It was designed in 1908 by the French architect Charles Mewes (responsible for other Ritz hotels in Europe) and built by the Spanish Luis de Landecho next to Paseo del Prado, close to two icons of the city such as the Retiro Park and the Prado Museum. , within the space that is currently known as the "Triangle of Art" and that the publicity of the moment pointed out as "the healthiest and most peaceful in Madrid". His first rooms were offered at prices ranging from seven pesetas to twenty with full board. Gentlemen were not admitted without a tie, and until 1975 ladies in trousers were not admitted. As a curiosity, during the Civil War the hotel served as a Blood Hospital, and even contributed some of its employees to hospital functions. Rugs woven in the Royal Tapestry Factory, hand-knotted, English silver cutlery, French porcelain tableware, Irish tablecloths, embroidered linen linen, marble bathrooms with golden taps... From always until now, every detail of the rooms, lounges and restaurants of the Ritz, witnesses to the visit of kings, presidents, sheikhs, magnates and countless personalities, has turned this hotel into an extraordinary historical symbol of exclusivity.