Rachel S.
Yelp
My husband and I got married at Hotel Lautner three months ago. We had an amazing experience from start to finish. Tracy (the co-owner and manager) was nothing short of phenomenal in helping us put together our special day. We were able to communicate with her from start to finish, and she was keen on helping us have our dream wedding.
We happen to be fans of John Lautner, and basically all things mid century modern, so it ended up being a no brainer for us. The hotel has 4 rooms, truly perfect for a small wedding party, close friends or family to enjoy for your whole wedding week or weekend. This also ensures that you and your loved ones will be the only ones on the compound that weekend. Many of our other guests stayed at Aqua Soleil, a 2 minute drive away with great prices. Sabine (manager) will also give wedding party guests a discounted rate. And of course, palm springs is just a 15 minute drive away...
Somewhere between a bed and breakfast and a chic air bnb, this place is just the coolest. No, there is no lobby, bar or concierge - instead you get the ultimate in private luxury accommodations - every room has everything you could want for a relaxing vacation, equipped with kitchenettes and keurigs for your morning brew. She has thought of everything and spared no expense, from the frette sheets to the malin + goetz bath products. Her staff will turn on the ac before you arrive so the room is nice and cool, and they'll even que up some bossa nova to set the mood. Tracy has decorated each room with it's own unique spin and kept them true to mid century modern style, but made them feel, new, cool and modern for a contemporary crowd. Her design skills are apparent in the beautifully restored spaces as well as the furnishings she's chosen to decorate them with. Oh, and did I mention the landscaping? Desert perfection!
When our guests arrived, they were directed to the event space which is adjacent to the hotel. My then fiance and I were each in separate rooms each preparing for our big moment. Our amazing photographer (katie pritchard) was able to capture us before the wedding without having our guests see me (the bride).The redwood and concrete walls paired with the gorgeous architectural lines of the property make the most beautiful backdrops! **(Also take a short 50 yard walk off the property after your ceremony to get some wonderful shots in the desert itself, another great perk!) It was quite the incredible moment when my music (lord huron - ends of the earth) started playing and the redwood gate between the hotel and event space was slid open, dramatically revealing me to our guests and my future husband.
We had 50 people at our wedding (the space will accommodate up to 300) and we had our ceremony just inside the gate in the event space, with a gorgeous giant wood sunburst my husband built for me as our backdrop. Immediately following our I Do's, we were off for photo's and our guests were left to mingle both in the event space and on the hotel grounds. We set up our U shaped table so that we were seated at the center -again in front of but on the opposite side of our sunburst backdrop- and faced the gorgeous sunset over the San Jacinto Mountains.
Our caterer prepared a delicious Paella dinner right in front of us on the event grounds -perfect since at the time of our wedding there was't a commercial kitchen on the grounds and the caterers were completely self contained! A tapas station, a bar and drinks station, our dj, our gift table, our cake service and several intimate seating areas provided by our boutique furnishings rental company (Little Bohemia) were all seamlessly incorporated into the event space with lots of room to spare. As the evening wound down we turned on the fire pit and had a blast just chilling with some close friends under the beautiful star filled desert sky.
The event space is simple and perfect, with beautiful succulents and landscaping. It is a gorgeous blank canvas (100' x 100') on which you can create your perfect day. Another great thing about this space is the view! It looks upon the San Jacinto mountains, and if you're lucky you may get an achingly beautiful sunset to boot like we did. :)
Tracy and her staff will work with you to make your day perfect. There seem to be endless configurations and options to utilize each space to fit your specific needs. The prices are very affordable (rooms and event space) and this was key for us. If you are planning a wedding now, you know how expensive venue and accommodations can be. With Hotel Lautner you get an incredible event space for a virtual steal! - in fact we would argue that the property far surpasses the offerings for other similar locations.
We cannot recommend Hotel Lautner enough, we suggest you book soon because this incredible gem in the desert is about to blow up in popularity!