The staff were polite, friendly and helpful, but it was Nicolas, a bellboy, who was always ready and capable to go beyond the call of duty to be charming, friendly and most helpful in many other capacities assisting us and other members of the staff at all times. To our way of thinking he was the star staff member. Thanks to him, his advice and helpfulness time and time again, we enjoyed the Axel and Buenos Aires ever more.

The Axel was a far out experience and a delight leaving us with fond memories of the wonderful city. But of course it is not the cheapest and yes, there were problems with the structure and execution of some aspects of the wild design, BUT... we found the location convenient and the less than posh surroundings of the neighborhood real, balancing out the experience at the Axel Hotel which seemed at times surreal!

The Axel is a gay hotel advertised as "heterofriendly". This property, only 4 months old when I was there, is both delightful and relaxing. With a staff always ready and willing to assist with tour options, sightseeing tips and restaurant reservations there was never a doubt about their meeting and exceeding my expectations. The hotel has a beautiful outdoor pool area with tiered sunning areas and an outdoor dining area. On the top floor is a small indoor lap pool, steam room and sauna plus a roof-top sunning area. The rooms are large and airy with either a pool or street view. Definitely a place I would return to again.

All round they did a nice job with the Axel in Buenos Aires. The rest of the neighborhood could still use some rehab, but it is still a very safe area.

Inside the place is wonderful. The Sky Bar has an outdoor swimming pool and tanning area. Bar and restaurant service is excellent, good food too. In general food prices in Buenos Aires are very reasonable. Front desk staff is also good, entire service staff seemed to be English speakers (much better than Buenos Aires as a whole).

Very modern room decor, I've stayed at the Axel in Barcelona and thought that the Axel in BA had a cleaner look. I'd go back any time I return to Buenos Aires.

I know that several people have reviewed the Axel Hotel in BA from the perspective of a tourist, I stayed there in late January as a business traveler and have the following comments:

What I liked most:

* Extremely helpful and friendly staff: when I needed help in arranging ground transportation for a meeting in Rosario, they connected me to a reputable and dependable car service that I wound up using for the entire length of my stay. The waiters and bartenders are motivated to work there and enjoy talking with guests.
* Fantastic chef and kitchen: I really believe that the restaurant at the Axel is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. The chef makes bold and provocative decisions about flavors and pairings that are not found in other restaurants I've eaten at in Buenos Aires.
*Stylish decor and great outdoor pool/deck area - very W Hotel-esque.

What can be improved:

*Adding a small desk with lamp & appropriate office chair in guest rooms: there are plenty of options for stylish yet functional office furniture, and it would have been great to have had work space that accomodated my needs.
*Better gym equipment: there is room to add more/better weight machines in the fitnesss center; two of the machines were broken and were not repaired in the four days that I stayed there.
*Partnership program with major airlines: it would be nice to earn miles through some airline affiliation program.

Several other reviews that I read commented on the San Telmo neighborhood where the hotel is located and yes, it does get rough and it's not pretty: I walked past a major homeless encampment about 4-5 blocks away from the hotel, but walk in the opposite direction and soon you are at a little square with a Puma clothing store, a gym, several banks, etc. and I felt at ease in this part of the neighborhood.

While there are more luxurious and business-friendly hotel options to be found in Buenos Aires, overall I am happy that I made the choice to support a gay-owned and marketed hotel. I know that the hotel management reads reviews on Trip Advisor and I hope that they consider my suggestions.