Explanation of room designation

I see that in Spain (and rest of Europe, I assume) they designate their rooms as single, double, tripple, quadruple. How does this translate to the US standards? We are a couple staying in Madrid in Feb. ad we do not want to end up in a room with one twin bed for example. Your help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

a room with a twin bed would most likely be denominated "cama de matrimonio".

If English isn't spoken at the hotel that you are enquiring about, ask for "dos camas individuales", which is particularly common especially in the hostal range.

Berzabuena writes: NOT!
A cama de matrimonio is a full size (double) bed. But they tend to be smaller than in the U.S. so you might be more comfortable with a 'twin double' (una habitación con dos camas) or a 'double double' (two double beds). Queen-size beds are very rare in Spain.

Most Madrid hotels (3-star or above) will have twin-doubles and double-doubles available.

Haven't lived in the states for a while, bit let's see here. A twin, in American parlance, is one down from a Queen, right? That would make it more or less equivalent to a "cama de matrimonio", which is a bed 135 cm wide and the most common. The next size up, which is the biggest you can get in Spain without going to IKEA or special ordering it, is a 150. So, where did I make the mistake?

In the US, one down from a queen is a double. One down from a double is a twin. A twin is definitely a one-person bed. A cama matrimonio in Spain is a bit bigger than a double and a bit smaller than a queen. Queen size sheets will fit a cama matrimonio loosely, but double sheets are too small. (I always bought US sheets for my Spanish beds!)

A single room will have one roughly twin-sized bed. A double usually has two of these beds, but sometimes has a matrimonio sized bed, so it's best to ask if you have a preference.

I guess you're right! But "twin" being a single bed, what a misnomer!

It's true. For US United Statesens, accustomed to double, queen, or king sized beds in hotels, (and often sleeping with our mates in same) there's something quite disappointing checking into a 4-star hotel and encountering two twin-beds pushed side-by-side. Some of the "togetherness" is suddenly taken away. But that's the way it is in Spain. "Camas Matrimonios" are usually only found in a few rooms of any given establishment so they're hard to come by. When I went to Granada last month and hoping to have a "romantic weekend" with a king-size bed, they told me there was no guarantee they could accommodate me. Imagine planning such a "romantic weekend" and walking in the room to find two twin beds! Hmmmph!

Saludos, MadridMan

I'm curious about the exact size of queen / king sized beds in the US. Two "Spanish" twin beds pushed together are 1,80 meters wide. Are queen / king beds even wider than that?

Antonio writes: A King size bed is the same as 2-twins pushed together: The box-spring on which the king-size mattress rests often consists of two twin-bed box springs. The U.S. twin size are a little bigger (39" or 1.0m) so the U.S. King size is just about 2.0m. A U.S. Queen-size mattress is 61" wide (1.55m). I just measured a Queen-size mattress in a bedroom in my house. As with everything else, sizes may vary slightly depending on Manufacturer.

The twin beds in Europe are much smaller in width than in the U.S.

Spanish twin bed: 0.90 m
US twin bed: 1.00 m

Spanish "two twin beds": 1.80 m
US king-size bed: 2.00 m

A Spanish "habitación doble" usually means two twin beds. You will find them separetely in hostals and pushed together in hotels.

Spanish "cama de matrimonio" (before): 1.35 m
Spanish "cama de matrimonio" (now): 1.50 m
US queen bed: 1.55 m

Note that the "new" size of Spanish "cama de matrimonio" is quite common at private homes, but not at hostals, mainly for the lack of space. Therefore, if you book a room with "cama de matrimonio" you'll likely to get a 1.35 m wide bed.

Not sure if the OP received their answer, but when making reservations it is best to ask for a double. If you get the confirmation for a "double" or "cama matrimonial" then you will be fine. However, the combination may vary by establishment. We were always surprised. Sometimes we ended up with 2 twin beds pushed together (not the best for romance), and other times it was something akin to a full size bed in the US - but seemed just a tad smaller. A couple of times we were pleasantly surprised and ended up with a king size! These were in the Paradores (except for Parador de Cazorla), which makes them another "go for it" in my book!

Just be certain to be clear that there will be 2 people and that you request a double room, and you should be okay.