Hotel St. Lauren — Hotel in Avalon

Hotel staff got into my room and opened my luggage stole my ring from my jewelry box! I'm a traveler and this is the 1st time happened to me. If hotel treat us like this how we trust anything?! I stayed in this hotel last year and liked it because location is middle of everything so we decided to book 2 separate rooms due to family member has sleep issue so we booked 2 rooms here. However after we checked in we went out to go to beach and while we were out their staff came to our room and opened my luggage and steal my ring, then she also went to my other room to took one of my mother's earring and we still don't understand why she took only 1 earring and left the other one still... anyways we went to see receptionist and reported everything but she is keep ignoring it and same time she was very nervous. Her name was Jessica and she advised wait until tomorrow to see the Manager guy... I also tried to return one of the room key because we are not feeling safe in this hotel by robbed their staffs so decided to stay in same room and cancel the other room but she didn't accept it so we waited until next morning. Then we see this guy who is little better than other 2 ladies that I deal with, he has better customer service than those 2 rude ladies, fortunately he returned my ring that their staff stole from my luggage and he said they found it on the floor of lobby or something. I gave him one of the room key back and he promised that we can get our refund but this never happened even we didn't stay in that room for 2 days they charged us full charges! I'm wondering how this hotel has this type of management??!!!! Where is the owner ? These staffs needs to train as normal people and specially needs to improve how to care customer service! Also can't believe this is existing in America , it seems pretty much happened some 3rd world countries not here in America! I still can't believe how this people treat customers like this! Also I needed to have police report per my booking party (Expedia) so went to see local police officer to report this and he advised since they returned your ring this is not considered as a crime! I feel like whole town has issue so please make sure do not book with this hotel and watch out your personal belongings!!!! This place must be investigated by the FBI,...

⭐ 1-Star Review: Unacceptable Theft and Dishonesty – Avoid This Hotel!

On July 3, 2025, I stayed at Hotel St. Lauren in Catalina Island and experienced a horrific breach of trust. After leaving my bag with $2,420 in cash in the room, I returned to find the money stolen. The hotel’s response was nothing short of negligent and deceitful:

Delayed Investigation: When I reported the theft immediately, staff claimed my room keys were "duplicated" and promised to review security cameras. Despite my providing the exact timeframe I was away, they took a full week to "check" the footage—only to dismiss my claim with no resolution. Refusal to Escalate: I called multiple times demanding to speak to the owner or manager, but was repeatedly stonewalled. Their lack of urgency or accountability suggests complicity or indifference. Zero Accountability: The hotel’s final response—that "no one entered the room"—defies logic. If keys were duplicated (as they claimed), their security system is clearly flawed, yet they offered no apology, refund, or further action.

This is not just about stolen money but about a business that fails to protect guests and then gaslights them. The delay in reviewing cameras (if they even did) raises serious questions about evidence tampering.

WARNING: Do not trust this hotel with your valuables. Their staff’s incompetence—or worse, theft—will ruin your trip. I’ve filed a police report and urge others to avoid Hotel St. Lauren at all costs.

Update: As of July 27, 2025, the owner still has not...

It’s a decent place if you’re in a pinch but way overpriced. If you’re coming during the peak summer months, expect to pay luxury rates for a motel 6 experience. ||The room is as bare bones as it gets. We had a view of Beacon St towards the mountain side with a nice angle view of the water. There are two windows. Only one opened. ||The AC system is a basic window unit. It’s set to Celsius. ||The room isn’t very clean. When we arrived my gf spotted foreign hair and some dark black stains (looked like the sheet got caught in the wash machine against a belt) on the corner of the bed spread. The bathroom sink is terrible. Sprays like a public bathroom and gets the entire counter soaked. ||Speaking of the bathroom, toilet bowl fills with way too much water. I’ll leave it to your imagination for the potential problems that you may incur. Also, the bathroom door must stay closed during a shower because the steam will apparently trigger the fire alarm system. This is noted on the back of the bathroom door. ||The hotel doesn’t offer any sort of baggage hold. They direct you to the baggage claim service that’s located near the ferry port. ||The best thing about the Hotel St. Lauren is the 6th floor balcony that’s available to all guests. It offers a splendid view of the entire coastline. Bring a bevy of your choosing and enjoy the view, albeit standing as most chairs on the deck are broken. ||Overall, we made it work but don’t plan on staying here again unless we had too. But probably not even then tbh. ||2 stars. 1 star for it in fact being a hotel and 1 for...