The entrance and overall general appearance of the hotel is special - kind of like a boutique hotel with authentic history - and every member of staff that I spoke with was friendly, personable, enthusiastic and professional.
However, the room, which was styled in what I imagine to be an attempt at shabby chic only managed to get the first 1/2 of that description correct. Although the very high ceiling gave it an airy feel (and the room itself was spacious) it was rundown and seemed uncared for. Just some of the problems were:
Rusting metal in the bathroom; hair in the sink; a foot-pedal bin whose lids had broken off; a light fitting on the wall that was loose; flies, mosquitos and ants (I went out and bought bug spray); and what must have been the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept on (it felt like it was just a box-spring but without the mattress!). The air-conditioner made so much noise I had to keep it turned off, meaning the room was too hot.
These are not staff issues; these things tell me that housekeeping/maintenance managers are not paying attention. There simply cannot be that much wrong with one room to suggest otherwise.
The room itself (room 106) does not benefit from being located well (admittedly, nothing can really be done about its physical location!), but for future guests, it is worth knowing that it is immediately opposite the elevators and its window looks onto the courtyard pool so the amount of ambient noise was intrusive.