During our tour of Peru, we stayed in hotel Centenario on two occasions. The hotel provides a good value and you get exactly what you pay for. As with other reviews, it could get a little chilly in the room due to the lack of in-room heater. In addition, hot water was not always available either. While definitely not in the historic center of Cusco, it is just a walk away from it.
However, the main reason I would recommend this hotel to anybody, is because of its great staff. Everyone we ever encountered there (from front desk personnel to kitchen staff) was extremely polite and ready to help, even with the quite of language barrier we had. I was especially thankful to Julio (front desk), who literally went above and beyond his duties and provided the kind of service you expect at establishments with much greater number of stars on its plaque. Since he has a great command of the English language, Julio's help proved literally invaluable for us. We were not the only beneficiaries of his dedication, as we bumped into him at the airport, where he went to deliver a laptop forgotten by one of the hotel's guests.

I stayed at the Hostal Centenario with a group of 40 teachers and students as part of our tour. We were there for 5 days. It was our favorite hotel while on the tour. The staff was very friendly and helpful to the entire group. They had a lot of patience with my Spanish students and were accomodating to our requests. The rooms are spacious and very clean. We had breakfast and dinner with our package and it was delicious. They had rolls, cheese, eggs, cereal, yogurt, and fresh fruit for breakfast daily. The hotel is located about 10-15 minutes from the Plaza de Armas and is about 5 minutes from the main street in Cusco....great location!
Thank you Hostal Centenario!

We spent a couple of nights at Hostal Centenario either side of a of walking the Lares Trek. The triple room we were given was spotless with plenty of space to spread out and organise your kit. Bathroom was clean and no issues with hot water. Although the room overlooks a 'sports complex' to the rear, we personally didn't find the noise intrusive.

Breakfast was perfectly decent and always well stocked with fresh bread, cheese etc. The guys on the front desk are incredibly friendly and will help with any enquiries including booking bus tickets. The Hostal itself is about ten minutes walk from the main square and has a supermarket, laundrette and internet cafe all just a stones throw away.

Obviously the Hostal Centenario has improved since most of these reviews were written. I stayed in 6 different hostals while in Peru and the Centenario was my favorite. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and they have TVs. The breakfast was the most elaborate of the hostals I said in. The only downside I can find is that the carpets could use cleaning, but they weren't that bad. Above all, the staff was incredibly helpful. My husband was injured during our trip and the staff went above and beyond to make sure he was doing ok in his room and it really helped me out. I will not forget the kindness of the staff at Hostal Centenario!