Imagine you arrive at the Madrid airport after a long overnight flight. An immaculately dressed driver from the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid is waiting for you and settles you into the pristine black car.

An icy cold Coke Zero with lemon (your preferred drink after flying) is poured for you to sip as you make your short way to the hotel.

How did they know? One word…. “Borja.”

You are taken through the gorgeous, soothing lobby to your beautiful suite.

Excited about your days ahead, but wishing your daughter could be here to enjoy it with you, you spy on your coffee table a copy of on being mistaken, a book of poetry she published last year. Ahhh she is with you in spirit!

How did they know?…… “Borja.”

This imaginary story sounds so dreamy, but it could be your reality if you stay at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid and meet the Chief Concierge, Borja Martin Guridi.

My series of interviews with General Managers and Chief Concierges around the world have been enjoyed by many of my readers. I think that is because we all love knowing the behind the scenes activities of these beautiful places and knowing about the people that make everything work so smoothly. I know exactly who in Madrid I want to interview for this series…Borja Martin Guridi. In addition to his long tenure at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, he is President of Spain’s chapter of Les Clefs d’Or. An extremely busy man, he nonetheless finds time to spend a morning with me in the hotel’s stunning Palm Court. Arranging our schedules to make this interview happen was in no small part due to the gracious and persistent efforts of Inma Casado, the Director of Communications. I am delighted that she was able to join us for a portion of the interview.

The Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid has 113 years of history and the opening ceremony in October 1910 was performed by King Alfonso XIII and his Queen Victoria Eugenia, granddaughter of the English Monarch Queen Victoria. The hotel is a luxury Belle Époque Palace located in the famous Golden Triangle of Art of Madrid. In the days prior to our interview, I would often find myself altering my route just to pass by this beautiful palace.

Borja has spent his entire career doing the miraculous, the ordinary, the heart-warming and the impossible work of ensuring each guest has no doubt that they made the right choice to stay at this luxurious special property. His youthful energy and enthusiasm in conveying his thoughts makes for such a fun morning. Let me share with you what I learned.

You’ve spent your whole career in one place. What makes you loyal to this property and to this city?

Madrid is my city, It is the best city and I am at the best hotel. I didn’t expect my first opportunity to be so compelling and perfect for me, but it was and it is. There is nowhere else I would rather be. My family loves being here and I love my work. That’s not to say that I don’t travel to other Mandarin Oriental properties to help train new staff or institute new programs or just to help. I do, and I enjoy that, but this is my home.

Tell me about your team. 

We are a team of 35 at present. I have the concierge staff, both out front and doing research behind the scenes, the bellmen/porters and a group of 12 excellent drivers. Our drivers set us apart as they not only do airport chauffeuring, but can be at a guest’s disposal for excursions all over Madrid and further a field.

Tell me about changes in your years here. Tell me what you have noticed?

Guests are more savvy, because they have access to a wealth of information before they arrive. Many come with ideas of what they want to do. We meet them where they are and we try to guide them to the better choice of the possibilities. Of course some come with a blank slate and we paint a picture of activities that will be pleasing to them during their time in Madrid. We are also more savvy for the same reason.  We become educated about our guests , their interests and background before they arrive, so we can be of the upmost service to them from the moment they arrive. In addition to our European guest, we now see a large contingent of Americans, Asians and South Americans who want to enjoy the luxury of our property. The nature of travel is such that many of our clients have travelled to luxury hotels all over the world. It keeps us constantly striving to meet their lofty expectations. And we do! 

Also, guests have changed in that they increasingly want more connection with the staff. Years ago there was more of a distant relationship between guest and staff Now, the guests like to be close and personal in their requests and in their communications, which you rarely saw years ago. Also, the style of dress has become less formal and more smart casual over the years.

As you know, each year I live in a different city in the world for one month…Shirleyfest. Most guests are not in Madrid for a month like I am. If you could advise a guest how to allocate their limited time, what you recommend?

Five days would be ideal, but many guests only have three days or so to spend in Madrid. In that case, I find out where their interest lies. Is it culture, restaurants, wine, clothing designers, history? It is often a mix. Once I know the guest’s interests, we can suggest the best alternatives for them. For example if a guest is fashion minded, we get more specific…do they want to see only Spanish designers, do they want private showings? Maybe they have heard of our Vermouth culture and want to experience that. We will guide them to the places where the experience will be authentic and enjoyable… like for example Bodega La Ardosa where the Vermouth is “de grifo”, which means on tap. We go the extra mile to make their stay memorable. 

And if you were staying in Madrid for one month, how would you spend your time?

Like you, I would stay right in the midst of Madrid. You are on Calle de Recoletos which is a very nice area. There are many neighborhoods within the confines of the city that I like  and would  maybe choose. Each gives you such a different vibe…..Salamanca to Chuecha to La Latina. I’d wander this city, eat at all our great restaurants, go to the major and minor museums, but also galleries and private collections.  I’d visit Palacio de Liria which is wonderful, but few people know about it. The Duke still lives there. I’d simply walk the Gran Via and people watch. I’d stop for coffee…Madrid has excellent coffee. Go to some of our interesting bars. We have wonderful music in the city. If Real Madrid was playing I would try to go to a match and check out that neighborhood. Basically I would do what you are doing in my own city. 

Any day trips you would take?

Toledo

Chinchon

Aranjuez

And if you were to do a Borjafest?

So many places! Maybe Kuala Lumper.

You are President of Spain’s Les Clefs d’Or. What exactly is Les Clef d’Or?

Les Clefs d’Or (translated as The Golden Keys) is a professional association of hotel concierges, with approximately 4000 members working in over 80 countries and 530 destinations, in literally every corner of the world.

These members are a globally connected, committed to professional development, and driven to setting new standards for guest service perfection. I often work with member concierges in far flung destinations where my guests are going next to pave the way for their next great experience.

With roots dating back to 1929, Les Clefs d’Or was officially founded in France in 1952 as a not-for-profit organization based on two pillars: Service and Friendship. Before earning the right to wear the golden keys, those who aspire to become a member must have years of experience as a hotel concierge, pass comprehensive testing and prove, beyond doubt, their ability to deliver highest quality of service.

In your position with the organization, you must know many excellent concierges doing high levels of service. What do those high level service concierges have in common?

Of course attention to detail and guest focus, and very hard working, passionate and always connected. Also most concierges now specialize. For example, here we have one individual who is an expert on wine, another knows all about theatre and opera, another museums. Specialization is very common among talented concierges. Excellent hotel concierges are the most reliable local experts and ambassadors of their chosen destinations.

What is a recent unusual request that you made happen?

All concierges have their historical interesting stories, but I like to talk about recent things. This past week, we had a group of guest that very much wanted to stay with us, but only if we could get them together in a box at a Real Madrid game. That is of course a very difficult task as those boxes are sold out a very long time in advance. I went to work. I made phone call after phone call and worked hours and hours and in the end I made it happen. The guests were very happy and of course we were very happy to have them here.

I recently arranged for a father a series of helicopter rides over the city with his daughter to celebrate her birthday. At various places that the helicopter hovered over, there were birthday greeting visible on the ground. That was quite well received!

What do you do when you encounter someone who is not happy? Perhaps for good reason or perhaps just their general mood. 

The number one thing I do is Listen. I pause. I let them talk. I invite them for a coffee and just sit with them. After I feel I understand what is bothering them, I make a plan to surprise them. I ask myself “How can I turn this situation around?” That’s when I use MO WOW. The Mandarin Oriental wowing technique. Maybe they had a problem with their dinner reservation last night. I will find out where they are going tonight and call my contact there to have a unique and fun surprise from us after they sit down. Not just a glass of champagne… something very personal and surprising…MO WOW is a powerful tool and always brings a smile back to the guest’s face.

You do many interviews, is there anything you wish you would get asked but don’t?

I am very happy that you covered so much about what I do and this amazing property. We have a Spanish term”desconocimiento” which means “lack of knowledge. People don’t know what they don’t know. Our job can be a mystery or seem one dimensional to some people. I’m glad I got to enlighten you today. I look forward to welcoming your readers to the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid.

I so enjoyed my morning interview! I am inspired by Borja’s suggestions. I take myself to Mune, a Lebanese restaurant that my new friend Biby recommend. Delicious.

Now I’ll plot out the rest of the day. While at Mune, I just decide to make it a Borja Day. Anything I haven’t done that he mentioned, I am going to do today!

Let’s begin.

First stop Liria Palace. I take the Metro and find the palace just off the Metro stop. I quickly buy a ticket and it seems I will be with a group of 5 others for this tour. It is a nice arrangement in that we all have headsets in our language and a guide walks with us and only points at the important objects at the right spot in the audio guide. The palace is a neoclassical palace and the resident of the Dukes of Alba. It was built in 1770 and destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. It was rebuilt and currently Carole Fitz-James Stuart , the 19th Duke of Alba lives here. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but trust me the rooms and furnishings are magnificent. The art collection is remarkable also. My favorite, though, was the exhibition room where there is a first edition of Don Quixote, letters from Christopher Columbus throughout his journey to and from America and the 1430 Alba Bible.

From here I see on my CityMaps2Go (that I populated before I left home) the 1862 Dry Bar is about a mile walk. Off I go! No wine, no beer…just cocktails. Lucky for me it is Negroni week and I get Un Americano en Berlin version (because I WAS that during Shirleyfest 2013).

Delicious…. and I met the owner Alberto and lovely bartender Gabriella.

It’s a strong drink so one is plenty. I’m off to find a little coffee to keep going.

Acid Coffee in the Barrio de las Letha’s neighborhood has an unusual name but great coffee. It’s the only coffeehouse in Spain that works exclusively with Danish roaster La Cabra. The interior is a cross between a country house and a Danish apartment.

Everyone here is dressed beautifully. I sat looking out the window drinking a flat white (and yes one of those Danish style Hygge buns) and I saw a lady on a motorcycle….also dressed impeccably.

Refreshed, I’m heading out to see if I can tour the Real Madrid stadium since there is no game today. I walk through a beautiful neighborhood reminiscent of California.

I come to the striking stadium. Turns out the only tour available is a tour of the museum because there is construction. I pass, as I think the museum artifacts might be lost on me, but I did enjoy seeing the stadium.

Once again I consult my CityMaps2Go homework and see that El Doble is nearby.

Time for a beer and a snack. El Doble is considered one of the best breweries in Madrid. It is packed. It has a long bar with decorated tiles on the facade inside and out. People were downing the chips and seafood and enjoying a fun afternoon.

I Metro home to change as I am going to the symphony next. One person can almost always get a ticket, so I change quickly and get back in the elevator.

I take the Metro out to the National Music Auditorium. I am in luck. An orchestra seat at such a reasonable price I’m not going to say it. The program was great! Badalo, Modest Músorgski and Tchaikovsky.

I feel I have taken all of Borja suggestions seriously and I’ve had such a good time. I head back to my lovely neighborhood and finish the evening off with a late dinner at Mudra, my go-to place on my block.

I see why Borja is so good at what he does. If I can have such a wonderful day by just listening to a few of his suggestions, imagine the guest experience who has him for many days in a row to guide a wonderful Madrid experience.

That’s a wrap from Madrid. Thanks for following along!