It is 10 minutes walk far from the center, but staff was not very helpful. Our room was small, old forniture and not so clean. So it was the bathroom. <But For one single night it worked.

Stayed here for 3 nights - a good location, 5 mins from the handycraft market and museum, and 10 mins from the souk. Terribly overpriced for the standard of rooms, though.

Good camera shop nearby and a couple of ATMs too. If you get a cab here, ask for Hijaz ; this is the old station very close by. All cabs know where Hijaz is.

Stayed here twice in June, as launch and return point for exploring the country. Was my first visit to Syria but my husband comes every summer to work with a dig, and this is where they always stay. Is the choice for many international dig teams apparently. Although the price just went up, as all prices in Syria seem to have, it is still considered good value for the money. It is true that the rooms are very basic and the showers are not sparkling clean. Despite its basic nature, we had no trouble sleeping in the beds and the AC works fine. What you do get is trustworthy and reliable service. Not sure why one poster had a problem with desk staff but we find them to be pleasant, are fluent in English, and give good service. They negotiated a good rate with a driver to the airport, found us an incredibly good local rental car service to use, and were in general kind and helpful. When we came in late one night with a carry out dinner, they welcomed us into the (closed) dining area and brought us plates and napkins. The location is about a block away from the artisan souk in one direction and the old train station in the other, near the old city.
Taxi drivers do not seem to know the place, but if you tell them Hejaz Square, where the old train station is, they all know how to find that. When we were taking a cab from the Sultan, the staff wrote the destination in arabic to give the driver, very helpful as many of the taxis speak no english.
Like everything else in Syria, even the rental car, expect to pay in cash. There is a nice bank with an atm around the corner across from the railway station.

I have stayed in this hotel more than c6 times and find its qualities improving each time: friendlyness and competence of the staff, good human simplicity, practical helpfullness about almost everything - from ticket confirmation to getting a good car+driver etc - Of course, if you keep coming to such a place, you become a friend...