I went to Cuba last year and I'm going again in Sept 2012. tI upsets me how many comments of the staff are "rude".... The Cubans are not allowed to talk to tourists....it's a law! Perhaps you should understand the culture and rules before going off on the staff. We had ddrinks at this Hotel and in Sept I am looking forward to staying here! ANd it was one of the best dinners we had!

Probably the WORST hotel I’ve ever stayed at. Where should I start?

Service:
The people that were nice enough was the concierge-he told us where we should go and tips about security in city area etc, and the bar waitresses. The front desk and the cashier were extremely rude.

Room:
A blast from the past: everything looks old and outdated. I really questioned the cleanliness of everything, especially the mattress, pillows, and carpets (theres a big stain on the carpet in front of the bathroom). The toilet that doesn’t flush correctly, it was a big worry until we figure out how to flush it correctly: which includes jerking the flusher exactly 3 times in a row (less than 3 times and it will not flush things; more than 3 times and it will flood the bathroom).
Noisy, night and day. At night: it was the noise from upstairs, downstairs, piping from the next room. During the day (starting 8am), the housekeepers shouting and chatting to each other on the corridor.

Security:
After reading a lot of review of this hotel on tripadvisor, I was very cautious and asked for safe deposit box service from the hotel (which is about 3 USD per day). On the front desk they had mentioned that they will not care for lost/stolen items from our room should we choose not to use the safe deposit box. This was Cuba, and so I did. The next morning we woke up, had breakfast and went out. Went back to the hotel at 3.30pm to find our room still messy and had not been cleaned. Suddenly, without a single knock on the door, the housekeeper went inside the room. (Note that I did not put the “please clean up the room” sign on the door). She asked if we need our room cleaned, but I told her no, and dismissed her, she asked (blatantly begging) for tip, so I gave her some money. About half an hour later we got 2 phone calls to our room, both wrong numbers. When I picked up the phone, without asking who this was, the person on the line said ‘sorry’ and then hang up the phone. My only conclusion was that someone from the hotel (could be the housekeeper) was trying to find out if anyone is inside the room and tried to take things (this confirms with a number of complaints from other travellers on tripadvisor who had things stolen from their rooms).

I know this is a historical hotel, it has its own charm and worth visiting. Have a drink at the courtyard, its lovely, but must you go and stay here be extra careful with your valuables, and be ready for a motel-style accommodation, don’t expect the 5 stars as they proclaim themselves to be.

Hotel Nacional is like an old, elegant woman. She has seen better days, but still exudes an air of sophistication. Its easy to see that Hotel Nacional is a piece of living history. Make sure to take one of the free tours to get a taste of it's unique flavor. Don't get upset if the hot water fades to cold occasionally, or if the food is not very spectacular. If your feeling like you should have stayed somewhere else, sit in the outdoor lounge, smoke a Cohiba, and have a nice drink. Or go to the second floor and check out the pictures of the glitterati who were regulars at the hotel. The place just oozes atmosphere, and is begging for capitalism to come back so that the place can undergo a first class renovation. In the meantime, go and enjoy the good things, and hope that the day will come when Hotel Nacional will return to splendor.

Stayed here for several nights on a recent trip. Found it to be old and the staff extremely cold and unhelpful. Felt like we were doing them a favor by being there. Buffet breakfast was quite good, but again the staff was very aloof. Courtyard setting for a drink overlooking the Malecon with excellent music made up for the treatment. Room was OK, bathroom left a lot to be desired - had to ask for towels and toilet tissue. They are living in the past and need to come into this century.