selected because heritage and height constraints made solar-panel installation impracticable. According to contemporary reports, it was designed to raise the primary circuit to 90 °C (194 °F) without conventional support energy, reducing primary energy use and carbon dioxide emissions.[50]

Spanish academic literature has discussed RIU alongside other hotel chains in relation to corporate enviromental responsibility and sustainable tourism practices.[51] In December 2025, RIU announced that all of its operational hotels had obtained ECOSTARS certification, covering 98 hotels in 21 countries; the chain described the certification as part of its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy for 2023–2026.[52][53][54][55]

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The building during refurbishment, with a large advertising canvas on the façade

The building is depicted in the 1984 film The Hit. Part of the film was shot in an apartment in the nearby Torre de Madrid, from which the Edificio España is visible.[citation needed]

In 2007, documentary filmmaker Víctor Moreno began filming the interior demolition and refurbishment of the building. His documentary Edificio España (English title: The Building) focuses on more than 200 workers from different countries who took part in the works.[56][57] The film was shot with the permission of the building's then owner, Banco Santander, but the bank later objected to public screenings; the dispute delayed its release in Spain.[58][59] Despite the dispute, the documentary was shown at festivals including the San Sebastián International Film Festival, the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema and Doclisboa, and it was eventually realeased in Spanish cinemas in 2014.[58][60] It was nominated for the Goya Award for best documentary.[61][62][63]

On 10 February 2018, during the refurbishment works, a large advertising canvas was installed on the façade and reported as the largest of its kind in the world. It covered 470 windows, measured 5,265 m2 (56,670 sq ft), weighed two tonnes and required about 600 anchors.[64][65] On 1 March 2018, strong winds caused safety concerns over the canvas, prompting temporary traffic and pedestrian restrictions while it was secured.[66]

After its reopening as a hotel, the building appeared in several audiovisual productions. In 2020, C. Tangana filmed part of the music video for Tú Me Dejaste De Querer in one of the suites of the Hotel Riu Plaza España.[67][68] The building also appears in several episodes of the fourth season of the Netflix series Elite.[69]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Hotel Riu Plaza España". The Skyscraper Center. Council on Vertical Urbanism. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Edificio España". esmadrid.com. City Council of Madrid. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Edificio España". Structurae. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  4. ^ Otamendi, Joaquín; Otamendi, Julián (1953). "El edificio "España" al término de la Gran Vía". Cortijos y rascacielos: casas de campo, arquitectura, decoración (in Spanish) (75–76). Madrid: 48.
  5. ^ "Edificio España". Emporis. Retrieved 5 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Madrid diagrams". SkyscraperPage. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d Leal, Jose F.; Viciosa, Mario; González, Itxaso (3 July 2008). "En el interior del Edificio España". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Riu Purchases the 'Edificio España' Building in Madrid". Hotel News Resource. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  9. ^ "Come and see the new Riu Plaza España hotel". RIU Blog. Riu Hotels & Resorts. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  10. ^ "La inauguración del Hotel Plaza". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 4 October 1953. pp. 24–25. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Hoy, inauguración de la terraza jardín del Hotel Plaza". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 9 July 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  12. ^ a b c Travesi, Andrés (17 December 1955). "A más de 4.500 personas alberga el edificio España". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. pp. 15–17. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  13. ^ Guerra de la Vega, Ramón (1981). Madrid (1920–1980): Guía de arquitectura contemporánea (in Spanish). Madrid: Published by the author. pp. 20–21. ISBN 84-300-5362-X.
  14. ^ "La huella del fascismo patrio en la arquitectura de Madrid". Público (in Spanish). 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  15. ^ a b c Álvarez, Pilar (12 August 2007). "Los viejos rascacielos se vacían". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  16. ^ "Rehabilitación del Edificio España" (in Spanish). Rubio & Álvarez-Sala. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  17. ^ Sevillano, Elena G.; Andreu, Jerónimo (26 May 2012). "Un cráter en el centro". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  18. ^ "El Santander vende el Edificio España al magnate chino Wang Jianlin por 265 millones". ABC (in Spanish). 5 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  19. ^ "El Edificio España baja de nivel de protección pero debe conservar la fachada". ABC (in Spanish). 30 July 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  20. ^ "El gran debate del Edificio España". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  21. ^ "La larga batalla por el Edificio España". El Mundo (in Spanish). 4 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  22. ^ "La ONG que paró la ampliación del Bernabéu llevará a los tribunales el plan de Wanda en el Edificio España". Vozpópuli (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  23. ^ Zhen, Summer (21 July 2016). "Wanda on track with €272m sale of Madrid landmark building". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  24. ^ Arancibia, S.; Arroyo, R. (7 March 2017). "Trinitario Casanova financiará el Edificio España con fondos propios". Expansión (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  25. ^ a b Costantini, Luca (1 June 2017). "Baraka compra a Wanda el Edificio España y lo vende al grupo Riu el mismo día". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  26. ^ Ugalde, Ruth (1 June 2017). "Trinitario Casanova compra el Edificio España a Wanda y se lo vende a Riu". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  27. ^ "Baraka compra el Edificio España a Wanda por 272 millones y lo vende a la cadena hotelera Riu". El Español (in Spanish). 1 June 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  28. ^ "RIU Hotels & Resorts to Purchase Madrid's 'Edificio España' for First Riu Plaza Urban Hotel in Spain". Hotel Online. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  29. ^ EFE (2 June 2017). "Manuela Carmena considera 'excelente' la compra del Edificio España". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  30. ^ "Carmena asiste a una recepción en el edificio España". madrid.es (in Spanish). City Council of Madrid. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  31. ^ "Riu ya tiene licencia para reformar el Edificio España". El Mundo (in Spanish). 20 September 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  32. ^ "Comienza la reforma del Edificio España". El Mundo (in Spanish). 23 October 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  33. ^ "Arranca la reforma del Edificio España". El País (in Spanish). 23 October 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  34. ^ "RIU arranca la reforma del Edificio España para que el hotel esté listo a mediados de 2019". elEconomista.es (in Spanish). 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  35. ^ "Las joyas en altura del futuro hotel del Edificio España". ABC (in Spanish). 13 August 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  36. ^ Costantini, Luca (6 June 2017). "Así será el hotel de lujo del Edificio España: la joya de Riu en Madrid". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  37. ^ Olías, Laura (21 August 2018). "Conflicto en el Edificio España: último capítulo de la historia de un edificio gafe". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  38. ^ Calleja, Ignacio S. (22 August 2018). "Riu rompe con Baraka: encuentra nuevo socio y Trinitario Casanova queda fuera del Edificio España". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  39. ^ Arroyo, Rebeca (28 September 2018). "Corpfin pagará a RIU 160 millones por la zona comercial del Edificio España". Expansión (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  40. ^ "Abrió el Riu Plaza España, un hito en la historia de la compañía". Ladevi (in Spanish). 5 August 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  41. ^ "Díaz Ayuso asiste a la inauguración del Hotel Riu Plaza España". Comunidad de Madrid (in Spanish). 11 September 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  42. ^ "El hombre que ha recogido 73.330 firmas contra el derribo del Edificio España". El Español (in Spanish). 11 November 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  43. ^ "Entregan al Ayuntamiento de Madrid más de 72.000 firmas para reclamar que no se derribe el Edificio España". Europa Press (in Spanish). 11 November 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  44. ^ "Los vecinos salvan el Edificio España". El País (in Spanish). 12 March 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  45. ^ "El acuerdo entre Ayuntamiento, Baraka y Ecologistas para desbloquear Edificio España es 'salud democrática'". Europa Press (in Spanish). 7 March 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  46. ^ "Edificio España". Arquitectura de Madrid (in Spanish). Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  47. ^ "El interior del Edificio España". El País (in Spanish). 2 November 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  48. ^ "Riu Plaza España: RIU's history and future". RIU Blog. Riu Hotels & Resorts. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  49. ^ "Los hoteles Riu Plaza España y Riu Concordia galardonados por sus proyectos sostenibles". Economía de Mallorca (in Spanish). 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  50. ^ a b "Los hoteles Riu Plaza España y Concordia galardonados por sus proyectos sostenibles". Tourinews (in Spanish). 24 January 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  51. ^ Valenzuela Rubio, Manuel (2017). "La sostenibilidad ambiental del sector hotelero español. Una contribución al turismo sostenible entre el interés empresarial y el compromiso ambiental". Arbor: Ciencia, Pensamiento y Cultura (in Spanish). 193 (785). Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  52. ^ "How has RIU Hotels managed to certify 100% of its hotel portfolio in sustainability with ECOSTARS?". RIU Blog. Riu Hotels & Resorts. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  53. ^ "Riu alcanza el hito histórico de certificar el 100% de su planta hotelera". Forbes España (in Spanish). 18 December 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  54. ^ "Riu alcanza el hito histórico de certificar el 100% de su planta hotelera". Infobae (in Spanish). 18 December 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  55. ^ "Riu alcanza el hito histórico de certificar el 100% de su planta hotelera". La Nación (in Spanish). 18 December 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  56. ^ "Edificio España". D'A Film Festival. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  57. ^ "Edificio España (The Building)". UnionDocs. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  58. ^ a b "Cineastas piden al Santander que permita exhibir un filme sobre el Edificio España". El País (in Spanish). EFE. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  59. ^ Morales, Grace (11 October 2016). "Edificio España: los planes de demolición". Jot Down (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  60. ^ "Edificio España (The Building)". edificioespana.es. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  61. ^ "'Edificio España', el documental que el Santander censuró durante meses, nominado a los Goya". eldiario.es (in Spanish). 7 January 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  62. ^ Vargas, Jairo (22 March 2014). "'Edificio España', el documental que Botín no quería que vieras". Público (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  63. ^ "Madrid 'recupera' el documental sobre el 'Edificio España'". El Mundo (in Spanish). 18 March 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  64. ^ "La lona publicitaria más grande está en Madrid: el Edificio España, nuevo récord Guinness". ABC (in Spanish). 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  65. ^ "Mide 5.265 m² y pesa 2 toneladas: Así es la valla récord 'Guinness' de Ford en Madrid". Centímetros Cúbicos (in Spanish). Atresmedia. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  66. ^ "Caos al desprenderse la gigantesca lona del Edificio España por el fuerte viento". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  67. ^ "De paseo por Madrid con C. Tangana en su último videoclip". Madrid Hoy (in Spanish). 10 November 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  68. ^ "'Tú me dejaste de querer', la nueva canción de desamor de C Tangana que apunta a exitazo". Time Out Madrid (in Spanish). 6 November 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  69. ^ Nast, Condé (18 June 2021). "'Élite' temporada 4: todas las localizaciones". Traveler (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2021.
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