please remember you are in a different country with a different culture, recommend that you sit in a cafe near the capitol and enjoy watching all the old cars, they are every where in the country. hotel was 8 out of 10 staff could not do enough for us. bed was clean, sheets were clean and we dined in upstairs dining room 9th floor . there is a lot of poverty here but there is poverty everywhere, only drawback and it is very little is that people do not seem to put the price on items and once you look at what you want to buy they then tell you the price, people are friendly, but also do not let yourself get taken into unsafe situations, we drank in local bars and everyone was nice

Remember you're in Cuba and make allowances.
There are lots of excellent things about this hotel - lunch by the pool, breakfast if it's not been too busy, access to the old town, music in the bar, the guys who store the luggage etc.
We stayed here at the beginning and end of an organised tour. Rooms on the South side such as 210 etc are to be avoided. They have a view onto a wall, the water when available is cold, the sinks don't drain and we had an army of ants - not great. Then the lifts - well just be very patient or use the stairs.
On the other hand, rooms such as 523 have a reasonable view with a bit of the sea, better water flow, hot water and more TV channels.
Dinner in the rooftop restaurant could be wonderful. The views, the music, the setting. Perhaps we were just unlucky that the service was remarkably slow and the food was not worth the price.
So, your experience can depend totally on your room choice.
Not for the impatient or intolerant I think, but I don't know what other hotels in Havana are like.

The hotel is located in the centre of old Havana in a great location.

The lobby nice with live music being played during the evening and sometimes during the day.

The rooms are spacious and although a little shabby they are clean. A problem with the lighting in my room was sorted out quickly without any expectations of a tip. The views are wonderful from the room we stayed in. A good view as the sun sets, you can see the Malceon and the Capitol and in the very far distance the Nacional (but only just). This will depend of course on your floor and the room you are in.

Breakfast was good with fresh omelettes being made to order and varied continental selection.

The pool was nice to refresh from the hot days and long walks in around Havana.

The lifts are very slow so be prepared to wait if you don’t want to use the stairs. They do appear to be adding some extra lifts though so that may change. The staff are only to happy for the guests enter the lift before them and will ask you to go first.

One tip for those people who complain about food and lack of choice....do some research about your destination before you go! There are food shortages hence Cubans queue for rations! Previous complaints of fatty bacon at breakfast show a lack of understanding of Cuba. Adjust your standards to your location.

Havana is a wonderful city, lots of music and rhythm. Walking around at night felt safe and comfortable, I wish I had spent more time in this city.

The hotel should have two ratings. the lobby and ground floor areas justify a four star rating and even if you are not staying here it is worth popping in for a drink. The restaurant on the ninth floor is AMAZING - it is worthy of a five star rating in terms of service, decor, views, history and the fantastic food - the prices may seem expensive by Cuban standards but are cheap when compared to similar in Europe (we had a fantastic three course meal, with three bottles of wine and a cocktail for 113 CUC) The rooms let this hotel down - DO NOT accept a room on the first floor as they are noisy with no view. Our room, on the fifth floor (which we got after complaining) was adequate but nothing special - the air conditioning was very weak and the shower's wall attachment was broken. Breakfasts were good with plenty of choice. It was in a good location for both old and central Havana. When we were there they were replacing two of the lifts which should allieviate problems mentioned in other reviews. Overall we enjoyed our stay in this hotel,