Review: Pullman Madrid Airport & Feria Hotel

Where is it?

The Pullman Madrid Airport & Feria Hotel is located in the north-eastern part of Madrid. The hotel is a few kilometres from Madrid Adolfo Suárez Barajas airport and is marketed as an airport hotel offering a free shuttle service to and from the airport terminals.

The hotel is also located in an area with several exhibition and conference centres such as the large IFEMA – Feria de Madrid exhibition center and the the Palacio de Congresos conference centre and the hotel is a good choice for exhibitors and visitors during major trade fairs. There are also several companies located in the area.

The hotel is located just around the corner from the metro station ‘Feria’ served by metro line 8. Although this line does not go all the way to the city centre it is easy to reach downtown Madrid with just one interchange.

There is a free shuttle bus between the airport and the hotel which leaves every 30 minutes most of the day. It serves all four terminals at the airport.

The arrival experience

I caught the free shuttle from the airport to the hotel at 10.30 pm in the evening. I arrived by plane at terminal 4 and the only drawback was that the shuttle then went to terminals 1, 2 and 3 (which are quite a distance from terminal 4) to pick up more passengers before continuing to the hotel. In total in took a good 25 minutes just to get from terminal 4 to the hotel. If you have just missed the shuttle (it leaves terminal 4 on the hour and then every 30 minutes) you can take the metro from the airport to the hotel. There are three stops on the metro from terminal 4 and just one stop from terminals 1/2/3 to station Feria where the hotel is located.

The shuttle also serve the Ibis Hotel and the Novotel Hotel, the latter actually located in the same building as the Pullman Hotel. It takes about 20 seconds to walk between the two entrances, which on the positive side means a wider selection of bars and restaurants.

The check-in process was quick as the room had already been prepaid and as I decided not to open an account for any extras. I was also given a drinks voucher to use in the bar thanks to my Accor LeClub loyalty card.

The room

My room was located on the fourth floor at the end of a rather long and dark corridor in black and red.

I had booked a Classic Room which is the standard room type at Pullman. The room measured 29 sqm and had the standard array of amenities with the interior in brown, wood and orange.

The room had a king-sized double bed, a work desk, an armchair with a side table, a work desk and a 32-inches TV.

However just like the lobby and the corridor the room was really starting to show its age. Right below the bed the floor was partly broken, not sure what someone had tried to do there, or if this was simply wear and tear caused by the bed, but it was impossible to miss when entering the room and it did not give a good first impression. Also the curtains were rather worn.

The bathroom was quite spacious with a walk-in rain shower (although I had some difficulties figuring out how it worked) as well as a sink and a toilet. Bathrobe and slippers were also provided and the toiletries were from C.O. Bigelow.

The curtains were partly automatic and could be lowered by pressing a button on the bedside table. There was not much of a view in the evening but the following morning I noticed I had a good view of the large square in Campo de las Naciones.

Food and drinks

There is a bar and a restaurant in the hotel. The bar is called ‘Cosmopolitan Bar’ located on the ground floor next to the lobby and offers beer, wines and cocktails as well as snacks and tapas to eat. I visited the bar in the late evening to use my drinks voucher for a complimentary glass of white wine (thanks to my Accor LeClub loyalty card). The bar itself was OK but nothing special.

There is also a restaurant called ‘El Patio’ also located in the lobby on the ground floor, open for lunch and dinner.

Since the Pullman Hotel is located in the same block as the Novotel Madrid Campo de las Naciones Hotel (the two hotels are basically in the same building), Pullman guests can easily visit the bar and the restaurant at the Novotel hotel. The restaurant there is called Claravia and focuses on Mediterranean dishes. There is also a bar at the Novotel.

Other facilities

There is an outdoor pool on the first floor which is open during the summer months from May until September. There is also a fairly large pool deck with loungers. The swimming pool had already closed for the day when I checked in at 11 pm but as the summer months can be very hot in Madrid the pool is a great feature.

There is also a small gym open 24 hours located next to the pool area.

There is a small conference centre with seven meeting rooms and a small business centre in the lobby with internet computers.

For those who enjoy a walk and some fresh air, or for those who prefer to start the day with a run, there is a large park called Parque Juan Carlos I just around the corner from the hotel measuring 400 acres. There is also a golf course in this area.

Service

The service was prompt and friendly with no wait whatsoever at either check-in or check-out.

Breakfast

As breakfast was not included in the rate and since I had a morning flight the following day (and could have breakfast free of charge in the airport lounge) I decided to skip the breakfast at the hotel.

Final impression

The hotel is starting to show its age which you could notice both in the room and in the public areas, but otherwise there was nothing really to complain about and the rate was very reasonable for the standard provided. The airport shuttle worked perfectly in both directions and the pool is a great feature on a hot summer’s day.