Hotels in Madrid centrally located

Hotel Europa is very central, great location. Our room balcony was over the Puerto del Sol. I was amazed how well the doors kept out the noise from the square at night.

We like Hotel Europa and use it every time in Madrid -- I think three or maybe four times. Very convenient via train or taxi. We like the balcony rooms but they can be a little noisy. The rooms in back are absolutely dead quiet. The hotel has been remodeled and has both old and new rooms.

We too have a reservation at hotel Europa in October. We’ve stayed at it a couple times and like the location. As already stated, it was remodeled sometime after 2015 and it was expanding in 2017. There is a chain of hotels “Petit Palace” throughout the city. We stayed at one by the Plaza Mayor “Petit Palace Posada Del Peine” last September. The included buffet breakfast was very nice. The room was somewhat small, but fine for the one night we were there. The historic center is easy to reach, so consider a hotel close to whichever train station you’re departing from.

In as much as you will be taking the train from Madrid to Barcelona (Atocha station to Sants station), I presume you would like a Madrid location near the Atocha station. I have stayed at the AC Carlton Hotel - an easy five minute walk to the Atocha station. It is not as "nice" as the aforementioned Europa hotel, but it is much closer to the Atocha station (and about half the price). The AC Carlton is listed as a four star hotel.

Like Blue above, I also prefer the business hotels close to the train station along Atocha, on the right side of the street as you face up/north -- especially if you join their traveler programs (AC is now part of Marriott, several others along the way are in other European chains like TRYP). Puerta del Sol is still a pleasant walk away, and you have easier access to the less over-polished areas too, like Lavapies and the university environs.
Do check out real bakeries and shops like Casa de Miel. Do not be drawn in by the 'museos' of jamon or other cliche tourist traps.
For the student vibe check out La Casa Encendida and immediate vicinity/vecino.

Cheryl, you should know the name of your Madrid hotel almost as soon as you sign up for the tour. First and last hotels generally are revealed pretty quickly, so folks can make their arrangements.

When we did the Barcelona/Madrid tour, our Madrid RS hotel was the Hotel Opera. It was nice, but rather pricey. After the tour my husband and I moved to the Hostal Adriano, which was considerable cheaper (less than half the price.) And later, after a side trip to Granada, we ended our Madrid stay at the Hostal Acapulco. I can't find the email with our price in it, but I believe it was comparable to the Adriano, and was in a nicer (but less convenient) neighborhood.

Please know that a "hostal" in Spain is not the same as a hostel; it's usually just a less expensive hotel, perhaps with fewer amenities. We enjoyed all the hostales we frequented in Spain.

That's a great tour, I took it last year. We stayed at the Europa, which was indeed nice and very convenient, but too far to walk from Atocha with luggage. (Not too far without luggage though.) After the tour I returned to Madrid and stayed at the Moderno, also on Puerto del Sol, which was fine too. I'd put the Europa ahead of Moderno based on the sizes of my single rooms, but otherwise comparable and they both have a variety of room types. Noise wasn't an issue at either, but I wasn't facing the street.

Another vote for Hotel Europa. As mentioned up thread the balcony room facing Puerta Del Sol was excellent. The hotel is centrally located and an easy walk to sights & restaurants. It was perfect to enjoy the entertainment & vibe of Madrid.

2 weeks ago this is the super cute hotel we were staying at with the BAM (Best of Madrid and Spain) tour. It appeared to be very centrally located to "downtown" spots. The bed was super comfortable until my phone started dinging at 2:15 in the morning with my kids telling me to get home. I was on a flight 4 hours and 35 minutes later.
https://www.h10hotels.com/en/madrid-hotels/h10-villa-de-la-reina

Hotel Europa, stayed there last May. We would stay there again.

On our trip to Madrid last year, we stayed at Intur Palacio San Martin:

https://www.intur.com/en/palacio-san-martin-madrid-hotel/
The metro was right around the corner and close to Puerta del Sol. I liked it because it has been remodeled and is very close to the metro (and Starbucks, yes, I said it....)
From their website:
The hotel is located in the old quarter of the city, 300 metres from the Puerta del Sol, a stone's throw from the important museums and sights, close to the main leisure areas and near the Callao metro station.

Emperador ------

Fellow travelers——Thanks so much for the many Madrid hotel suggestions. Looking forward to a stay at one or two of them.

I hope this trip happens for you, but I wouldn't make any non-refundable plans.

I want to add Hotel Principal, wonderful location near Retiro Park and the art museums.

We stayed at a very affordable medium sized hotel in Madrid called the Emperador. At a great location. It was several years ago, not sure if it is still a good place.

We stayed at the Hotel Cortezo, very near Puerta Del Sol. It was easy walking to most landmarks - a bit of a walk to the museums, but not a terrible walk. Room was nice. I think it was less than 100 a night. Very pleased with it.