Lonely Planet Review

Like the area, this hotel is in transition. Construction of the HSBC building next door has robbed the once-formidable tower of views of its eponymous monument. But rather than brood about it, the hotel is busy jazzing up its facilities.

The ongoing image makeover is proceeding from the top down, with the ho-hum wicker motif (still in evidence on the lower floors) being replaced by Pomo furniture and fixtures in the uppermost units. Rooms above the 7th floor now sport landscape murals behind bubbly scrims, black leather headboards, flat-screen TVs and exercise balls for fitness-minded execs. Despite the trendy makeover, service is still decidedly old school, with bellmen in starched blue suits leaping to your every request. And you can still catch a bird's-eye glimpse of the gilded 'angel' of independence from the 11th-floor restaurant. If you're planning to travel north or west of the capital, stop by the Primera Plus module in the lobby; the deluxe bus line serves Morelia, Guadalajara and many other destinations.