Laguna Beach House

We had such a lovely birthday weekend at Laguna Beach House. The rooms felt clean, and the amenities added to our stay. What stood out most was how kind and helpful the staff were. It’s rare these days to be met with that kind of warmth. I’d recommend this place to anyone.

We stayed with our two kids and had plenty of room to be comfortable. The place looked spotless when we arrived, smelled wonderful, and had clean, beachy décor that made it feel welcoming right away. The location was especially handy. We walked to Heisler Park and a nearby coffee shop, and never needed the car. We had a wonderful New Year’s Day stay at Laguna Beach House and would happily come back. It’s a clean, cozy spot for families or anyone wanting to be well located in Laguna Beach.

The place is amazing, clean, and well run, but the fees put me off returning. Paying a $35 hospitality fee and $55 for parking when I arrived felt disrespectful, like too much of a cash grab. If parking had been $25, I’d gladly come back.

The room was comfortable and everyone was nice, so I had a decent stay. But as a service designer, I found two parts of the experience frustrating. I was told parking in the hotel lot cost $55 a night. There were about two dozen metered spots within 100 feet of the front door, at $2.50 an hour with a four-hour maximum, running from 8am-7pm. Parking there all day would mean paying the meter three times, around $30 total. Charging so much more than a nearby alternative felt like a money grab and an unfair picture of the service being offered. There was also an amenities fee of $35 per night, added at checkout. It was described as covering hospitality extras like cookies at the front desk, wine at 6pm, and pool and beach chair rental. Those things were enthusiastically advertised when I arrived, but the fee wasn’t clearly connected to them. I was only using the hotel as a place to sleep, so an extra $120 at checkout for things I hadn’t used or felt part of was a disappointment. The cookies did look great, though. I asked to have the fee removed because I hadn’t used the amenities, but was told no, it was standard practice regardless of use. That felt manipulative rather than like a valued service. The hotel should include the $35 nightly charge in the room price. Hidden fees are more likely to leave guests frustrated than make them feel they bought a premium experience. How a charge is presented affects the stay, and this one gets in the way.