Overall this felt like a sad story - Mrs Palfrey's loneliness (and that of many of the other hotel residents), and her attempt to save face with the ruse of passing Ludo off as her nephew, all felt quite painfully tragic. At the same time, it felt that there was a genuine connection between her and Ludo, and this was in sharp contrast to her relationship with her daughter and her real nephew, where there seemed little affection on either side.
I veered between finding the dated world of the genteel but slightly down-at-heel residential hotel appealingly nostalgic, and completely repellent (the food!). There were certainly some dated details, including the references to the "Ching-chong" from the awful Mrs de Salis, and the "Eye-tie" comment from Mr Osmond. I felt Mr Osmond was truly dreadful, and Mrs Palfrey dealt with him admirably.
I'll be interested to hear what others think of the novel. I read it earlier in April and so my responses are already fading! I know I raced through it, and that I found the ending a bit of a surprise.