Room Mate Mario

Reviewed by Michael Soffe



“ATTITUDE” ..............

The Room Mate Chain certainly knows how important location is when they choose the sites for their Hotels. Calle Campomanes is a location hard to better, just a few metres walk to the Opera House (Metro station: Opera) and less than 5 minutes walk to the Gran Via and Puerta del Sol. More central one could hardly be! It is probably this location, close to the bright lights and clubbing area of Chueca that draws a predominantly younger crowd to (the) Room Mate Mario. This, combined with a very “funky feel” sets the scene for party time. A striking orange and black reception makes one feel as if one is entering a night club!! Receptionists too are dressed in black and are all bright and beautiful “young things”; definitely recruited for “attitude”. You want to party the night away? They will surely be able to tell you where! As with all the Room Mate Hotels, trendy staff will go out of their way to make sure you have all the details of local events, museums, restaurants, etc, to enjoy your time in this exciting city to the full.

What constantly amazes me about the Room Mate hotels is how different they are in decoration (although “contemporary” is definitely the by-word). Spain’s foremost interior designers must be queueing up at the head office waiting for a bite of the apple in designing their next Hotel! Mario fell to the hands of Thomas Alia and he has opted for bright and bold colours, clean lines and lots of white.

There are 54 bedrooms, including 14 executive Doubles and three Junior Suites. Expect vibrant colours here too – brilliant orange, purple, blood red and blue all come to the fore. This is offset by white bed coverings and dark coloured carpets, but the coup de théâtre is the wall behind each bed. Ingenious use of transparent cut-outs with light behind them ensure the theatrical effect as the geometrical shapes hit you full on. Add mirrored wardrobes, Phillipe Stark inspired table lamps and the effect is complete. Many of the bathrooms have glass doors so be warned if you not happy with room companion seeing you as nature intended! The bathrooms are not so bold in colour, contrasting in muted greys. All bedrooms come equipped with heating and aircon, wi-fi, flat-screen satellite TV, DVD, minibar and safe. Some of the Standard Rooms are quite small with just a shower rather than a full bathroom. If you want more space an upgrade to an executive Double or a Junior Suite (these have higher ceilings) is recommended.

You will get a green apple by your bed every day (and we all know what they say about an apple a day) – it is a quirky touch, and followed through in every Room Mate Hotel.

Breakfasts are served at your leisure (until noon, just in case you have been out partying until the very late hours – definitely makes sense in a city where bars and clubs do not open until 1.00am!) in the restaurant on the first floor – painted a bright shade of apple green of course. No other meals are served in the Hotel.


An ideal Hotel for those who want a funky Hotel on an intimate scale and who want to be surrounded by fellow party-goers.