I had a 12-hour lay over in Cairo on the 4th of July, one day post coup. Needless to say, I felt a bit of trepidation, but everything went extremely smoothly. I had arranged an airport meet & greet service and pick up with the hotel's wonderful general manager, Mamdouh Faraj. I was met when I got off the plane by the hotel rep, who got my visa and luggage and took me to the shuttle. At check in, Marina, the ever-gracious club-floor supervisor, offered me a suite, but since it faced the front of the hotel (on the main road) I opted for a quieter room at the back. As others have said, the furnishings could stand to be updated (which, I was told, is scheduled to happen once the Meridien at the airport opens), but are nice enough. The club lounge is small and has meagre offerings for happy hour, but being offered a delicious fresh mango juice made up for any shortcomings. Since I had a 4am flight, I was offered a breakfast box, which, unfortunately, I forgot in the 1am-scrum to get back to the airport. All in all, I had a much better experience than I had anticipated and highly recommend this hotel for those with a short transit times in Cairo.