I came to Merano a couple of days ahead of my husband, so stayed in a smaller back-facing room the first two nights. For one person it was fine. The view still included the high mountains that are so breathtaking in that direction. However, I sensed this room would be uncomfortably small for the two of us, and the bathroom was cramped as well, particularly the shower stall. I asked about a better room and it was only 20€ more for the better room category, more than worth it! We faced the river, had a lovely balcony as seen in photos of the hotel, and much nicer bathroom in addition to larger, more luxurious room. The room I had for myself cost 115€ but was to be higher with double occupancy. The particular room was in a funky modern style with lots of mirrors and red retro furnishings, as seen in one of the photos on this website, The new one was more traditional but still very modern, lots of wood and tons of storage space in all forms. Bedding was comfortable though we favor the European style anyway (firm).
We did have great difficulty with the spotty Internet so basically gave up and used the computer in the lobby, which wasn't a whole lot more reliable either.
The staff was very nice though not all speak English. They would fetch someone who does when my broken Span-Italian didn't make the grade.
In either case, the breakfast was included and it was one of those stupendous European buffets with enough great food to count for breakfast and lunch together. What we'd spend on even a modest breakfast and our morning espressos outside the hotel, the inclusion of the buffet factored in make the deal much sweeter.

The hotel is being advertised as a design hotel.Our room had nothing in common with the rooms one could see on the hotel site - a small room furnished in the style of the 60s - indeed a very original idea how to turn a partially refurbished hotebll into a design hotel. On which basis was the 4 star rating awarded remains mysterious. Internet caccess free although deplorably slow, and a request must be placed with the reception for every hour used. The staff friendly.

The Aurora is right in the centre of Merano, overlooking the fast-flowing river. If you've never been to Merano and love views of high mountains, get there as soon as you can. It's a lovely, uplifting place with thermal springs and of course clean mountain air. The Aurora is a modern hotel with exccellent facilities - underground car parking, really good restaurants and nicely furnished rooms. We were so impressed with the bathroom we are thinking of renovating ours along the same lines! All the staff spoke English and looked after us really well. We really felt like welcome guests. We hope to have the chance to go back.

This is a traditional hotel that appears to be transitioning to a hip modern place and we were very lucky to stay here! We arrived in Merano at a surprisingly busy time with no reservations and were so mortified at the hotels we saw (around the 130 Euro per night range), we almost left town.

Then we tried the Hotel Aurora. After being shown the older traditional rooms (which are quite worn) we thought we'd have to look elsewhere. We were then shocked and delighted when shown their brand new design rooms! We had a great 2-night stay.

Our room was all white, with red as an accent, laminate flooring, a flat screen TV, comfortable double bed, lots of mirrors and funky lighting. The bathroom was all grey and steel, with a glass sliding door and high end chrome fixtures. It is best described as Austin Powers meets the 'W Hotel'!

The location can't be beat - it is in the centre of town, right on the Promenade, just across the river from the Therme (2 minute walk).

The price was more than we initially expected pay (as we were approaching off season), but it was good for Merano, and the extras included made it a very good value. The breakfast buffet was included and was excellent. They provided both of us with a 3-hour pass to the Therme for each night of our stay (go to the Therme - it's beautiful!). They parked our car for us for 6.50 Euro per 24 hours. Internet was available, but was overpriced at 6.50 Euro per hour.

Overall, the Hotel Aurora was a hip and happy surprise and, while the old rooms still cater to the traditional crowd, we highly recommend the chic new design rooms!