Herbert Samuel Opera Tel Aviv 

We booked the Herbert Samuel Opera for the week before a family wedding planned for October 9. It's a lovely, comfortable, relatively small hotel in a wonderful location. We had room with a balcony overlooking the beach. The amenities and breakfast buffet are not the reason I'm writing this review though. I'm writing because we were in this hotel at the time of the October 7 Hamas attack and stayed there until we departed Israel on October 12. The hotel staff maintained an atmosphere of normalcy and calm every day. Everyone from the room attendants to the barista to the receptionists continued doing their jobs in a totally professional manner. When United Airlines cancelled all its Israel flights and left thousands of travelers frantically scrambling for alternative arrangements, the hotel did everything humanly possible to maintain continuity of service and a sense of normalcy. I was honestly moved by the staff's professionalism and humanity. Many of the staff were refugees from other countries, including Ukraine, but they somehow showed up for work and did their jobs. In particular, there was a man at the front desk named Moti S. I think he was an assistant manager. He was so kind and accommodating, I literally still can't believe it. All of our friends who were also staying at the hotel had to change their plans, and he took all the stress out of the process. To say I was deeply impressed and appreciative is an understatement.