After checking out other Madrid hotel reports on tripadvisor there seemed to be plenty of positive comments so I booked a Saturday and Sunday night. Like others have said this hotel certainly does punch above its three-star rating. I later spent a couple more nights at a five-star hotel (Palacio del Retiro) in the same AC brand and the Avda. de America being equally ritzy though obviously smaller genuinely did share all the upmarket style of the four-times more expensive establishment.

Good: Luxurious fake marble bathroom with bidet and all kinds of little packets containing razor, toothbrush, sponge, lotions, the works. Room decor very elegant with polished wood everywhere and classy illuminated wardrobe. Some nuisance from corridor door-slam but otherwise not noisy. Siemens aircon unit looked new and serviceable although I didn't need it in November, and nice bed (on the firm side) with spotless crisp white sheets. Free minibar, and free airport transfers (Monday thru Friday only so I didn't use that either.)

Bad: Not much actually but TV was all-Spanish apart from CNN and they wanted 5 Euros for an hour of wireless internet usage. The Spanish are tobacco enthusiasts and I specified a no-smoking room so was predictably banished to the back of the hotel with a fine view of the fire-escape. Room was slightly on the small side too. I didn't care about any of this apart from the internet stinginess but if TV is important to you then maybe consider elsewhere.

On arrival the front desk people were very friendly and helpful - I didn't have much contact with them otherwise but I saw none of the surly attitude mentioned earlier. I think the cause of this hotel's surprising value for money is the location - it is down a nondescript street in a residential (urban high-rise tenement) area which superficially appearing suitable neither for business nor tourism might put some people off. Personally I thought it was very charming having the constant contact with local families walking out with their children and so on. Also it's around five minutes easy walk to the huge transport hub that takes you anywhere in the city fast via their cheap clean safe Metro system.

I am not that easily satisfied but at 84 Euros +tax this hotel exceeded all my expectations. I think anyone who could find something wrong is probably the kind of person who would grumble about the free minibar not stocking their favourite brand or something.

This hotel is very good for 3 stars.

Reception advised us to take a twin room for our 3 night stay because they were bigger than the double rooms, but we found the double room to be of an acceptable size.

We found the reception staff to be polite and helpful. Their knowledge of English was good enough for the few times we needed any information.

The free mini bar in the bedroom, which contained beer, water and carbonated drinks, was a nice touch.

Our room had a modern, almost oriental design. The room was clean and the bed comfortable. The bathroom was also good.

The only English speaking channel on the TV was CNN which was disappointing. The hotel breakfast seemed expensive so we ate at one of the local cafes. We didn't eat dinner at the hotel as Madrid has lots of bars and restaurants.

The nearest metro station is about three minutes walk away. The Madrid metro system is pretty good and cheap. A ten journey ticket cost 6 euros.

The hotel provides a free shuttle service to and from the airport. We didn't know about this until we read about it in the hotel. Public transport to and from the airport costs only 1 euro per person but using the hotel shuttle does save carrying suitcases either to the bus stop or metro station.

We would use this hotel again.

AC Hotel Avenida de America is an excellent choice, though not in the center of the city.

I arrived there late (10:30 PM) and as often when booked with Expedia, they had no room reserved for me.
The employee at the reception then managed for me to have an access to my personal mailbox on Internet on his PC so that I could print out my Expedia reservation.
Then he could give me a room for the special Expedia fare (a low 85 € for this specific night).

Rooms are quite large, bathroom very convenient with a large set of "goodies" such as comb, toothbrush, razor, shoeshiner,...

The mattress is especially good as is the quilt.

There is a free minibar with sodas and water.

Yes, non-Spanish TV programs are vey limited : one English (CNN), one French (TV5), one German.

I did not take breakfast nor diner, so I can't talk about the food.

We were dubious about this hotel as not in the centre and a 3 star. But it turned out to be much better than expected.

We personally felt it to be a 4 star rather than a 3. We've stayed in some European 4 star hotels that are no where near as nice.

The rooms are large and nicely decorated. The bathroom and the shower especially is lovely and of 4 maybe 5 star standard.

It is out of town but it's only a couple of minutes walk from the tube and in total you can be where you want to be within 20 minutes and the tube is very cheap (compared to London).

Yes there are no real english channels so overseas business travellers will find that annoying but as a tourist we weren't really interested in the TV.

The breakfast is a bit overpriced for what you get especially as Madrid is overflowing with Cafe's. There is one around the corner that is priced for locals.

What we found very surprising is that no one really used the restaurant for dinner. The food was lovely and cheaper than the over priced/poor quality food that you get in the tourist areas. Also you get free tea/coffee/soft drinks/pastries all day and the lounge area is lovely and very comfortable.

We would stay there again if going to madrid.

PS some reviews say the staff are not helpful. Their English isn't great but they were helpful, especially with my Husbands constant need for a iron!