The Hotel Saint Simon is a no-frills, clean, and practical place, which, if your expectations are modest, can serve as a solid base from which to explore the magnificent city of Bogota. Its outstanding feature is its location, near stores, restaurants, tailors (where I got custom shirts made) and transport, which, if you value your time, should not be overlooked. The staff is professional, courteous, and helpful; I especially like the housekeepers, they are hard workers and my room was always clean and fresh. The biggest problem with the hotel appears to be its cheapskate management, which seems consistently to make self-defeating decisions about where to save money. Breakfast, for example, is poor. Happily, there are several great cafes nearby where you can get a terrific breakfast for two or three dollars (try Monte Verde on 78th, just four blocks down and one over, it’s super). Both times I have stayed here, I was originally given a room of lesser quality than what I had reserved and paid for, an unfortunate bait-and-switch business practice. Or blame it on the computer. Basic maintenance on hallways, windows, doors, room-safes (mine did not function) is not a priority. With minimal effort, this hotel could be getting good reviews like the Hamilton, right next door, which is only a bit higher priced. If street noise and indifference to facilities is going to bother you, maybe try elsewhere; but if your bottom line is price and location, this hotel is for you.