I have stayed at the Hotel Arcus many times during multiple trips to Bratislava. The hotel (really a pensione) is within walking distance from the train station and the Old Town, just off what is called "American Square". In all of my stays at the Arcus, the office staff have been absolutely exceptional. I am a university professor and was doing research in Slovakia. I was having difficulty with various arrangements and travel schedules to other destinations. The Arcus staff were willing to get on the phone and help me coordinate these plans each time, provided translation services on more than one occassion, and were all around very helpful. Many of the staffpeople seemed to be students from the nearby university, with excellent language skills and lots of curiousity.
When I was staying at the Arcus in 2002, some of the rooms had been rennovated and others had not. By 2006, I think all had been rennovated. Even the unrennovated rooms in 2002 were an excellent deal, though.
The only drawback to the Arcus that I encountered was that, during a few of my stays, a lot of construction in the rooms was going on during the day. The noise from this was a problem if I had jet lag and needed to sleep during the day. This construction is likely not continuing, but it is the one consideration a person might inquire about if you anticipate arriving in Bratislava still on some other time zone. Also, the Arcus would be difficult for people with certain disabilities, as there is no lift, and even the first floor rooms are up a flight of stairs from the street level.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.