Just a poor sample of what a 5 star hotel may mean. Carpets are dirty and with stains. Breakfast is poor and bad presented. Swimming pool is small and water is terribly cold. There is no solarium. The gym has no machines... For this kind of mony there are many other better options, believe me. Try the Golden Tulip. It's not great, but it's defenitely better.

The hotel is in a funky postmodern building that it shares with a Mercedes dealership; there is a beautiful atrium in the center with a fountain and bar. The rooms are nothing special (thin bedding, and a small bathroom), but they are clean and functional, and come complete with free wireless and wired internet connections. I tried only the wired internet, which was a bit flaky but after a few attempts worked well enough. The public areas are fun to walk through, although a few sections of the building seemed to be works-in-progress. There is a small pool, a sauna, and a somewhat-decrepit fitness room. The restaurant served a good breakfast spread (included in the standard rate); I am not sure if it served dinner, and the "piano bar" that was advertised in the lobby was closed during my stay. The price here was cheaper than at the Marriott, and the location is only slightly worse: about 10 minutes walk to republic square; you have to cross one busy street, and after that you stroll past a series of pleasant parks and cafes. My only warning is that this is by no means a full-service hotel. Often during my stay there was only one person on duty who could speak to non-Armenian-speaking guests. Since that person doubled as receptionist, telephone operator, and manager-on-duty, she/he would normally only have a few seconds to answer questions between phone calls or other crises. On the other hand, I didn't find the "do-it-yourself" attitude of the hotel unpleasant. It meant you didn't have someone bowing at every turn, and the fact that the pool and sauna were there for use unsupervised 24 hours made these areas quieter and more convenient. If you do not require a lot of help getting around the city and country, this is a very reasonable place to stay.