This was my first trip to the DR, and my only night staying in Santo Domingo. I was on a work trip, and this was my day off before heading home.
When I got there, the person who was working could not find any record of my reservation, and spoke no English, and I spoke no Spanish. But she was very helpful and friendly, and invited me up to the rooftop cafe, made me coffee and got the manager to come from wherever he was to see if he could help me out. It was some kind of glitch with Hotels.com booking a room that was not available, but it turned out that someone else had not showed up for their booking, and a room was actually available after all. The manager was very friendly and helpful.
Rooftop breakfast was great, coffee was great, room was great, clean and comfortable with working AC and decent internet. Location was fantastic, easy walking to the sights and sounds of the Colonial Zone and lots of dining and drinking options.
I had the room on the first floor right next to the entrance, and as others have noted, it was a bit noisy with the street sounds and people coming and going, however it was not a big deal for me at all. I was happy to put up with a little extra noise to be in the Colonial Zone, instead of out by the airport where my job would have lodged me.
If noise is an issue for you, try to get one of the rooms upstairs if you can.