I spent a few days in Mexico City before joining a cross country trip with a tour group. Since I was a single girl traveling by myself with limited Spanish, I decided to stay at a chain hotel close to the Zocalo to reduce logistic and language headaches. I got a room with a window facing the Zocalo and Cathedral Metropolitana. The room was minimalistic and spacious and the desk provided plenty of work space and storage. Bathroom was clean and provided bottled water and bathrobes. On the night of October 27 it was a religious holiday so there was plenty noise on the streets and fireworks launched til the crack of dawn. Not the hotel's fault of course. The hotel staff were very courteous, their level of English proficiency varied from one individual to another but overall, their comprehension is sufficient to meet usual travelers' needs. I liked the fact that there was a cafe on site with drinks and sandwiches for a decent price although you can easily walk down the street to get hot sandwiches in the little shops for a bit less. The only issue I had with the property was that the internet stations provided in the lobby did not always work and if it did, it was slower than glacier movement.

Tip: if you know the city, you may want to hail a cab further away from the hotel and negotiate a price with the cab driver. The taxis at the door do cost a bit more (posted prices) but are safe.

It's a really nice hotel, with a restaurant on the roof wich includes an amazing view to "el zocalo", eventhough the rooms are small, the beds are comfortable and the bathroom is big. What I most liked about this hotel was the restaurant with a delicious mexican food buffet they served every morning. I dined there all the nights of my trip and I really enjoyed it. Probably because it is located on the center of Mexico it is kind of noisy, so if you need silence to relax you could think about this twice :)

The location is outstanding. You can see the Zocalo, the big mexican flag, the Cathedral and Palacio Nacional. It is a wonderful spot but service needs to be improved. Waiters are really slow and I guess they rely on the place being so turistic that they do not make an extra effort. Strange in Mexico to see waiters that are not truly commited to serve you the best.

Location is not always the most important thing to consider when you choose a hotel. This hotel has the best location if your visit is for pleasure. However it's also chosen by wedding planners that will not let you sleep either because of the noisy orchesta at the top restaurant or the noisy doors slamming at 3, 4 or 5 am, or the crew dragging chairs and tables at 2am over your ceiling.

The Cinco de Mayo stret is noisy, a lot of police car run noisily with their sirens at any time.

Pros:
- great location, the top restaurant has great views over the Zocalo.
- ATM by the lobby.
- clean, wifi, parking (don't use a car if not necessary!!)

Cons:
- noisy, noisy, noisy.
- small rooms (I'm an European and I know what "small" room means...)
- the buffet is not very variated though the quality is high. The servers are not consistent in their service: you always see groups of 3-4 servers chatting while you're waiting for your coffee refill, or just trying to make eye-contact with them. Some servers are rude.
- Not nice when yoy leave the building in the morning and find 8-10 policemen in the lobby highly armed.

I'm a Holiday Inn customer and I've been in their hotels worldwide. I will not come back to this one even when this location is good. The public transport is not expensive and it's worth to grab a room at Paseo de la Reforma or Polanco.