I just came back from Egypt, where I also stayed three nights at Hotel Carlton in Cairo, which was a huge disappointment.
The hotel is cheap and its location is really good - but these are the only advantages. The rooms are dingy and the bathrooms are undiscribable.
On the whole the staff was not very friendly and could not be helpful when we had questions concerning Cairo (this was also due to the fact that they hardly spoke any other language than Arabian).

My conclusion is: Hotel Carlton is unbeatable cheap, but next time I rather spend a couple of Dollars more for a clean room and friendly as well as helpful staff.

If you're not looking for a luxury but just comfortable stay, this place is really great! It's in the centre, it's got a local market just around the corner, fast (Egyptian) food and coffee shops. I love those sandwiches filled with salad, cheese and eggs just around the corner!

The rooms - for Cairo - are spacious, nicely furnished and clean! Never have seen less cockroaches in Cairo ...... They could do some refurbishing in the bathrooms.

The staff is really helpful and very friendly but never intrusing!

Excellent!!!

We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights at a cost of about £16 per double room, per night.
We saw Cairo on our own rather than as part of a tour and this hotel provided a great base to do so.
This hotel was recommended to us from a friend who had stayed there. I made the booking by phoning the hotel from London.
We were picked up from the airport as arranged in a private car. The ride was interesting as it was our 1st experience of Cairo traffic and the lack of road rules.
On check in it was insisted that we hand in our passports as part of the registration process. Reluctanly we agreed but we did see them again without problem.
The room was a good size and and equipped with all the standard fare. The TV even had some English speaking channels
The airconditioning was not the best but at such a cheap rate you cannot expect too much perhaps.
The room was well cleaned though the bathroom and toilet were of quite a poor standard.
There is some noise from the nearby Mosque at the wee hours of the morning but nothing earplugs cannot fix and this is part of the cultural experience anyway huh.
The staff were friendly and made us feel welcome whilst enjoying dinner and beers on the roof top terrace.
The room rate included breakfast and either lunch or dinner (your choice).
This hotel is within walking distance to the Egyptian Museum and very close to a Metro station too. It is located in the downtown area and is well serviced for food and shopping etc.
For basic accomodation at a very cheap rate I would recommend this hotel.

If you want a taste of a Cairo long since drowned by the constant squeal of car horns and 5-star monstrosities that line the Nile, stay at the Carlton.

The tranquil lobby and small oak-panelled bar and restaurant areas still shows signs of the 1930's style that would have once made this hotel possibly one of the best in Cairo. Unfortunately those days are long gone and so too are the guests to fill the slightly tired guest rooms.

Marble staircases and trellis door lifts lead ultimately to a roof terrace for a birds eye view of the mayhem below. The whole place oozes history and without guests this grand old girl will close her doors forever.

Rooms are from as little as £15 a night