“great place to enjoy public spaces and performances”

This classic 400-year old hotel has been well renovated and is a charming place to stay. It is right by the plazas in the historic center, where there are many free musical performances in Oct. and Feb. (and maybe other times), A couple things to note: get a suite not a regular room because regular rooms are very small; the historic lift/elevator serves primarily for moving you in & out with luggage, so don't get a third floor room unless you are ok with walking up &down a lot of stairs. Third floor rooms do open to a rooftop space with chairs and tables and wonderful views (that you can use even if staying on lower floors). Friday night mariachis in the hotel lobby/bar area attract a crowd and are fun to hear.

“Mikey Boy”

This is a great place to stay in Guadalajara for every reason possible.

“Location, location, location”

I love the location of the hotel is in the middle of Guadalajara's Civic Center and Main Points of Attractions (Degollado's Theater, El Hopicio Cabanas, The Cathedral. etc).The Hotel was kept very clean including the rooms. Friday nights you can enjoy Mariachi music or Bohemian music. I will stay there again on my next trip and will tell my friends who are planning to go to Guadalajara.

“Hotel Frances, Guadalajara,Mex”

Hotel is centrally- located, very convenient - comfortable beautiful Spanich colonial style lobby.

“Affordable - great location”

It is an old hotel, so be prepared to do without some modern conveniences. Great atmosphere. Although I loved my streetside room for the "ambiance" it is not good for sleep. If I got back I will request a room away from the street.

“Great Location. Very basic amenities”

I live in and have traveled extensively throughout Mexico so I am very familiar with the various levels of accommodations that are available throughout the country. The Hotel Frances is a very historic hotel located in a great location, very close to many attractions and restaurants. The building is beautiful. I found the accommodations, themselves, lacking. I would recommend this hotel for a stay of one or two nights, maximum, just for the experience. There are much better accommodations nearby at nearly the same price. Specifically, I would recommend the Hotel Roma a couple of blocks away. The rooms, while clean, are EXTREMELY basic with no heat or air conditioning. The bedding didn't fit the mattress correctly so the bottom sheet kept coming off of the bed. The elevator is VERY slow and it is a long climb to the upper floors. I stayed for several nights, planning to stay longer. On my last night I woke up to find that the electricity was off. This means no lights, no elevator, no Internet and most importantly no running water to bathe or flush the toilet. In the morning I decided to change hotels. I am glad that I did because power was not restored until that night. I only ate one meal in the restaurant attached and it was very poor. The bar, in the main courtyard featured entertainment nightly, notably very good Mariachis one evening. The staff was very helpful and pleasant. Just keep in mind that it is a 400 year old hotel with very basic amenities.

“Moore's review of Hotel Frances”

If you like old places and buildings you'll probably like it but if you want modern hotel amenities you'll be disappointed. No comfortable chair for reading or working on my computer (and no 3 wire electrical electrical outlets), poor lighting both in the room and in the lobby for reading, though the roof top patio has the wiring and the light, and no coffee maker. But the price was right, el centro is an interesting and exciting place to be with many concerts in the plaza (1/2 block away) and good restaurants all around including a small one in a corner of the building a few steps down from the street. The Jalisco Philharmonia Orchestra is superb and often plays in the plaza or in beautiful Degollado Theater very near by. My wife and I stayed there two years ago and enjoyed the visit very much and had a lovely suite on the patio level (piso 4). I would return again, but probably ask for a higher level of accommodation costing a little more.

“Not too impressed”

The hotel is 400 year old and is in a convenient location. Right in the downtown next to the old cathedral and government buildings. However, the hotel which is now a national monument as declared by governor of jalisco, is not very well maintained. The rooms can have more better beds, bedsheets and can be more cleaner. If maintained well, it can be considered for a comfortable stay.

“Noisy on weekends”

Very noisy on the weekend, because there is a bar next to the hotel.

“Not impressed”

Although the hotel is in a central location, two people at the front desk were not friendly or welcoming. The hotel was nice but the linens in the room seemed old and worn out. It has a lot of potential but they need to work on keeping it up. It was cheap though... I would probably not stay there again.