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November 2024 by David Rush
The Laurel Hotel has it all
Rooms: Very comfortable but the service is off the charts good
Nearby activities: Auburn University convenient
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November 2024 by Bobby Greenawalt
I’ve had the pleasure of staying at many Forbes 5-Star resorts, and my experience at the Laurel Hotel & Spa far exceeded the standards of even the world’s best hotels. From the moment I arrived, the attention to detail and personal touch were evident, with staff anticipating every need and making me feel genuinely valued. My room was immaculate and thoughtfully prepared with a personalized welcome amenity crafted from ingredients grown on-site. Every dining experience, especially the Epicurean dinner with a Two-Michelin Star chef and Master Sommelier, was expertly curated, and the rooftop lounge offered stunning views and a relaxing atmosphere. This is a must-stay for anyone seeking a truly exceptional experience.
Rooms: The rooms are spacious, luxurious, and thoughtfully designed with modern amenities like mirror TVs and advanced controls. Impeccably clean and comfortable, each room includes a personalized welcome note and a curated minibar with options for both standard and custom cocktails, ensuring a relaxing stay.
Nearby activities: Guests can easily explore Auburn University, visit the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, or enjoy downtown Auburn’s vibrant local shops and cafes. For nature enthusiasts, nearby Chewacla State Park offers hiking trails and outdoor activities.
Walkability: The Laurel Hotel & Spa is conveniently located near Auburn University and downtown Auburn, making it easy to explore the surrounding area on foot. Guests can enjoy a short walk to nearby cafes, shops, and cultural spots, creating a well-connected, pedestrian-friendly experience.
Food and drinks: The dining experiences are truly remarkable, especially the 1856 Epicurean dinner, which features creative, expertly prepared dishes paired with carefully selected wines. The rooftop lounge offers skillfully crafted cocktails with stunning views, and breakfast in the Library includes custom coffee and fresh, made-to-order egg options.
Noteworthy details: This hotel excels in personalized luxury, with touches like a custom welcome amenity crafted from the rooftop garden ingredients and a unique Epicurean dining experience that includes student servers from Auburn University. The level of attention to detail, from personalized greetings to in-room amenities, elevates the guest experience.
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September 2024 by Helen Schneider
I went to a light dinner on the rooftop! The cocktails were a work of art. It's a beautiful place with a sunset view over Auburn University. They need to control the bugs better especially since they are serving food.
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September 2024 by Gordon Dalgleish
Two-night stay at the Laurel. I arrived with high expectations based on my family's prior stay. If you are seeking a four-star experience at five-star prices coupled with friendly staff, this is for you. The cumulative effect of multiple missed small service items at a luxury property combined with an appalling dinner experience has clouded my view and doubtful I would return or encourage anyone else to do the same. It is a nice property but not worthy of their accolades. Possibly the most insightful aspect of my stay was after submitting an unsolicited survey from the hotel on our day of departure, no one from the hotel has found it useful to respond. Draw your own conclusions.
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September 2024 by aimee long
Excellent experience!
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September 2024 by Tamara J
The view from the rooftop bar is gorgeous and is really a delightful place to hang out. That is until the roaches start coming out. We've been here a few other times... Once last August and once in June. Tonight we took our friend for a cocktail after eating at HeyDay Market. We got there just at the tail end of sunset. We were there 30-45 mins when we started to see roaches everywhere. First I had one on the stem of my drink and then I moved to another table that was more lit up and then there was at least 3 of them on that table. So we decided to go sit on the couches away from the planted area and when we got over there, there was roaches all over there too. It really ruined the moment and we couldn't get out of there quickly enough. We finished our drinks standing up while waiting for our waitress to bring our ticket. When we asked the waitress about it, she said they were always come out. This was personally the first time I experienced it, but will not be going there after dark in the summer anytime soon. It was like they were multiplying all of a sudden. First we just saw a few, then the next thing we knew, there was a lot of them everywhere.
On another note it took about 20 mins for them to bring our drinks to the table.
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August 2024 by Gini Beth Welch
Even one night at The Laurel showed us why it’s a AAA Five Diamond Hotel. There is just something about everyone addressing you by name and offering to serve you at every turn. The room and bathroom were luxurious with lovely amenities and a handwritten welcome note, but the surprise was the culinary presentations 4x/day in the Library/lobby for appetizers, desserts and breakfast. Big thanks to John, Joshua, Keven, Cailen and Christopher for making our stay delightful.
Noteworthy details: When you love Auburn, it’s awesome to have a rooftop view of Samford and the Loveliest Village of the Plains!
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August 2024 by Don Moseley
Simply put, a great one night stay at a superior hotel. Excellent staff, wonderful room and a rooftop swimming pool that is amazing.
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July 2024 by Tim Falkins
We were only able to enjoy a very brief stay. Very nice hotel, great amenities, friendly service. Had to check out before 5a so we didn't get to enjoy their breakfast. They're in a fantastic location, the room was super nice and comfortable, and the rooftop pool and restaurant looked enjoyable. The pool was a little too cool for us when we tried it at night. The garden on the rooftop was also fun to see.
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June 2024 by R B
This review is about the spa only. The spa is nice overall, however the continuous and highly repetitive "modern relaxation" music made me feel like I was on a very long elevator ride that made me not mind leaving when my appointment was done.
Aside from the music, my only other disappointment was: I paid for a massage with the deep tissue upgrade. I'm a former LMT and what I feel like I received was a Swedish Relaxation massage, instead of deep tissue. The therapist was nice, but never once asked how the pressure was feeling.
For this price point, an occasional pressure check in for feedback would have been nice.
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February 2024 by Jasmine Miller
We absolutely loved our 2 night stay. Kevin was amazing and made our stay so incredible. The staff is all very friendly, the rooms are beautiful, the food is great. I had a massage at the spa and it was lovely as well. We will be back!
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February 2024 by celesta henry
5 Diamond Hotel... it's perfect!
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February 2024 by Melissa Atkinson
Exceptional experience staying at the Laurel Hotel in downtown Auburn. The employees are phenomenal the accommodations are luxurious, it's just truly one of a kind. 5 stars all the way around.
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February 2024 by Kate Pickard
This review is for the rooftop bar:We stopped by to have drinks before dinner at 1856 - Culinary Residence. We lucked out and had an unusually warm evening for January. The views of Auburn and the University are absolutely stunning, there is nothing like it in town. The service was top notch, as the servers were attentive and hospitable. There were 6 of us who stopped in and we sat at a table with a fireplace, which made the evening comfortable without a jacket on.The drinks were great, they were even able to assist in making drinks that were not on the menu. Great experience overall and we made great memories! Cannot wait to "staycation" in the hotel soon. War Eagle!!
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February 2024 by davjau
My wife and I had a phenomenal two night stay at The Laurel at the end of December '23. I can attest with the other reviews the service stands out the most compared to your other high end hotels. The facilities were 5 stars but the associates are the ones that really can make or break a place. It is obvious that they really pride themselves with that.Kevin, Cailen, and especially Will went above and beyond during our stay to be sure we were taken care of. Those three mentioned are truly assets to the Laurel and I want to be sure management is aware. They really put personal touches on how they approach and mingle with guests.The experience unfortunately does not spill over with the spa. My wife and I could agree with the other reviews about less than desirable experiences with the spa. It does not seem as "polished" as the hotel side. I mention this to help and not hinder. Typically reviews are only used as a sounding board by negativity but whatever recipe they are using for the hotel service should be applied to the spa side. The spa facility is really nice, the issue is with personnel and massage therapists.-David & Elizabeth Johnson
