first of all this should not be called a hotel, my room was nothing more than a hostel room, a pretty poor hostel room at that. first of all, i booked a double room, but was given a twin room, with two very slim single beds that couldnt be pushed together. the pictures of the hotel did not correspond with the real thing, the decor was dull n the room certainly was not comfortable. the weather in hamburg was exceptionally good so the room was hot and i could not keep the window open as the sound from the station and road was too noisy...

the positives....

excellent location, a walk from the elbe, 2 stops from the reeperbahm
n, st pauli and feldstrasse and the sternschanze and 10 minutes by s-bahn to the hauptbahnhof...the altona area is a pretty nice area as well with plenty of shopping and food options...check out Bok, near the station, really cheap food and huge portions...i recommend the duck

As other reviewers have said, you check in next door at the Best Western, and they then buzz you in to the hotel, which is all absolutely fine. It was up a lot of steps (our room was at the top!), which was tiring, but nothing too strenuous for anyone who's in decent enough shape.

Rooms themselves were quite small and basic, but perfectly adequate. Beds were comfortable but came with terrible thin pillows (even by German standards!). I had to sleep with a towel under the pillow to gain some height.
Bathroom wasn't great, small and a little dated, and the shower is difficult to use without flooding the entire floor as the power of the stream just pushes the curtain out into the room.
Hotel overlooks the train station, but there was no noise from that. Location was great, as it was just two minutes walk down to said station, for mainline and U-bahn and S-bahn trains. Plenty of shops and restaurants nearby too, and it's not far by public transport into the main centre.
There was theoretically free wireless in the hotel, but I couldn't make it work despite following all instructions, and desk staff at the Best Western were unhelpful in this regard.

Overall, recommended, but only if you can get it at a decent price.

4 of us stayed in 2 double rooms for 2 nights and it cost approx £80 per couple for the whole stay so I wasn't expecting anything special. It was an absolute bargain as far as I am concerned. You book in next door at the Best Western and they buzz you in and leave you to it. The room was beautifully clean and nicely decorated with TV, phone, Bath/Shower, wardrobe and twin beds pushed together. The rooms aren't huge but we just wanted a place to get our heads down and I've stayed in much smaller places, the beds were comfy with perfectly clean, warm bedding and there was plenty of hot water (in fact a bit too warm if your not careful).
I would warn anyone with mobility problems that the bath/shower in both our rooms were really high sided and could be difficult to get in and out of. Also, as we requested non-smoking double rooms ours was on the top floor (3 or 4 flights of stairs) with our friends just below us and there is no lift. No problem for us but probably for some.
The Hotel is located in Altona a very short walk from the Metro station, which is approx 7 metro stops from Central Hamburg. Altona is apparently one of the poorer areas of Hamburg and we did notice several homeless people in the mornings but we had absolutetly no problems at all and for us it was an ideal location where we could jump on the metro in a matter of minutes and be in the Reeperbahn, St Pauli or Central Hamburg.
We had a great break and would recommend the Central Hotel and Hamburg without hesitation.

I went to hamburg in december with my partner, found this budget hotel in Altona hamburg.To tell you the truth it was the cheapest in hamburg and we were on a budget. Stayed at hotel central for 2 nights and with hamburg being extremely cold even more so than London the room just refused to get warm. I was cold to a point where i could not sleep after being out all night on the reeperbahn (not as seedy as previous reviews said, the redlight district in amsterdam is more seedy) enjoying the city. When we arrived at the hotel yes!! you have to pick the key up next door at the best western rafael but it was fine had no problems there. The room is small but fine if you are on a budget.
I asked for the non smoking room and to warn you it is on the 4th floor, last floor up with no lift so my boyfriend and i had to carry our luggage up the flight of stairs, not a great experience. However the room apart from being cold which my boyfriend didn't mind as much as i did, it was extremely clean bathroom, towels and bed sheets so i was happy in that respect.
Hamburg is a great city to visit it was my first time and i love it and would go back oh the christmas markets and the hot wine!! Public transport is much easier than in berlin to get used to only 2 stops to the reeperbahn and the fishmarket which you have to visit if you are in hamburg on a sunday morning and go early. I had the most amazing time at the fishmarket drinking beer before 12.
The best selling point for the hotel is the location right next to the train station Altona with lots of fastfood restaurants around with a big shopping mall. Do not forget to try 'BOK' the chinese/korean restaurant next to burger king the food is the best noodles and rice i vegetables i have tasted at a chinese restaurant. Try the sweet and sour fish great!!!!