Was with a "guided" tour and had to stay in the Plaza. Three separate times, three separate disappointments. The entrance hall looks very nice but ...this is it! Room 463: a very noisy coffin, next time 5th floor noisy, extremely hard bed (2" on wood). 3rd time so bad for smell of mildew I had to open the window and got eaten alive by mosquitoes. The price of the rooms for what you get is pure robbery .The front desk employees were very short tempered and the web room is so slow we sent 2 short messages in 30 minutes ($10)...trust me, go 3 blocks down to the Parkview and pay ½ price, or better Casa Maura, 4 blocks down, and be happy and safe for a quarter of the price.

The Hotel Plaza is in a great location for visiting Havana, that is all you can say about this shabby, run down place. Since tourism is so important to the economy and Havana is a third world country it is unfair to compare with other vacation spots. That being said, it is government run and there really needs to be some accountability. The hotel is packed with tourists. We stayed in 5 different rooms, all pretty bad, Room 1: we asked for a quiet room. Got the front facing a busy intersection. Room 2: no hot water for 3 days, a plumber promised, who showed up once, left and never returned. Rm 3: Hot water (yea!), N0 TV and towels that smelled so bad, they were unusable. Rm 4, (we had to return to this place after 3 days in the country side) I knew there would be a problem so I spoke with a very pleasant man, name "Fred". He wrote down all of my previous experiences with the hotel and promised a clean, quiet room with a shower when we returned. At least he was pleasant but the room was so noisy, we were up all night and there was no water at all (Havana had the problem, not the hotel's fault). Changed to Rm 5 (they have a list of people who want room changes), broken shower head, broken toilet and that horrid mold on the bathroom ceiling and walls (this was true in every room). And lastly: get to the brakfast room on the 5th floor by 7 AM or you will be running after people to refill coffee and juice machines. The guy making the omlets, however, was great and should be acknowledged for being a good employee in this state run monstrosity with tremendous problems.
Now after all that, my solution, take away 3 stars and no one will be disappointed.

Havana is a delightful, colorful city and even the Plaza could not detract from the overall positive feeling we have for the country and the people. Our trip was to learn about the cultural of Cuba and we did. We would return and stay at another hotel in the area. There are many more places to choose from. This is obviously "El Cheapo." .

Wonderful location, rooftop dining, and lovely lobby merit this place two stars instead of one. We stayed in two rooms, and both were horrible: #1 was large (close to 20' ceilings!) and quiet (a serious plus at night) - but on an airshaft, so dark (fine) and really intensely musty. Not pleasant to breathe. Second room had, as we found in all but the very best hotels of Cuba, pretty much broken shower and toilet. The air was breathable, but the on-the-street location meant our room was part of the party at night, sonically speaking.

Strongest recommendation: stay at casas particulares instead of hotels in Cuba. They're cheaper, cleaner, in better repair, more personal.

The only positive thing about this hotel is the location. That's all. It's perfect hub to explore Havana (Old, Central and Vedado).

When I entered the lobby, I was quite impressed with the old fashioned architecture. But the downfall started from the receptionist who were not so helpful. Their english were poor considering their bragging about international status of their hotel. And don't make me start with the room. Water leakage in the bathroom from the roof, awful bed and sheets, noisy fridge, dirty floors. The breakfast was awful but at least you could have breakfast on the roof which offers nice view of Havana.

Stay away from this hotel and try to find good room in one of the casa particulares nearby.