We stayed for five nights at Lhasa Hotel. We found it confortable and handy, maybe somewhat away from the action - but very conveniently linked to it by the endless stream of taxis and rickshaws. The hotel room was spacious and clean, the bathroom had 24 hrs hot water, and the staff was helpful once you had found one that could speak english. Breakfasts had ample options, with all the amenities usually found in comparable hotels in the West. We would rank the hotel one notch above a Western three-star. We strongly disagree with the terrible references given by other travellers. It is true that Lhasa Hotel doesnt compare with Western five-stars, but it is still the best accommodation we found in Lhasa. The only annoyance were the renovation works going on, but that should be temporary. For those who might have troubles adjusting to the altitude, the hotel shop sells oxygen bottles for 30 yuan each, (one can find cheaper bottles in pharmacies).
In sum, a very decent place, although maybe not fancy, where we would definitely stay again.

I stayed in the Lhasa Hotel twice in June. In the first stay, I was in the newest wing, which is numbered "1". The rooms were pretty nice and the bathroom was in good condition. I wondered where all those negative reviews, calling the hotel filthy and falling apart, came from. The room was pretty comfortable, but hardly a four-star hotel room. There is no air conditioning in the hotel, in spite of a thermostat which says "cool" on it, and the fan on the system did not work.
In the second stay, I stayed in the oldest wing, numbered "2." Then I understood where the negative reviews came from. The room was pretty shabby and the bathroom had mold on the grout.
The Lhasa Hotel calls itself a four-star hotel. I think at least a couple of those stars are self-awarded, but I doubt that Tibet has a standardized system for hotel classification, anyway. In both stays, I found the staff to be pretty responsive and friendly, and the breakfast is pretty good. I routinely asked for fresh towels after taking a shower in the afternoon, which came within 5 minutes.

Maybe in the summer and if there's not another hotel to stay at. terrible, the hotel is the worst i have ever stayed at and it's supposed to be the nicest in tibet. that's a scary thought. I have a feeling there are nicer places to stay. The rooms heater did not work, the bathroom was falling apart. the staff is terrible and the rest of the hotel is not heated, even the lobby felt like it was below freezing. the restaurant was nasty and the food even worse. we cut our trip short and got the heck out of there. i was going to upload some pictures but i don't think that's needed.... you all get my point.

Although this is supposed to be one of the nicest hotels in Lhasa, it is not a good place in almost every respect. Tibet itself is beautiful and fascinating, but if you have the choice, do not book at the Lhasa Hotel.

ROOMS: The rooms are spacious, but the one I stayed in was definitely dirty. For one thing, mold grew everywhere in the bathroom. Also, the carpet was stained and looked like it had not been vacuumed. Finally, there were crumbs of food on both a table AND the comforter. Yuck.

SERVICE: Awful. The guy at the front desk screamed (I am not exaggerating) at our tour guide, who asked him politely why our luggage had not been picked up to go back on our bus. The hotel manager lied and screamed that our luggage was not out by the agreed-upon time and that he'd walked up there himself. Major lie, since our luggage was out 15 minutes before that time. He then said, "If you don't like it here, don't stay here anymore!" Then he turned away and gave everyone in the lobby a look that said, "I dare you to come talk to me."

All of the wait staff at the main restaurant in the hotel act like they are doing a favor by serving you. Customer service in Tibet is many steps behind customer service in almost all other parts of Asia, including China.

Last story: we rented umbrellas, since the Tibetan sun is so strong. When we returned them, it took us 20 minutes to get our deposit back. There were plenty of staff standing around the reception desk, but none was the "cashier". I could normally understand this practice, but 20 minutes, while there were at least 4 other people standing there with nothing to do? Give me a break.

COMMON AREAS: All dark and dingy.