Our appreciation of Dolores Alba started with the very helpful advice and assistance offered by Mary, one of the staff, prior to our visit to the Yucatan. We were impressed by the way in which she went out of her way to help us get to Merida from Cancun Airport. Our stay was comfortable, although the breakfast was not up to our expectations - it was the same each day and not all that appetizing. The hotel is quite close to the central square and to the fascinating market area. There is a great pool area and all the rooms in the new building have one way window glass and look out onto the pool area. For the price we paid, it was excellent value.

We visited Merida with a tour group and stayed at this hotel. The rooms are ok, but the beds are very hard. They were just a mattress on a cement pad, not a box spring. We had a little salamander in our shower which was really kind of cute. The air conditioner was hard to figure out and we never did get it right. The included breakfast in the morning is TERRIBLE. Do not eat it. You are better of venturing into town to find something. Overall I would say it was ok, but you can probably find better at the same price.

We arrived quite late at the hotel (recommended by a very friendly Mexican couple that took us from the station to the center).
We were curious to find out about the room and the price. The reception desk guy first told us that the price for a room was 450 Peso but he immediatly had to correct that to 550 peso by his boss while we were waiting. When checking the room, we noticed a smell of rotting wood. Apparently they wanted us to pay for a room that had water in the roof and the walls. They "forgot" to tell us about that (but only when I confronted them with it).
I said I wanted to see another room (which we took -we were realy tired-) but that was not much better: door could not be locked, elevator was broken, insects could easily enter the room, discothec near the hotel with the noise coming in at night ...
The next day I wanted to book an excusion (on the wall they announced the price of 300 Peso), but I needed to chech with my wife first. When I came back half an hour later, the price suddenly was announced 10 % higher. OK, "propina's" are expected in Mexico, but this was realy too much. Bad hotel service, people treating you as a walking wallet...
The Mexican's we met during our trip were all friendly and open, but the people who have to deal profesionaly with tourists in Merida (the onces we met) were only interested in getting as much money out of you without any shame. It's a pity that the capital of Yucatan is making such a mistake. Be prepared for Merida and do not go to hotel Dolores Alba

I just spent a week in Merida (we added on a couple days when we found there was so much to do in the area) and loved every minute of my stay at Dolores Alba. There is wifi in the lobby area, which is a nice place to sit and enjoy the night surrounded by Frida Khalo prints.
You can bring in your own beer or buy from the front desk at a fair price. The pool was a decent size, but pretty shallow (3-4.5 ft) the whole way through. We stayed in the newer rooms and had none of the problems mentioned in other reviews. (leaks, bugs, etc.) The hotel was in a constant state of being cleaned. There is a 24 hr. laundry room onsite.
The staff went above and beyond to help with any and all questions about the city and places to eat. I joined their tour to Uxmal and enjoyed it.
I was traveling with my 8 yr old daughter and loved that this hotel was close enough to the city center that we could wander out at night and feel safe. (We were usually home around 10:30)