The hotel has indeed reopened as of March 15. Since I had not stayed there prior to the renovations, I have no basis for comparison. The hotel really is beautiful and in a great location. It's off the Plaza Jerez not far from the Cathedral de Sevilla, the Real Alcazar, and the Torre del Oro. The nearest main drag is Constitution Avenue which goes up to the Plaza Nueva. Within a 3 minute walk, there are a number of tapas bars, a Starbucks, a couple of fast food joints, a bank, and a pharmacy. Across from the hotel is a park with some play equipment for kids. On the other side is the river.
The hotel is still in the process of being renovated. We were put into a suite on the first floor but the staff said that there are only 32 rooms open and the entire third floor is still closed. The room is a medium sized one bedroom overlooking the above park. It has a European King and a beautiful bathroom with a shower-tub. The restaurant and the Alfonso Bar is open but the other lounge is closed. Staff has been great but a bit rusty as it sounds like most hadn't worked for the better part of the past year. The spaces that are open are pretty spectacular. Breakfast is good (included in my rate so I don't know how they would handle the amenity). As one may expect in Spain, it revolves around God's gift to humans - the pig. Breakfast is served until 11am. They make a properly pulled cappuccino and everything is very fresh including the freshly squeezed OJ.
I overheard someone say that there was a pool that was closed. I was told by the concierge that the gym is still closed. There is no cocktail hour or club.
Overall, the hotel is one of the nicest I have stayed at. It reminds me in many ways of the Taj Palace in Mumbai (which was built at about the same time) in the sense that it has a lot of early 1900s European design elements that make it feel like a very stately and luxurious place. It also reminds me of the Taj because it looks like a lot of the workers have been working at the hotel for a very long time and you get a good sense of loyalty to the hotel. I would give it some time, though. They say they are busy, which I don't doubt given the number of open rooms, but they are going to need some time to finish up the details and get their staff back into the swing of things. I will post a few photos when I return.