LOCATION Just off Paseo de Castellana, the hotel is housed within the almost cylindrical Sacyr Vallehermoso Tower, one of four skyscrapers in the new business district of Cuatro Torres. Just 13km from the airport — a €20 taxi ride —the hotel is at least 35 minutes from downtown by metro.

AMBIENCE Modern, male and corporate with lots of dark wood. Any quirkiness comes from Olympian motifs everywhere (reflecting Madrid’s unsuccessful 2016 bid); Enrique Sala and Carlos Carvajal’s lofty, airy architectural ambience and vertigo-inducing views of the city and the distant Navacerrada mountains.

GUESTROOMS 474 rooms ranging from standard to the 110m2 presidential suite on the 27th floor. Somewhat predictably, all are neutral brown, beige and black. Many bathrooms are separated by glass walls. Toiletries are unbranded — a letdown for an otherwise swish setting. The mini-bar was insufficiently refrigerated and seemed to compete with a heat source.

SERVICE Spotty, although this was likely on account of the hotel having only opened in January. Our coffee order was forgotten about at the breakfast buffet, and our car was only retrieved from the underground car park after several prompts and much confusion.

CAN I WORK HERE? With a massive lower-ground-floor convention centre and an underground parking lot with 270 spaces, this is a hotel focused on the business traveller. There is free Wi-fieverywhere, as well as welcome computers on the ground floor. Those paying for the more expensive rooms can migrate to the 29th floor to the comfort of the VIP lounge.

CAN I LIVE HERE? Room service is expensive for this city, with an espresso costing €7 and a hamburger €22. The spa and views compensate — but this could be anywhere in the world. It doesn’t feel like Madrid, or even Spain.

WORTH NOTING The only nearby eatery is a McDonald’s, which offers better value than the €100 per head restaurant on the Madrid Towers’ 30th floor.