The Zamalek property isn't getting much love here. It's a smart hotel in lovely area of Cairo, on Gezira island with views over the river towards the Conrad. There's no lounge, but it would be a shame to let that put anyone off the place. Zamalek is about as geographically central to Cairo as it gets, and is very much the cultural focus of modern Cairo - art galleries and museums, trendy shops, cafes and restaurants on leafy streets, and the opera house complex at the southern end of the island.
Heliopolis offers much the same affluent atmosphere, and is not without charms, but for a first time visitor intent on seeing Cairo rather than simply stay in a nice hotel close to the airport it's probably not the best choice. Something like staying in Richmond rather than Knightsbridge on a first visit to London.
I have soft spot for the Rameses, though its super-central location is daunting in terms of the traffic flows around it. The Egyptian museum is only stone's throw away, but it could take some time to negotiate the traffic to get there: and i will take even longer to reach the museum when it moves out to Giza
. It is suggested that will be before the end of the year, but who knows ….
I was in cairo a couple of weeks back, but didn't stay at any Hiltons. But I did note that hotel prices have gone crazy: I hope they won't be able to maintain these levels as pent-up demand for travel levels off!