I am a business traveler who attended a meeting at this hotel one month ago. While my experience was not spectacular (the hotel is stylish, but the rooms are designed more for style than for convenience), I was in the hotel for 2 nights, the food was good, and I had no major problems. On that basis, I selected this hotel for a small group booking of 8 rooms that included a longer stay for me.

The problems began with the reservations department. Upon arrival there were many errors with our bookings (no early check in for one, early check-in, and extra night's charges!, for others that were not requested; the room that needed 2 beds was not correct and accommodations had to be changed accordingly, etc...), all details that were addressed in advance and was recorded through many emails. The Reservations Dept. did not follow-through on our requests, making for an uncomfortable, exhausting check-in for a guest who had traveled 24 hours, a negative experience that was avoidable had there been attention to the detail that one has come to expect from a Sofitel property.

Other small, noticeable, details: the property bills itself as a premium property, but cost-cutting is obvious in standard room appointments business travelers come to expect: for example, both trips the bathrooms had 4-5 bottles of shampoo, but no lotion, the Executive Suite had no trash can in the living room, and the mini bar is shameful.

Yet the experience that led to this review is our experience of management's complete disregard for its guests. It is clear that the hotel does not care about the business traveler, and does not practice customer service to encourage repeat business.

With construction going on in the hotel, the hotel did not block out the rooms on top of the hammers and the drills. Rather, in a transparent effort to maximize billing and in complete disregard for the hotel guests, it sold the rooms directly on top of the construction. With a full hotel and no available rooms at check in (in spite of the request for early check in and the authorization for the additional night charge to guarantee that), the only room that was available, and for which we still had to wait more than 1.5 hours, was on top of the construction.

This was not disclosed by reception or management at the time of check-in. In fact, we didn't kow until it was time to get some important and precious sleep before our meetings began. At that point, moving was not an option: another room was still not available, we were unpacked, and there was not enough time in the schedule to wait for, and move to, another room, etc.

On Saturday, a day that one would expect there to be no construction, the construction ran non-stop from 0900 - 1315. When we complained to reception and begged them to stop (again, trying to catch up on the sleep we were unable to get the previous day), we were told that they would be finished at 1315 and that was that.

The sloppy, careless handling by the reservation department could have been forgiven. The decision by management and the maintenance department to prioritize their construction needs over their guests needs to rest is unconscionable. The hotel should have blocked out any affected room (and I booked an Executive Suite), or at the very least, advised the guests of the ongoing construction so as to give the guests another option.

If they treat their repeat business travelers who book a block of rooms like this, how will they treat their individual travelers?

In short, families and business guests should find another hotel. (The NH hotels are wonderful, cost-effective options with staffs who care about their guests --- the Sheraton, the Hyatt, the Alvear Palace, are all more pricey, but excellent options who practice customer service. )

Hotel Madero by Sofitel needs to focus on customer service, or bill itself differently.

While, we travel to BsAs frequently and we like the location of this hotel, due to the sloppy handling of our bookings combined with the greedy management style that shows total disregard to guests' comfort and abilities to rest, we most certainly will not be back.

This hotel is far away from the bustle of true BsAs. It's across the canal in the far reaches of the Puerto Madero section near the docks, the ecological park and the fancy new restaurants. You will always have to take a taxi to get to good shopping, good touring or more typical Bs.As. restaurants. It has the souless feeling of a new world and none of the heart and history of BsAs. The decor is white, hard edged with modern techno music that borders on skin crawling. There are two Internet terminals right near the reception, but they are always busy with someone. There are no time limits and so they are inaccessible. There is no introduction to the hotel by the staff or by a brochure. When I called down to reception to inquire, they acted as if I should know. If I didn't explore on my own, I wouldn't have discovered an art gallery, the gym, the open roof swimming pool or the sauna. We were on the second floor facing a construction project. The area is still in development. We ate dinner at Red with some Bs.As. friends and it was okay, but not worth the money. The breakfast scene is fine, with a good variety of foods and helpful staff. The techno music was horribly loud and not the first thing one wants to hear in the a.m. There is a television near the bar, but it always tuned to music videos. The pool is lovely and I found the staff there to be the warmest and most hospitable of the entire hotel. There is not much within walking distance. An ice cream parlor, a small minimarket and a fancy cafe of another hotel. However, the saving grace was that there was a Peruvian outdoor festival about five minutes down the boulevard in the Park area. You could eat from outdoor food stalls, buy crafts, or dance to live Peruvian music. That was the only Bs. As. flavor I saw in the area.

The Hotel Madero by Sofitel is located in the newly reborn docklands of the Puerto Madero. The Hotel is ultra - modern with an excellent Restaurant - Red and a standard of service far better than we were expecting for the price paid. We only had a standard room but it was large with a wet - bar at one end and a small balcony at the other with a nice view of one of the docks looking towards the Madero Tango show theatre. The bathroom was large as well with wonderful toiletries. There is a large wardrobe and storage cabinet near the entrance door with a security safe. The location is in the thick of all the new Puerto Madero Restaurants so the choice of dining is amazing. From some of BsAs top Parillas to the likes of Hooters even!! We dined in the Hotel Restaurant and found it fabulous. We had the Menu Degustation where we were bought 5 courses with refreshers between the courses and a different glass of wine with each course. There was a choice of what to eat in each category and we were well pleased with the food ,wine & the service. The Breakfasts are comprehensive and offer a big selection of well prepared food. The previous reviewer mentioned soggy eggs - certainly we didnt encounter this. On a 3 1/2 week trip around Argentina staying in some upmarket Hotels this was by far the best breakfast we encountered. We found the location very convenient for San Telmo, the Microcentre and Plaza de Mayo and also it was an easy walk ( for us ) to Recoleta.
This is a pleasant new location to stay in and if you are concerned about safety in BsAs then this is the area that you will feel the safest in. We used the business centre to check e-mails and we were served Coffee, fruit juice and biscuits all complementary by the business manager - totally unexpected and very refreshing. A excellent complete hotel that is far better than many much more expensive hotels that we have stayed in.

Hotel Madero is on the other side of the renovated docklands area from the rest of Buenos Aires. If you like to walk, it's a pleasant, 10-minute walk to historic San Telmo, and an easy half-hour walk past the dockside restaurants into the city. It is in a quiet, residential location with almost no traffic, and has easy access to parks and walks along the water. There is plenty of security from naval police, and has a safer feel than the rest of the city. There are dozens of restaurants within walking distance. You're not in the thick of BA shopping or nightlife or historical sites, but taxis are cheap. A bit annoying is that the hotel is trying really hard to be young and hip--they play contemporary tango music in the elevators, and the restaurant plays lounge music at breakfast--Morcheeba, Coldplay, and Dido CDs on rotation--which is annoying; who wants the Buddha Bar at 8 am? I would think the design and everpresent music might make some older travelers feel uncomfortable. The breakfast buffet is extensive, but the same every single day--we stayed 12 nights and i couldn't look at the soggy eggs anymore. Sebastian the concierge is excellent, maybe the most helpful I have met in 100's of hotels around the world. The furniture is two steps up from IKEA, but same style, and the rooms are very white-and-wood and sparsely decorated; think good service apartment, not luxurious (though they have great toiletries). We faced inwards; I suspect a view of the docks would be better. The pool is fine, but much smaller than it looks online. For a basic suite with an eating area and microwave, this was the best price we found in any of the top hotels we contacted.