We stayed at the hotel for 3 nights in June 07. The hotel entrance is on a pedestrianised street and so the porter/taxi driver has to carry your suitcases a little of the way from round the corner but no big problem. We didn't tip as we hadn't exchanged our money at that point but there were no scowls or anything!
For money exchange, it couldn't get any better! There is a bank right opposite which opens till 8pm and opens weekends too. We took sterling notes (they accept £5 too in case you were wondering) and got the amazing exchange rate of approx 1.77 CUC to the £1. However, I'd advise that you take notes that are in good condition as we had a £10 note with a slight rip and it was not accepted. I'd also advise against using credit cards/debit cards for cash or purchases as Cuba will charge an 11-12% fee for this.
The hotel lobby and reception area are magnificant and give real character to the hotel. We were in Room 4 which was on the first floor and there wasn't a lift to this floor- another job for the porter!
The room was spacious and clean with 2 single, comfortable beds. There was a small balcony with a great view of the goings on outside on the street and a mini bar and TV. Mini bar quite cheap too 1.50 for canned drinks (approx 85p) and 2.50 for a 1.5L bottle of water (£1.40). There is a little kiosk across the road which sells drinks cheaper if you need it. No iron or ironing board provided (guess reception could provide though if needed). Safe was free of charge. The bathroom was fine with toiletries provided but only 1 large towel each (no seperate hand towels for the sink/bidet).
There were only 2 small problems with our room (which didn't bother us too much): 1) very dim lighting in both sleeping area and bathroom and 2) slight leaks from the air conditioning unit.
Street noise was fine for us- the location cannot be beaten.
The breakfast was more than adequate- breads (inc sweet dough balls), fruit, pastries, little meatballs, eggs, sausages, cheese and cakes. We also had dinner here on the first night and it was delicious if a little expensive (my lovely paella was 15 CUC). The bar was great too- did a full range of cocktails and was air conditioned, approx 2-3 CUC per cocktail (most bars in Havana charge around 3-4 CUC).
Everything is in walking distance, e.g. Havan Club Rum Museum, Famous Hemmingway bars (try a daquiri at El Floridita), Capitol Building, Habanos Tobacco Factory/Tour and The Museum of the Revolution- all highly recommended!
I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone.

I must say that we did not know what to expect especially in terms of accomodation, having read many different reports, when we arrived in Cuba. We stayed in this hotel for the duration of our 7 nights stay. It was a very good choice and would recommend it to anyone.

First of all the building itself is absolutely spectacular. The giant columns on the open foyer area are superb and provide a splendid backdrop if you want to chill out for a few hours. The price of drinks in the bar is cheap compared to most bars and hotels nearby.

Our doulbe room was spacious with an extremely high ceiling. The main thing was that it was clean as was the adjoining en-suite which was large in size. Safety Deposit boxes are supplied free of charge.

The breakfast was very good by Cuban standards although slightly mundane by others. There was a decent choice of fruit, breads, hot dishes (like pork bites, chicken nuggets, scrambled eggs etc) and sweet pastries to choose from.

For the more energetic there was live salsa dancing in the piano bar every night.

The staff was very kind and courteous throughout, and the tourist rep for the hotel was very informative.

Do not expect the western style luxuries you see and get used to around the world in Cuban hotels, if you can't live without them you should not go to Cuba in the first place.

This hotel is easily one of the top hotels in Havana, in a very central location of compact Habana Vieja and should not be missed.

Stayed at the hotel for 5 nights and must say, the location is excellent. I thought the breakfast was better than expected- but no imagination or variety from day to day. The building is beautiful, but with 5 burned out light bulbs in the room (I did make the effort to tell the staff and point them out to the guy who came to the room, in case there might be a language barrier), the room had a warm glow- not good for putting on makeup. no dead bolt on the door, which made this female traveler a little uneasy. The sheets were not changed daily, which is common in a properrty of this caliber, and the maid ignored our request for additional towels (only 1 per person per room). I guess my biggest gripe was the soviet-era bed with the springs jabbing my back- this is not a heavenly bed! All We paid rack rate for the property, so I don't know if I feel I got value. The property is tired. But I will say the front desk staff was wonderful, and the bellman and security made me very comfortable during my stay. Would I stay here again? I think so.

The location is great, but do not expect a standard of a room as you would somewhere else for the same price. The interior is quite ran down and it seems, that no maintenance is not considered important. Their is lack of service and the management seems to be doing just the minimal to keep the hotel functioning, no amenities are supplied, the towel service is minimal, and the credit card terminal is not functioning and the front desk people have not much interest in offering information services. But what to except from a system, where no initiative or personal effort is honored...Overall, this is the standard one has to accept in governmental managed hotels in Cuba..