Find a place to meet in peace and harmony, away from political turmoil. With this objective, what is now the Real Casino de Madrid was born in 1836. Almost two centuries after its founding, Casino Madrid has a total of 1,800 members. We are going to talk about its history and what this place of entertainment in the capital of Spain offers today in this post.
In its beginnings, this company occupied various premises in the center of the Madrid capital. After being called Casino del Príncipe for a while (since that was the name of the street where it was located at the time), it was renamed Casino de Madrid .
In its early years, the Society occupied austerely decorated premises. As it grew and evolved, the decoration of its headquarters became more sumptuous and elegant.
In 1910, this Madrid society established its headquarters in the building it occupies today. Located at number 15 Calle de Alcalà , a stone's throw from Puerta del Sol and next to the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts, it is one of the most important and stately entertainment venues in Madrid .
For many years, CasinoMadrid was a meeting place for the Madrid elite. Belonging to this society has historically been a symbol of prestige. You only have to look at the names of those who have held that honor.
At the end of the 20th century, a reconsideration of the Society was made in light of its signs of decline. Since then, the concessionaire company Gran Círculo has been in charge of operating some of the Casino's services.
We are going to see below how this Society is organized and what are the main characteristics of the building that houses its headquarters.
Organization and building of the Real Casino de Madrid
The Real Casino de Madrid defines itself on its website as "a non-profit association whose purposes are to promote all kinds of artistic, literary, cultural, sports and recreational activities among its members".
In its first years of history, the main activities carried out at the Society's headquarters were gatherings between partners, reading the press, bar service and pool tables.
It was also in those years when it was decided to organize the Society as it is organized today. That is to say: there is a General Board in charge of making the most important decisions and a Board of Directors. Elected by the General, the Board of Directors is the governing body in charge of managing and directing the daily operation of the company.
Along with the Boards, it is worth noting the existence of the Admission Committee, the body in charge of deciding whether or not a person can achieve the privilege of belonging to the company.
Beyond the architectural beauty of the Alcalá headquarters,15 remarkable throughout the building but especially spectacular in the Royal Hall and the honor staircase, the building also stands out for the sculptures and paintings that adorn it. The sculptural and pictorial works that can be found in it are signed by authors of the stature of Mariano Benlliure or Julio Romero de Torres, among others.
Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1993, the Casino Real de Madrid currently hosts congresses, celebrations and official visits, beyond being a meeting place for casino players today.
Let us see below the services offered by the Real Casino de Madrid.
Services of the Casino Madrid
This leisure center in Madrid offers different services both to its members and to people who wish to enjoy some of the spaces in the magnificent building.
The excellent location in the heart of the Spanish capital and the fact that it forms part of its artistic heritage make this place an ideal place to organize all kinds of professional events.
The distinguished function rooms and the experience of the local team, which offers personalized attention to all its clients, guarantee a comfortable stay, ideal for all kinds of business meetings.
The NH Collection Casino in Madrid also rents its rooms to celebrate weddings and all kinds of private events such as birthdays, baptisms, anniversaries, etc.
The Terrace Room, for its part, offers not only an ideal environment to organize any celebration. It also offers spectacular views of a particularly beautiful area of the capital of Spain.
The venue also offers the possibility of renting its spaces to record television programs, video clips, photography sessions, 'showroom' celebrations and film productions.
Valdivia and Duque de Osuna are the names given to the two discos that serve as a counterpoint to the classicism of the main halls. The two local nightclubs, equipped with the most advanced technology in terms of light and sound, offer an ideal space to put an end to any type of event.
Paco Roncero Restaurant
Finally, we could not finish this post without highlighting what is one of the most prestigious offers of this Madrid venue: the Paco Roncero Restaurant .
Talking about Paco Roncero is talking about one of the best chefs in our country. With a style based on the combination of the best raw materials with the most advanced technical and creative avant-garde, the Madrid chef offers his clients a unique sensory experience that reflects influences from a wide variety of gastronomic cultures.
Roncero , winner of the 2006 National Gastronomy Award, two Michelin Stars and three Repsol Suns, offers, in addition to exquisite flavors, wonderful staging and transgressive pairings, and pays special attention to the interaction with the diner. Thus, the experience in his restaurant becomes an innovative and unforgettable gastronomic performance.
But Paco Roncero's Alcalá casino restaurant is not the only offer from the famous chef. Gastronomy lovers not only find the Affirmation and Essence menus here, they can also enjoy the experience of visiting Paco Roncero's Workshop , an exclusive place and a world reference in terms of creating new culinary concepts and gastronomy models.
What the chef pursues in his Workshop (an icon of modernity within a space as traditional as the building in which it is located) is to provoke new sensations and, deep down, to excite, from the fields of gastronomy.
The multisensory experiences offered by Roncero in his Workshop are unique, and all of this in a space designed and built based on criteria of Emotional Engineering, Desgin For All and Integral Sustainability. Undoubtedly, the icing on the cake of the leisure offer of a unique space in Madrid.
