The Claridge Hotel is one of the most exemplary buildings of Brutalism in Spain. Built on 5,000 square meters, the monumental building combines large reception areas and dining rooms, hotel rooms, a swimming pool and many terraces with a spectacular view on the Alarcon reservoir. Only reinforced concrete was used for the construction. Special design features include the very nicely finished structure of the wood cladding in the exposed concrete, the staging of the concrete sections, the embrasure-like windows, and the shape of the building with its rounded corners. Because of these features, the design is consistently associated with Le Corbusier's sculptural béton brut.

In the 1970s and 1980s, this hotel was one of the busiest and best known in the area, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Abandoned and in bad condition. 

The Claridge Hotel building was once established in Cuenca to accommodate the numerous car commuters who traveled on the Nacional 3 between Madrid and Valencia. However, when the Autovía A-7 was inaugurated, the once bustling and touristy place in Alarcón was as if deserted and the hotel clientele stayed away. For years, the hotel's 36 rooms were still guarded. But at some point the interior was looted, from the tablecloths to the marble covering of a staircase. The former hotel building has not been used since the late 90s, is currently empty and up for sale. The residents of Cuenca have been trying for years to rehabilitate the building. So far without success.

The Claridge Hotel served as a backdrop for the movie A Perfect Day (2015) by Fernando León de Aranoa. In one scene, Tim Robbins and Vinicio del Toro, among other actors, walked through the chipped walls of the building (last updated on February 10, 2023).