Why guide?
Because nowhere else in Madrid are you able to keep inside one of many metropolis’s most iconic buildings and expertise it from inside, each as a visitor and as a part of its neighborhood. Set throughout 6,000 sq. meters within the very coronary heart of the capital, Club Metrópolis brings collectively a 19-room boutique lodge, a personal members’ membership, and an formidable culinary undertaking unfolding throughout seven distinct eating venues.
Set the scene
Entering the Metrópolis Building for the primary time, with the sense that only a few individuals have seen it like this earlier than, is unexpectedly transferring. For greater than a century its dome, which is topped by the Winged Victory, has been one of many Madrid skyline’s defining symbols. And but, behind its monumental façade, on the intersection of Gran Vía and Calle de Alcalá, the constructing has all the time fallen silent. Until now.
On January 29, 2026 –115 years after its inauguration – this Madrid landmark started a brand new chapter as Club Metrópolis: a global personal members’ membership with a boutique lodge, seven eating areas, a rooftop suspended above town, and a cultural program that includes greater than 200 experiences a 12 months. Marta Seco and Sandro Silva, founders of Grupo Paraguas, lead the transformation, getting down to restore the constructing’s architectural splendour.
After over 5 years of labor, the constructing has been reimagined as a spot to remain and to really feel a way of belonging. Club Metrópolis isn’t merely a brand new lodge, a eating vacation spot, or a personal membership, however an announcement about how Madrid will be lived and shared immediately.
The architectural restoration by Rubio Arquitectura has preserved the unique construction and guarded historic components, adapting the constructing to new makes use of with out compromising its character. Building on that basis, interiors by Lázaro Rosa-Violán reinterpret the area as a recent grand home—rooms flowing naturally into each other, noble supplies, rigorously calibrated lighting, and an environment designed to be lived in with out haste.
The backstory
Few buildings mirror a metropolis’s ambition as clearly because the Metrópolis Building. Inaugurated in 1911 because the headquarters of La Unión y el Fénix insurance coverage firm, it rose in the intervening time Madrid opened itself to modernity, alongside the creation of Gran Vía. The undertaking was given to French architects Jules and Raymond Février, although ultimate route fell to Spanish architect Luis Esteve Fernández-Caballero, who accomplished it in 1910. The constructing mixed monumental French-inspired structure with an unusually trendy construction for its time, together with bolstered concrete and open, pillar-free interiors.
Its Second Empire model – stone façades, slate mansard roofs, and wealthy sculptural detailing – cemented its standing as a logo of city progress. The unique phoenix sculpture that topped the dome was changed within the Seventies by the Winged Victory, whose bronze silhouette has since change into a part of town’s identification. Extensively restored in 1996 and once more in 2016, Metrópolis retained its standing as a defining landmark. It was exactly this legacy that caught the eye of Marta Seco and Sandro Silva in 2019.
“At the time, we weren’t looking to open anything new in Madrid. We were focused on international expansion,” they recall. “But the moment we walked inside, we knew. There was an incredible dormant energy about the place. Metrópolis wasn’t asking for a function, it was asking to beat again”.
The rooms
There are simply 19 rooms right here – a deliberate choice to create a sense of intimacy, and to make company really feel that Madrid, even when just for a number of days, can really be residence.
Rooms span 5 classes and favour stability, consolation, and beneficiant proportions. Sleep is taken critically: alongside a pillow menu, company can select between high-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets or silk bedding. Linens and tub textiles are by Bassols, and are complemented by Ezcaray blankets, in addition to considerate welcome touches similar to sweets from La Pajarita, and Tiempo para Vivir facilities.
Food and drink
Gastronomy is the center of Club Metrópolis and culinary route is led by Sandro Silva. It’s residence to at least seven eating areas unfold all through the building. Spa de Langostas presents an immersive expertise; Tasca Fina and Barra de Oricios reinterpret the Spanish tavern by means of a recent lens, with a deal with Mediterranean flavours and product-driven cooking; Victoria facilities on seasonal delicacies the place the product takes the lead; La Galería hosts all-day eating and breakfast for lodge company; El Jardín serves dishes cooked over fireplace underneath the sky; and La Cúpula approaches cocktail-making as a sensory craft.
Spa de Langostas, Tasca Fina, and Barra de Oricios are open to the general public, whereas the remaining are reserved for members and lodge company. Beyond names and ideas, the guiding thread is evident: it is a approach of understanding gastronomy as culture, connection, and shared time.
The space
There are corners of Madrid the place town will be understood at a look, and the intersection of Gran Vía and Calle de Alcalá is considered one of them. Here, on the gateway to the capital’s most emblematic avenue, historical past, commerce, culture, and every day life converge. In latest years, this space has change into considered one of Madrid’s key luxurious lodge hubs, with landmarks similar to Four Seasons Hotel Madrid, JW Marriott Madrid, Brach Madrid, Mandarin Oriental Ritz, and The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hote all calling it residence. But Club Metrópolis presents one thing completely different: the prospect to inhabit a personal members’ membership set inside one of many metropolis’s most recognisable buildings, crowned – each actually and symbolically – by the Victory.
Step exterior, and town unfolds in each route; step again inside, and the tempo adjustments completely. The noise stays out; calm takes over. Being within the coronary heart of Madrid with out feeling in transit is likely one of the undertaking’s quiet luxuries.
In this context, the Grupo Paraguas undertaking presents one thing completely different: the potential of residing in a personal membership built-in into one of the crucial recognizable buildings within the metropolis and topped -literally and symbolically- by the Victoria.
At its ft, town unfolds in all instructions. Historic companies and fashionable areas similar to WOW or Galería Canalejas, theaters, museums, centenary cafés and up to date openings are just some minutes’ stroll away. By day, the realm strikes to the rhythm of shopping, strolling and the combination of vacationers and locals; at evening, the Gran Vía regains its standing as a stage, with lights, music and that coming and going so typical of a capital that, though it sleeps, all the time does so with one eye open.
And but, when crossing the doorways of the Metropolis Building, the rhythm adjustments. The hustle and bustle is exterior and town is contemplated with a sure distance, from an uncommon calm within the heart. Being within the coronary heart of Madrid with out feeling like you’re passing by means of is, maybe, one of many nice up to date luxuries. And additionally one of many keys to this project.
The service
Service is attentive with out intrusion, exact with out rigidity. From arrival to the smallest gestures, all the pieces flows naturally, guided by near-invisible discretion, care that’s felt quite than seen. The expertise is overseen by lodge director Vanessa Garrido and supported by a full suite of companies, together with personalised concierge, chauffeur service, tailoring, a fitness center, therapeutic massage rooms and bespoke personal experiences.
For households
Club Metrópolis is restricted to company aged 18 and over. The lodge itself welcomes households, however kids should not have entry to the membership’s personal areas.
Eco effort
The rehabilitation prioritised vitality effectivity throughout all programs, upgrading the constructing to trendy requirements whereas preserving its historic structure. The undertaking additionally displays Grupo Paraguas’ dedication to native suppliers and accountable operations.
Accessibility
The complete constructing has been thoughtfully tailored with step-free entrances, elevators, accessible loos, and one totally tailored visitor room.
Anything left to say?
Guests don’t must be members to remain on the lodge. During their keep, they routinely change into members of the Club. Throughout the 12 months, the membership will host greater than 200 experiences spanning music, performing arts, gastronomy, journey, artwork, tradition, and well-being. The aim is to not fill the calendar, however to create causes to return. An surprising live performance, a dinner that lingers, a dialog over a wine tasting. That, maybe, is Club Metrópolis’ defining element: not what you uncover in your first go to, however what makes you wish to come again.
First printed on CNT Spain