Hotel Laguna

Reviews 3

RE

Rena COSSIGNER

The only reason this hotel is getting any stars at all. Our stay was almost a month ago. Star number one- At least they have one employee that paid attention to their guests. Upon check in I was standing at the front desk for ten minutes watching the receptionists conversation about their bar filled drunken nights. One tall girl looked my way and said she would be a second and kept going on with a male worker. A short little red haired girl walked past us with her bag in hand from what I am guessing is she just arrived for work and seconds later was smiling and greeting us apologizing that she just arrived and needed to take off her jacket and put her bag down. I went on to complain for the lack of service and asked to speak to the manager whom just walked out. She replied that it wont be an issue but he just stepped out for a break lets get you checked in and then whatever issues she cant handle by the time thats done he can definitely help. Im a very judgemental person, this young girl with red brown hair appeared to be the youngest, tattoo on her hand and least experienced had the best customer service I have ever seen to this day even my husband whom is hard to impress was extremely happy with her. He always books this hotel for us due to his familys past and never had I been respected or treated like a guest until meeting this young girl. She held a smile and seemed like she generally cared. I asked if our room had a good view of the ocean considering its a partial ocean garden view, this young woman pulled a map out and told us she can move our room from here to here pointing both out if we wanted since it was the same type of room. She moved our room and even though I was still being difficult she still managed to answer any questions we had. She seemed to have some knowledge of the hotel and openly shared her love and experience with the place the same way my husband did. She finished checking us in and asked if we needed help with our luggage which we were fine. Then she said her manager should be back soon. At that point my complaints turned to praise and there was no need to complain to the manager and waste more time. If this young girl was not there Im sure the situation would have ended with my husband and I saying goodbye. Star number two - the room that the young employee at the front desk put us in had a perfect view of both the ocean and the rose garden. We mainly stayed in our room besides dinner at the restaurant and a couple hours on the beach our second day and stopped by to say hello to the same girl at the front desk and thanked her on our way back to our room late one night after a trip to the gas station. My husband enjoyed conversating with her on the history of the hotel once more. Most people have a hard time talking to him since he appears to be an intimidating old man but she had no problem. So really one employee earned this hotel both stars for me. I hope and pray that she is there in our future stays since it seems the people that hire their employees there are having trouble finding an employee that treats their guests like guests since Ive been coming here. Now I am glad to state that they in fact have at least one.

BR

Brad Jones

Old and sad. This hotel is, unfortunately, not worth the money. It is sad to see such a great location being wasted by a business that apparently refuses to put any money back into the property. It all seems a little quaint at first, no air conditioning, and old screenless aluminum windows, but once you throw in the public-restroom-feel plumbing fixtures, the pilled sheets and sub-par mattresses theres really no salvaging a stay here. I commented to my wife that it felt like a college dorm, to which she said "Yeah, when we went to college." (25 years ago in dorms that were from the 50s). When we signed in the harsh forced quiet hours sign from 11-7 also seemed nice, until we realized why it exists, because you can hear everyone on your hall through the one inch gap under your door. Are there great views at the restaurant? Yes. Eat there. Are there great views from the hotel? Kind of, in 6 rooms. The building is arranged like a pier, so only a few rooms at the end have truly great views. The rest look up and down the coast and honestly are a little hit or miss depending where you end up. We had a "coastline view room", but the coast was at about a 45 degree angle out the window. If I sat up in bed I could just see the sand in the bottom left corner of the window. So not spectacular. From the dead center of the hotel room we could not see the water, and could barely see any sand. The staff was professional, but not remarkable. We had a nice waiter. The antiquated real room key system is a pain as everyone must visit the front desk in the morning, creating an inevitable line. Checkout is at noon, which is nice, but if you valet your car the meter starts running at $4/hr after noon the day you check out. Seemed a little cheap once wed dropped $700+. Also, no fan in the bathroom. While the Hotel Laguna may not completely ruin a vacation, although I think the beds would for most older guests (thank God I didnt bring my mother here), it could have really made our weekend getaway fantastic by simply being average. The location alone would put this place over the top. A seaside Hampton Inn would have been awesome! Instead a old, worn building limps along, coasting off the location and truly great Laguna community. Although, they have figured out that a web page is important and they have spent money there to entice people in, but dont be fooled. Our two night stay was $712 with taxes and two nights valet on a weekend in July. Im honestly not sure if we would stay here again for half that. With all the choices along the coast, I would recommend choosing a different hotel. This place doesnt deserve your hard earned money. Some new owners need to put this Laguna landmark out of its misery. My wife and I stayed here in July 2015 to see a Pageant of the Masters performance. We were underwhelmed by "The Epitome of the California Riviera". The above views are opinion based off my first hand experience here.

GL

Glenn Moore

I was born and raised up and down the Southern California coast, and though I lived in Laguna for several years I had never stayed at the iconic Laguna Hotel (how many stay at a hotel in their hometown?). I always wanted to though. Unfortunately when I finally got to stay there, it was a big disappointment. Ive stayed worst places, but not typically at this rate. Its a shame, because the place has SO much potential and history - yet the current owners seem to have merely done what had to be done and nothing more. The decor is absolutely boring and dated. Its clean, and the staff are friendly & helpful and of course the location is great - but thats what makes the rest of the shortcomings such a shame. This is a historic landmark and should be maintained as such. Things barely work. I stopped using the elevator as I didnt trust it - I have NEVER done this before. On the morning of our check out the power went out...well, sort of, every light dimmed to nearly out (mid-shave - alright). I love Laguna, have family there and visit often. I wont stay at the Hotel Laguna until the owners - current or new ones - renovate and give this building its rightful dignity.

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