Meliá Hotels International has refocused its sights on Madrid with a major investment in the luxury hotel market, which now boasts 23 properties in the city.

Meliá Hotels International is renovating the old Ambassador Hotel, a prominent feature on the Madrid-Velázquez walking tour, which will open in early 2016 as the new five-star Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques.

Located in the centre of Madrid de los Austrias, Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques is within close proximity of Teatro Royal (Royal Theatre), Puerta del Sol, Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace.

The property was once the greatest Dominican convent in the XIII Century and also the former residence of the Dukes of Granada de Ega and Villahermosa, art collectors and members of the Madrid intelligentsia in the mid-nineteenth century.

Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques is dedicated to renowned artist Velazquez, one of his pieces was donated to the Prado Museum by the Dukes.

The hotel will feature reproductions of fragments of Velazquez’s most famous paintings.

His artwork will be felt in every corner of the hotel, through exquisite decoration of the guestrooms and public areas.

With original features, such as the spectacular central staircase and a small private lounge, Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques will offer 180 rooms and suites, dedicated to Velazquez.

The hotel also provides ten meeting rooms, with natural lighting.

Guests can enjoy the exclusive RedLevel Service, offered by Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, designed to provide a boutique experience within the hotel.

It also features an Asian-style wellness area, the Thai Room and various upscale dining options, which include a gourmet restaurant, a wine cellar with a selection of products from the different Spanish regions and a signature cocktail-bar.

Meliá Hotels International is successfully developing the model in its key Madrid hotels, such as ME Madrid, Gran Meliá Fenix, INNSIDE by Meliá hotels, Meliá Castilla and Meliá Madrid Princesa, achieving a perfect combination of business and leisure travel to help optimise profitability.

As a result, the company increased its RevPAR in Spanish cities above the market average in the first half of the year, with a 17 per cent increase in the Spanish capital.