Quick report:
The regular rooms in Raphael are indeed nightmarish. I was at first given a room (actually, all of the room are suites) which looked light it had not been renovated in 20-30 years and was looking out into the parking lot and the wall of the next building.

I went back downstairs, asked for a room with a street view and was given ... one of the renovated rooms . That one was excellent, consisting of a bedroom, living room, and a bathroom, all looking fresh and modern.

Plus, the hotel recognized my SPG Gold status! Didn't have any problems getting a 4 PM check out after showing the check-in clerk my SPG card.