We just got back yesterday from Buenos Aires. We kind of dragged our feet in getting hotel reservations in BA and were left with very little to choose from when we finally got our act together. I read one of the local experts (in the forum) talk about the Esplendor opening in Palermo and took a chance. The website looked good and the rate (200/night) seemed fair so we booked. We were worried when we drove up to the hotel after a long flight from San Francisco. The neighborhood (Palermo Soho) is a little rough - lots of graffiti and crumbling sidewalks. The hotel is basically a renovated apartment building that they painted and tried to make a "design hotel." It is fine but nothing special. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, there is no common space (bar/restaurant) and there is only one elevator that regularly gets stuck between floors (scary). The room itself was nice - good bedding and huge bed. The bathroom was small and not super clean. I hate to say it but I was disappointed and tried diligently to find another hotel but was out of luck since every BA hotel was booked (we tried the Bobo, Home, Malabia House, Vain in Palermo and Loi Suites and a bunch of the other more business type hotels in El Centro and Recoleta). BA is crazy busy - get your reservations early!! We had some friends with kids that were scheduled to join us later in the week and we actually instructed them to cancel and find another hotel. Palermo is not a place for kids. They ended up in the Palacio Duhau (a Hyatt property in Recoleta) and it was gorgeous. It was first class and they were happy with their choice. The staff at Esplendor were very nice and they actually worked with us to reduce our room rate after we voiced our concerns. BTW - most hotels will give you a 10% discount for paying in cash but Esplendor is a chain so was not able to do that. We met another couple during our travels and they really liked BoBo (across the street). The room was less expensive and the building is beautiful and offers a restaurant. Also, a woman from Manhattan said she was able to rent an apartment from one of the Palermo hotels that was booked...I guess if you try to get a reservation and the facility is booked, ask if they have apartments to rent. All in all, our experience at the Esplendor was mediocre -we wished that we had stayed in Recoleta - which is much safer and beautiful. We heard many, many stories about people being robbed - including a nice gal from SF who was robbed at gunpoint and had her watch stolen in Palermo. Her back is still hurting after 3 months (She and her husband are living in BA for a year). I had my camera stolen yesterday - after 2 weeks of being super careful I got in a cab to go to the airport and put my personal bag in the trunk. I guess the cab driver had an extra minute to unzip my bag while we fumbled with our money to pay him. Be Careful!!! I have traveled a lot and was very careful up to that last cab trip and now have no photos of the trip. I wished I had taken my memory card out and put it in my money belt - do that if you can - it may seem silly but you'll be happy when you go home and still have your pictures. Very disappointing. BA was not my favorite city - very big and busy - I really recommend Iguazu Falls (Panoramic Hotel was awesome) and Mendoza (Club Tapiz! Great).