I was provided a media rate at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Downtown Burbank. Thoughts are my own. As usual, my Wordless Wednesday post is not really wordless. Linky can be found towards the end of this post.
Don’t you just love vacation time with family where you can just relax and not worry about anything for a few hours or days? My husband and I do! And we had a quick vacation in Los Angeles in mid-August because my brother went to the West Coast to visit me. It was his first time here in California so my husband and I found the perfect reason for us to visit Universal Studios in Hollywood.
But as always, our biggest challenge is to find a hotel that would cater to our needs as a family — with a fridge so we can store my son’s milk, a microwave so we can heat milk or food, and a space big enough for 3 adults and a toddler.
Enter the Residence Inn by Marriott in Downtown Burbank.
This is not the closest hotel to Universal Studios, but it’s just a few minutes away — probably a 16-minute drive. A hotel in Burbank works for my family because my relatives live in this area of the Los Angeles County so it’s also just a short drive to their homes.
Here are some panoramic photos I took of our 1-bedroom suite. Feel free to click on the photo if you want to see the larger version.
The Residence Inn by Marriott in Burbank looked really nice. What made me like this hotel even before we arrived was the fact that the rooms are all suites (there are studio suites, 1-bedroom suites and 2-bedroom suites), and that internet use is free! Most of the hotels we checked only offered free internet in the lobby, but Residence Inn by Marriott in Burbank offers free internet whether you’re in the lobby using one of 2 desktop computers in the business center, or in your room using your own laptop!
Our 1-bedroom suite had a mini-office, a sofabed and a TV in the living room. There’s a glass jar at the center of the table with free candy and I think that was my son’s favorite amenity.
And here’s a photo of the dining area and kitchen. I was so amazed by the full-sized refrigerator and the dishwasher. There was also free popcorn and coffee on the dining table.
A closer look at the kitchen. There’s a full-size fridge, a microwave, a stove, plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, and dishwashing liquid. Not shown in the photo are the coffeemaker and the items in the drawers — spoons, forks, knives, pots, and pans.
Since there were 3 adults on our group (me, my husband and my brother), we had to make sure my brother had a comfortable sleeping area. And the sofabed in the living room was perfect for my brother! I arranged it using the extra beddings in the closet in the bedroom, and I requested for some extra pillows so he can be more comfortable. Here’s a before and after photo of the sofabed.
Now on to the bedroom. Inside was a king-sized bed which was very comfortable to sleep on. I love that it had a bedside lamp, a mirror and a power outlet on both sides. Β It’s so important for us to be able to charge multiple devices simultaneously because we didn’t want to go low on battery on any phone or camera while we were out.
There was also a TV inside the bedroom so that’s a plus. We didn’t want to have to disturb my brother’s sleep in the living room just so we can tune in to some cartoons to help wake my son up.
The bathroom was slightly bigger than most other hotel bathrooms I’ve seen before. I like that the shower had a glass door instead of just a shower curtain. There were lots of extra towels in the shelf (not shown in photo but it’s on the upper left of the toilet) and I think that’s always a plus!
Their facial soap, bath soap, shampoo and conditioner were all Paul Mitchell products — which is a trusted name in over 100,000 salons in the US. Impressive!
One thing that would make me come back to the Residence Inn by Marriott in Burbank is excellent customer service.
Just within 15-30 minutes of getting to our room, a personnel from the Front desk already gave us a call and asked if everything was okay and if we needed anything. I think that’s a first for me. I’ve stayed in various hotels before and never had anyone ask us as soon as we saw our room if there’s anything else we wanted or needed.
Also, on the second day of our stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott, I had to print out tickets but for some reason, the file wouldn’t open in any of the PCs in the lobby’s business center. I figured the PCs might not have a reader for the file so I approached the gentleman from the Front desk/Reception (his name was Joseph) and asked if he can help me. He gladly told me that I can just forward the file to his email address so he can print it from their computer. But after about 10 minutes, the file still wouldn’t open so I gave up hope and just thanked him for trying to help. Joseph suggested for us to print out tickets at a kiosk when we get to Universal Studios.
I went back to our room to see if I can open the file on my laptop. I planned to just print it out at my aunt’s house since we’ll be dropping by at her place before going to Universal Studios anyway. But our room’s phone rang and it was Joseph from the Front desk saying he was able to successfully print out our tickets! Yay! I was so relieved because I didn’t know if my aunt’s printer had ink and I just didn’t want to worry about anything once was left the hotel!
He didn’t have to print the tickets out anymore since I know he was very busy at that time. He could’ve just deleted the file after it had opened on his computer but he decided to go the extra mile and make sure our vacation went smoothly. I applaud Residence Inn by Marriott for having an employee like him.
Because I was a Marriott Rewards member, the Front Desk personnel asked us to spin a wheel so we can get more perks for our stay. Luckily, it landed on 1 free day of parking. Their parking fee is $15 per day, but I didn’t mind it that much because it’s lower than other parking fees I’ve paid at other hotels before. This “Spin the Wheel for additional perks” thing is exclusive for customers at the Residence Inn in Downtown Burbank. Very very nice! π
Our stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Downtown Burbank may not be the “main attraction” of our quick LA vacation — I’d say Universal Studios as well as meeting up with relatives were the main attraction. But our stay here was like icing on a cake.
So if you’re ever going to visit Los Angeles, be sure to consider the Residence Inn by Marriott in Downtown Burbank as your hotel!
Do you have a Wordless Wednesday post on your blog? Link it up below!
I work in Universal City (but do not live in LA anymore) so I stay all over — this is an awesome option for me! Looks very accommodating.
Sarah recently posted..Royal Baby first sippy cups {Tommee Tippee}
Wow! That’s beautiful! It really looks like they’ve thought of every detail that a traveler would need!
cheryl recently posted..Kissimmee Memories and Dreams Contest
oh i love the kitchen and the bathrooms look very nice!
Kristyn recently posted..Laura Geller Creme Sheers Hydrating Lip Color Review
Looks like a wonderful place for a vacation, with all the comforts of home!
Monica recently posted..Ron Hynes, A Canadian Treasure
We love Residence Inn. I reviewed one (on Frisco Kids) in the Washington DC area – it was the perfect place to stay for us.
Debbie recently posted..Review: Drazil Kids Tea Adventure
I checked your post! Looks like all their suites have the same layout. Nice!
Isis recently posted..Residence Inn by Marriott Downtown Burbank (Wordless Wednesday Linky)
Marriott’s are the best hotels to stay at.
posh recently posted..#DEAL $44.99 Vera Bradley Frame Bag was $94.00
Wow this sounds like a great place.
Katherine G recently posted..Not Really Wordless Wednesday: Shopping, Waffle House, Basketball, & Church
It looks really spacious on the inside from all the pictures. Nice spot to stay!
paula schuck recently posted..Back to School 2013 #wordlesswednesday Linky
I used to live in Burbank!
WE prefer a Residence Inn over any other chain. I think that I’m going to have to look into getting a media rate. Was it hard to “qualify”?
Libby’s Library recently posted..Little Pnuts Giveaway
Hi Libby! Not really. They didn’t ask me for my reach, but it did take a little while to receive a response. I think it’s because my request still had to be forwarded to the PR firm. π
Isis recently posted..Monroe And Main Fashion Review & Giveaway #MMBloggerSpotlight
Well, that looks like a really great place to stay.
What a lovely suite by Marriott. So many extras are offered. A lot of room makes this hotel look and feel like home. Wise choice you made.
I like a room that has a fridge in it. Vacations can be expensive. Especially if you have to eat meals out every night.
I love Marriott/,especially th e one in Salt Lake.