Downright Scary!
So I travel a lot, many times don't bother to write a review simply because the places I say at are just fine. Nothing exceptional, nothing horrible. The Historic Mayfair is SCARY!
I was traveling on business and needed to be close to Union Station to catch a very early train. 
The lowdown:
This hotel is in a sketchy area, very dirty neighborhood with some kinda scary people around. The hotel from the outside looks like it's seen much better days. The building is somewhat dilapidated. 
You can certainly tell that the lobby used to be nice... years ago. Since it's fallen into despair. The grand columns are dirty and cracked. The carpet dirty and worn. The chairs and couches... I wouldn't sit on, nasty. The front desk is a bit scary as well... you look past the staff member checking you in and see a bank of safes, all are broken (missing doors) or have drill holes in them from when they were forced opened by someone.
The staff member who checked me in was friendly enough. I asked her for an updated room, she said they were sold out of them and gave me a non updated room. 
Stepping into the elevator was like, well, um, scary... have I said scary already? The elevator is tiny, dirty, old and in very bad condition. The doors close with a sound like something out of an elevator free fall thrill ride at a theme park. The speed of the elevator is variable, you feel it accelerate, then slow down, then accelerate again. Especially when it's going down. Which is well... scary. 
I got a room on the 14th floor. 
I get out of the elevator on my floor and the first thing to hit me is the smell. MILDEW mixed with smoke, mixed with OLD! Dirty walls, furniture that has been painted and painted and painted. Dirty carpet. Strange sounds. 
My room:
More of the same, old, smelly, very dirty. Everything from the floors (so bad I wouldn't take off my shoes) to the walls which had what looked to be small blood stains (kind of like splatter). The bathroom hasn't seen a renovation in 40 years at least and likely hasn't been cleaned just as long. The drapes were all but disintegrating and partially ripped off the rod. 
I had no choice... I'd leave but had to stay. Slept a top the covers in my clothes. 
The next day, I had asked to have my room changed to a renovated room. I was told that they won't know what they have in inventory till 3pm. I waited. At 3pm I asked again and was told that the hotel was completely sold out. They couldn't do anything. UGHHHH!
Sidebar: I was there to do interviews for a position I'm hiring for. I interviewed people in the lobby all day, morning to evening. 
So amid my interviews at about 4:30pm, an ear piercing sound (music I guess) blasted from the mezzanine level of the lobby. I'm in the middle of an interview. I went to the front desk to inquire about this and how long it would go on. I was told they were having an event and it would be going on for hours. GREAT!!!! I complained that I need to continue my business and that was the reason I chose the hotel to begin with. They gave me a suite to complete my interview.
PRO:
I was able to complete my interview in quiet.
CON:
1. They lied to me about the "sold out" hotel
2. The suite was not much better than my room. 
After my interviews I went back to the front desk and basically chastised them for lying to be about being sold out. Demanded a renovated room. They gave it to me. 
Renovated Rooms:
Better than the non-renovated rooms, but worse than a Motel 6. 
About me:
I'm not a picky traveler, I've stayed at new and old properties, I didn't walk into this place expecting it to be great. But I didn't expect it to be THIS BAD.
Bottom line:
Do yourself a favor and stay away. Yes it's cheaper than others around, but not by much and the nasty just isn't worth the discount.
Cheers!