I stayed in the hotel in March 2008 for 4 days 3 nights. What I liked was the location: very close to the walking streets it the city center.

The bad thing is that the rooms are very worn: shabby carpet which looks like it was never vacuumed, especially in the corners (probably it was, but it is so old that it looks this way), worn bed spread, the bathroom is very basic with small shower that needs to be painted at the very least. And so on... The bed linen was not changed during my stay. If you come in the room shortly after they made it there is strong smell of cheap chemicals they use to clean the bathroom (they leave windows open so it goes away after some time - not sure what they do in summer).

The breakfast was also not very tasty with very limited choice of food, and coffee was of the sort you could expect on a bus station vending machine.

However the staff was friendly and helpful. Also even though they told me that WiFi only works in the reception area but it worked in my room (probably depends on where the room is).

On the whole, considering the price, you got what you paid for. If you don't spend much time in the hotel it is probably OK; otherwise it may be worth considering something more upscale.

Oh well, and pastry in the cafe on the corner few minutes away from the hotel is just amazing!

Me and my dad have just returned from a week at the Palatin and we had a great time. We had quite a limited budget and the Palatin was the best we could afford. Personally I think the place is great value for money.

The bad reviews did put me off a bit but I can only assume that those people payed a lot more than we did or were expecting too much.

We stayed in a standard twin room. Yes it was a little small and yes it was a little run down but it was clean, the shower worked, the TV worked and the beds were comfortable. What more could you ask for? Also the staff were friendly and very helpful when it came to booking trips and transfers to the airport etc. Location wise it was one of the best in Jerusalem contained in it's own little square with shops and cafes and only a 2 min walk from the main Ben Yehuda street with anything a tourist could need.

To conclude the Palatin is the perfect place to use as a base for your trip to Jerusalem. If, though, you're the type of person who likes to spend all of their time relaxing in a hotel room/complex then this place is not for you but in that case neither is Jerusalem

The Palatin was a great place to stay in Jerusalem! Although the rooms were quite small and it was a little noisy (we didn't mind it; the sounds coming from outside were fascinating!), our stay at the Palatin proved to be an excellent experience. The price was the best in Jerusalem and we were able to book 2 rooms side by side which made travelling with our teenage daughter more comfortable for all of us! The location was fantastic - a 2 minute walk to Ben Yehuda Street and the Mahane Yehuda Market and a 15 minute walk to the Old City! Since we had rented a car, we were initially concerned about parking but were pleased to find an extremely reasonable parking lot right across the street from the hotel. The price of the rooms included breakfast which was simple but certainly sufficient. We really enjoyed having coffee/tea/cappuccino available 24/7. The dining area is quaint and reminiscent of old European hotels and provided us the chance to meet other travellers from various countries. Be aware of one thing...the Palatin does not have elevators which may be a problem for some travellers.

We just returned from a wonderful week in Hotel Palatin.

First off - hotels in Jerusalem are pricey and Palatin is noticeably cheaper. So adjust your expectations: a low budget hotel will have a physical plant similar to a cheap hotel in the States. The lobby, building, dining room, etc. are all rather old and run down, but certainly adequate and clean for any low budget traveler. There is a certain charm to the place that makes up for the age, so that it's nothing as bad as a seedy motel. I think the bad reviews may be people who were expecting Marriott when they found something more like a nice hostel. If you are young and a bit more adventurous it's downright luxurious. If you are older and looking for top level comfort, this is not your place.

Second - we stayed in a deluxe room (we were kindly upgraded) and this made an enormous difference. We peeked into a regular room and that it fit right in with the general condition of the rest of the building. But the deluxe rooms (on new floors) were like entering an entirely different, and much nicer, hotel. If you can at all manage to afford it, take our advice: you definitely want the deluxe room. It's a big upgrade.

For the floors with deluxe rooms, the halls were completely redone, with new carpeting, beautiful wood doors, and nice lighting fixtures. The rooms are small (which is exactly what we wanted, since we didn't want to pay for any more room than the bare essentials) but surprisingly very well appointed. The new floors and walls have nice textured effects, there is a nifty flat screen TV mounted on the wall, the bathroom was all new, and though a tight fit, featured some nice new fixtures. Other than the shower doors leaking a bit at the bottom seal, there wasn't any problem with our room and we found it very comfortable. The bedding was downright luxurious, with comfortable mattresses and high quality comforter and sheets.

Third, the location of Hotel Palatin was perfect for us as tourists interested in religious and historical sights. The Old City was an easy 15 minute walk down the road, and restaurants and bars and shops were all close by (which is not the case in many parts of Jerusalem, we learned).

Finally, the service at Hotel Palatin was better than any of the dozens of hotels we stayed at during a 2 month trip in locales around the world. The hotel is a family business and feels like it. Everyone knew who we were, and some of the staff at the front desk, especially Maurizio and Nathaniel, went above and beyond to help us as newbies to Israel who spoke no Hebrew. Nathaniel even helped us while we desperately were trying to recover a camera we left in a cab, and managed to track down the cab and have it sent back (thank you SO MUCH Nathaniel!)

Next time we are Jerusalem again Palatin is definitely our first choice!