Hotel Puerta América

We splurged on a very pricey junior suite, and when you spend that kind of money in a 5-star hotel, you expect Class A room and service. The room made a spectacular first impression. We were greeted with a stunning view over Madrid through a curved glass wall in the living room. Then the disappointments started. Although we booked the 2-twin option expressly made available on hotels.com, upon arrival we were told that junior suites have one bed. To have separate beds, we would have to take a standard room at the same price as the junior suite. In the U.S., that's called bait-and-switch, and it's against the law. The junior suite included access to the "executive lounge," but the lounge was a complete joke. We found it locked, and when the desk sent someone to open it for us, we found no food, no wine, no drinks - just a refrigerator with some sodas and beer. The room TV had no English channels 3 of 4 nights we were there - one night only, a French news station's English language channel was available. CNN Int'l was on the TV guide, but that channel had been dropped from the hotel's service. The in-room coffee was instant, no creamer, and even that wasn't replenished after the first morning. The hotel has a severe staffing problem - long waits at the desk and at the bar. Long lines at the only coffee-maker in the breakfast room. We got an extra sheet on our first night, then the housekeeping staff took it away. We do not recommend this hotel.