Novotel Madrid Feria and Airport: Retro Styling Next to IFEMA Madrid

What we don’t realise until we arrive is that at Novotel Madrid Feria and Airport, you get two hotels for the price of one! The building is separated into the Plaza Tower – casual and lively – and the sophisticated Deluxe Tower, a design-led space with an engagingly retro ambience. Each has its own distinct styling with a lively social hub, restaurant and bar, while services and facilities are carefully thought out to appeal to all guests, from frequent business travellers to families or couples on weekend sightseeing breaks.

We find ourselves staying in the Deluxe Tower, where we’re immediately wowed by the vibrant lobby; it’s the inspired handiwork of Madrid-based interior architects Stone Designs, who’ve pulled together a 1960s-style look that follows seamlessly through into the bar and restaurant.

On exploration, we discover that all bases are covered for the hotel’s bleisure guests. Beyond the social hub with its clever grouping of furnishings into work areas or cosy hubs just perfect for social chitchat, there are well-equipped events spaces and IFEMA is right across the road. And there’s plenty for guest like us who are here for the relaxation – a swimming pool and fitness centre, greenery surrounding the hotel and a Metro service into downtown Madrid.

Add to that the sheer choice of all-day dining styles and we have found a flexible, welcoming and hardworking hotel that really does fulfil the needs of all modern travellers in the 21st-century’s 24-hour, seven-days per week universe.

Walking into the Deluxe Tower is like being teleported back in time. The retro design of the lobby and bar instantly conjures up a glamorous airport lounge from the 1960s, with its brightly coloured sofas and seating, rounded porthole-style windows and nostalgic lighting in a clash of shapes and sizes. This stylish space is our favourite hang out, where we people-watch, catch up on work emails and grab a drink from Quivira bar.

Our newly refreshed Executive Deluxe guest room picks up on the same retro ambience we see in the lobby and bar; flourishes of vibrant colour in the furnishings, a moulded 60s-style chair and statement headboard on our queen-size bed made up with the crispest of linens. On our first night, we slip on comfy dressing gowns and curl up in front of a streamed film on our Chromecast TV, and sleep deeply thanks to the more-than-effective soundproofing.

We wake up to freshly made Nespresso coffee each morning before soaking with Novotel’s bespoke Rituals eco-toiletries in our gleaming white-tiled bathroom – we notice that the mirror mimics the porthole-shaped windows in the lobby, a clever tie up by the interior designers!

As befits a hotel close to the airport with guests arriving at all hours, food in various guises is available around the clock. When we arrive on Friday night, we order from the 24-hour room service menu – also handy for corporate execs juggling timezones – and tuck into tapas bites while relaxing in our dressing gowns. Breakfast is a sumptuous buffet affair with an abundance of seasonal local produce, pastries made in house liberally stuffed with smoked salmon. At lunchtime we snack on Ibérico ham croquetas and prawns tartare at Quivira Bar, which also serves beautifully presented fish or meat dishes in the evening.

Again, flexibility is the name of the game here – if you’re looking for an informal snack, simply grab a takeaway. We see quite a few families with younger kids choosing burgers and bowls of fries from this menu, but personally we can’t resist filling up on the delicate gateaux and cakes whipped up by Luis Bello, pastry-cook extraordinaire, for meriendas afternoon snacks.

As Executive Chef at the hotel, Luis Bello is charged with overseeing its burgeoning gastronomic success. His much-anticipated destination restaurant Quivira is set to open around September 2026 – we’re so keen to see what all the hype is about that we’ve already booked our return visit! Meanwhile, we content ourselves with the bar’s signature Rosa Salvaje cocktail, a ruby-red concoction of tequila, apple juice and floral rose syrup with just a hint of raspberry…

Chatting to staff, we glean that the hotel is full of corporate travellers during the week – not surprising really, as it’s a handy five minutes on the Metro from the airport and just across the road from IFEMA Madrid, the biggest convention centre in the city. There are also 15 adaptable meeting spaces within the hotel – all redesigned in mid-2026 and laid out with social areas and breakout terraces – with capacity for up to 380 people.

Also new with the hotel’s renovation are the co-working hubs in both towers – multi-faceted spaces with chairs, sofas, tables and discreet corners for informal business chats and after-work meet-ups. There’s desk space in all the guest rooms too, as well as charging points for devices.

We’re up with the lark on Saturday morning and in the fitness centre – it’s free for all hotel guests to use and open 24/7 – for a rejuvenating work out on the cardio equipment. We follow on with a few laps of the pool and then hoover up healthy fresh fruit and granolas from the breakfast buffet.

The afternoon sees us strolling around the open-air sculpture garden in Parque Juan Carlos I, a wonderful exhibition that sets us up for the great art museums of Madrid. We'd love to squeeze in a round of golf at the neighbouring Club de Golf Olivar de la Hinojosa, but time is tight – we’re lucky enough to have bagged tickets for the Bruno Mars concert, so head back to the hotel to get our glad rags on!

Saturday night is taken care of with a concert at the massive Riyadh Air Metropolitano – Madrid’s major stadium and a mere five minutes’ taxi ride from our hotel. The acoustics there are superb! The stadium is also the home of La Liga’s Atlético Madrid, but you’ll need to book tickets in advance if you want to see a match.

On Sunday, we catch the metro from Feria de Madrid station into the city centre; half an hour later we’re lunching on lively Calle Cava Baja, famous for its traditional tapas bars. We spend a couple of hours gazing at works by Velázquez and Goya in the spectacular, colonnaded Museo Nacional del Prado, and take a boat out on the lake surrounded by monumental Neo-classical glasshouses in El Retiro Park.

• Epicureans flocking to sample Chef Luis Bello’s innovative Spanish and Mediterranean fusion gastronomy
• Business travellers attending trade fairs and exhibitions at IFEMA Madrid – it’s just across the road
• Families looking for a handy base for a weekend of fun at Parque Warner Madrid and Zoo Aquarium de Madrid
• Art-loving couples intent on Madrid gallery crawls to view the Prado’s Spanish masterpieces and the iconic Guernica by Picasso in the Reina Sofía
• Football fans watching Atlético Madrid games at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium
• Stylish travellers who appreciate the best of retro design teamed with contemporary comfort
• Local residents stopping by for barista coffee and cake during the day or a leisurely aperitivo after work

• Lounging on the bright-red velvet sofas in Novotel Madrid Feria and Airport’s Deluxe Tower lobby – they take us right back to a time when air travel was all about glamour, service and elegance…
• Tucking into Chef Luis Bello’s exquisite and inspirational cuisine in Quivira restaurant
• Soaking up the sun on a lounger by the swimming pool
• Posing by Stone Designs' epic installation over the bar; its LED lights change according to the time of day
• Standing in front of the flamboyant Puerta de Alcalá triumphal arch – once gateway to Madrid – in Plaza de la Independencia

Calle de Ámsterdam N°3, Campo de las Naciones, Barajas, 28042 MADRID.

IFEMA next door, Madrid-Barajas Airport five minutes’ drive and the city centre half an hour on the Metro.