I stayed here for two weeks in March, 2007, while attending the Strauss Festival at the Opera, and it was the ideal introduction to Dresden. The staff was friendly and very helpful. After a couple of days some of them would greet me by name as I left for the opera and again when I returned! Most of them spoke English extremely well and if they had the slightest trouble understanding what I was asking, they would immediately get another staffer whose English was better. The room was large, quiet, and overlooked the Kreutzkirche. The marble bathroom was enormous. The free coffee, tea and cocoa meant I could get breakfast rolls at the grocery store and have a quiet private breakfast in my room.
You can certainly find less expensive accommodations even in the Old City. But you can also spend a lot more money. And you certianly get very good value for your money at the Radisson Gewanthaus.
The location was ideal for walking and exploring Dresden, yet quiet. The restaurant in the hotel was fabulous, and the waiters seemed to go out of their way to be friendly. I especially enjoyed the pork with balsamic cherries and rosemary---I went back three or four times during my stay for that. And the most wonderful local Saxony red wine--almost worth moving to Dresden for. Breakfast in the restaurant was a boutiful buffet and all the food was great, but at about $20 it was pricey.
While touring the Altmeister Gallery I noticed one of the enormous Canaletto paintings of Dresden had the hotel (long before it was a hotel, of course), in the background, which was wonderful.
