Best Western Golden Key

The couple running the front desk at check-​in where efficient and friendly. They were thorough in explaining how to operate the thermostat, location of the room, pool hours, etc.
While the hotel provides a continental breakfast, we opted to dine at Awlful Annie’s Restaurant next door. The restaurant gives a 15 percent discount to patrons staying at the Best Western Hotel.
The room itself was clean, the beds & pillows were very comfortable, which our stay pleasurable. There is a built-​in hair dryer, shampoo & conditioner and shower gel dispenser that is a lifesaver if you forget to pack yours or you just want to save on space by not bringing soap &toiletries and use theirs. There is an iron/​ironing board that came in handy.
Noise level, pretty much quiet and the hotel was full the night we stayed there. Although, something odd occurred just before we fell asleep at 11:40 pm, we heard a knock on our window. After laying still somewhat fearful waiting for what would happen next, there was no other sound. We Crept carefully to the window and peered through the drapes to see a terrarium with sand, shells & candle but no plants in it, had been placed outside the window on the protruding air conditioner. It was not there when we checked into the room and no other rooms had a terrarium outside their rooms. However, that is not the hotel’s fault; just a bizarre incident that cannot be explained, a prank, mistaken room intended asa gift for someone else, someone drunk or tire unable to carry plant to their room? It was still sitting outside during our check-​out

Rooms are cleaner, larger and more updated than I’d have expected for the price and location. Their free breakfast is also a tad nicer, and they provide free coffee, juice and cookies through the day. Good value for money. Also well located near the 80, a nice Raley’s market and a Starbucks.

Friends and I came to Auburn for a Western States 100 training run. The Best Western was great! The place was very clean, modern, and the staff was amazing. Denise, Tiffany, and Jennifer were great! The breakfast was really good. Glad I stayed here over the other hotels in the area. I really enjoyed my stay here and will be coming back!

I can’t believe that this is the number one hotel in Auburn on Unilocal.I stayed there last night and I assure you I’ll never go back. The rooms are ok, but the breakfast and the service… Oh my god. Totally unacceptable. If you have the bad luck to be on the shift of a person named Tiffany, well, you will have to be very patient. She has no clue what customer service is. At any rate, only stay at this hotel if all the others in Auburn are full and even then Sacramento is only 30 minutes away…

Really great front office check in staff. Cindy and Laura know what they’re doing. Friendly, informative, helpful. Thanks!

Excellent service-​went out of their way to accommodate my needs. Denise, the night desk guru, got me the room in the right location and at the right rate. Clean, comfy zzzzzzzz’s!

We stayed here this week and it was great! After an 7 hour drive I became quite ill. I called ahead asked if there was any way we could check in early. They said yes and we were there within ½ hour. Not only did they let us check in 3 hours early they checked in my husband extra quickly as I was in the car needing the room asap! Thank you Tiffany!
The room was very clean, smelled clean even! I have already booked another stay here in March! I highly recommend this hotel!

Well-​kept, friendly Best Western east of downtown Auburn. Clean, spacious rooms, plenty of parking, welcoming vibe from all staff.

What a nice surprise! We arrived early for check check-​in, the lady at the front desk was nice and accommodating. She sent redirected the cleaning ladies to our room to get it cleaned first so we could get in. We went down the street to the grocery store to pick up two things and by the time we returned in 15 minutes we were ready to get into our rooms. The parking was nice as we got to park right outside our door so the luggage was easy to unload. The rooms were large and very clean with granite countertops and a full stock of lotions, soaps, and shampoos. We used the Jacuzzi at night which was clean and warm, the hotel even provided special pool towels which were very soft and fluffy. We slept well at night, the beds were comfortable and there was a nice selection of different types of pillows, thin and thick. We took advantage of the Continental breakfast that is provided in the morning (free of charge) and was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and variety for such a small hotel. The selection was nice and all the appropriate things were refrigerated and heated. We were in and out on breakfast and on To our day time activities. I don’t know if all the Best Westerns are like this now, but for the price of 70 something dollars a night I couldn’t have asked for anything more except maybe a heated pool towel!

I didn’t stay here, but this place saved me! I was driving to Tahoe & was unable to continue up the road since I didn’t have chains. My friends offered to drive the rest of the way, but there was the question of a safe place to park my car. I called around, lots of places turned me down, but the friendly staff here helped me out by offering me a spot and didn’t even ask for anything in return. Thank you for the generosity & fantastic customer service!

Hands down best continental breakfast ever for a 3 star hotel on the way to Lake Tahoe. You can make your own waffles. What?! We took breakfast bars to go, Danish, Nutella, yogurt, the works.
Bed was too soft tho. :-(

They are by no means a five star resort but what they advertise is what you get. Clean room pool jacuzzi breakfast and cookies at night. Stayed there for almost a month straight. Close to really cool hiking, downtown and old town (not walking distance) 5 min car. Nothing to complain about. Thanks guys

We stayed for two nights at Thanksgiving. The last time we stayed here was during a wedding back in 1994. If anything, it was better this time. Our room was renovated; large and spotlessly clean, the HVAC worked well. The king bed was very comfortable. The amenities — so rare in Europe and at fancy hotels everywhere — were all nice: the breakfast, the free wifi (actually pretty fast), the refrigerator, etc. We appreciated the pleasant greeting at reception. (There are no elevators, but there are only two levels.) Well done.

Nice, simple, clean hotel. Was right off the freeway. Clean & well maintained. Just stayed one night. Overall it was a good experience.

Start with clean rooms, great customer service, courteous employees, free hi speed WiFi and it’s already four stars.
Add the absolutely most convenient location imaginable with super great Raley’s grocery, a laundromat, at least five diverse restaurants, two bank ATMs a minutes walk away and the highway to everywhere less than 100 yards away. What’s not to like?

There is no elevator, but it is an older place so that can be expected.
The place is clean and well kept and the staff are friendly.
It has all the amenities needed such as a mini fridge and microwave, laundry room on site, ice machines and pool.
I will stay here again in the future and would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

Clean rooms, great service, need I say more? We would not hesitate to come back. We were in Auburn for an event and met up with family, did an easter egg hunt in their grassy yard area out by the pool which was nice for the kids. This place has typical continental breakfast included, wi-​fi, fridge/​microwave in room, clean hot tub & pool. Yeah it is by the freeway but what do you expect from an I-​80 hotel? Did I mention it was clean? Oh yeah I did, we would stay here again if needed in a heart beat. Thanks Best Western!

Short version: If you need a budget room in Auburn, and you have a dog in tow, look no further! Seriously, this place is perfect.
Longer, more meandering version: It’s a very inexpensive motel in a small town. You could do a lot worse. The place is nothing fancy, but it’s very clean, has a decent continental breakfast, and very friendly staff. They are really sweet to dogs, and even have welcome treats for them. There is also a grassy area to take your dog out on.
Free wifi, cable, parking, etc. Close to bars, restaurants, and a liquor store.

The girlfriend & I were up in Auburn for the brewfest & it didn’t seem like a good idea to try to drive the 100+ miles back home down in the Bay Area after drinking beers for 5 hours. So, I booked an overnight stay at the Best Western Golden Key.
Check-​in/​check-​out was a breeze. During the short time we were here, I was helped by a few different staff members & they were all super-​friendly. There was plenty of free parking available & free Wi-​Fi in the room.
The room itself was nice. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was clean & comfortable. While the room was reasonably well decorated & appointed, the bathroom was bare & had a large empty space next to the shower that made it feel Spartan.
The Best Western Golden Key also has a pool that was out of commission. Tree roots had damaged the pool & permitting issues were holding up the repair work. Having experienced permitting issues myself, I told the staff I totally understood how slowly the wheels of local bureaucracy turn.
For a sanctuary far from home to sleep off 5 hours of beer drinking, the Best Western Golden Key suited our needs quite well. I even grabbed a couple pastries & coffees at their continental breakfast on the way out. If we ever stay in Auburn again, we’ll be staying here.

I wrote my first review of BWGK as I began posting about my travels. Many changes for me, my loved ones and the BWGK. The lovely grounds remain the same. I’ve since met the gardener who loves the grounds like a mother loves a sweet child.
I’ve stayed in so many places with far too few outlets. Tonight I have a wall socket on my left, another plug in the lamp base and a desk-​mounted power source with three outlets filled by two personal chargers and the lamp cord.
I have my choice of WiFi or wired internet connectivity.
The rooms are all wired up with a green electric control system. When your room key’s inserted, a light comes on and the climate control powers up. Very nice. Very thoughtful. Thermostat is on the wall with .5 degree levels of comfort control.
The beds have more pillows than a princess or her pea need. The TV is a panel. Tonight I found a pull-​out laundry line in the shower. So far, pulling it out and stringing it eludes me.
The breakfast bar’s been tuned up over the years. It will have a satisfactory selection. I know I can go to the dining area early in the AM so I can work on my Unilocal*s without disturbing other sleepers in the room.
Ikeda’s is an easy walk a block or so east. Groceries a few hundred yards west. The fridge and microwave are in the cabinet awaiting your every command.
I recommend this place.