The Tangerine - a Burbank Hotel — Hotel in Burbank

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars The Tangerine – Where Old-School Hollywood Vibes Meet Modern Boutique Cool 🍊🎬

Nestled right in the heart of Burbank, California—aka the Media Capital of the World—you’ll find The Tangerine, a bright, funky little hotel that feels like the kind of place where Lucille Ball and Seth Rogen could high-five across generations.

But don’t let the playful name fool you: this spot is drenched in history and a dash of retro magic.

🍊 A Little History to Peel Back: Originally opened in the 1960s, this property has undergone several transformations over the decades. In its early years, it was just one of many humble motels catering to weary travelers, studio workers, and the occasional actor hustling for their big break. The exact original name is a bit of a Burbank mystery (like the secret to In-N-Out’s “spread”), but it became The Tangerine after a bold and much-needed makeover in the early 2000s.

The current incarnation is the brainchild of a local family of hoteliers who wanted to create something that honored Burbank’s old-Hollywood-meets-modern-creatives vibe. They poured their hearts (and probably their entire Pinterest boards) into transforming this into the bold, colorful, boutique gem it is today.

The owners’ vision? A place that feels fun, relaxed, artistic, and local—without the cookie-cutter vibe of the big hotel chains. And they totally pulled it off.

🎥 Location, Location, Location: The Tangerine sits within shouting distance (but please don’t shout, darling, this is Burbank) of: • Warner Bros. Studios • Universal Studios Hollywood • NBC Studios • And just a short drive to Hollywood proper.

Honestly, if you throw a rock (which I don’t recommend), you’ll probably hit someone working on a TV show.

🌟 Celebrities? Oh, Honey: Burbank is a working town—working in the sense that half the people you see on the street are probably editors, grips, animators, or minor sitcom stars. While The Tangerine doesn’t plaster its celeb guest list on the wall, rumor has it the place has hosted: • TV writers and producers during pilot season • Animators from Disney and Warner Bros. • A few low-key actors avoiding the usual Beverly Hills scene • And possibly (allegedly) some rockstars passing through on tour. It’s very much the “I’m famous, but not too famous to enjoy a boutique hotel vibe” kind of place.

🖼 The Split-Rail Art: Can We Talk About It? The rooms? Absolute retro-boutique chef’s kiss. But what really caught my eye (and my soul) was the split-rail art on the walls. Yes, you heard me right: art made from the humble split rail—the kind of fencing you’d expect to see on a dusty ranch, not in the land of glitz and glamour.

Who knew you could take something that costs $3.99 a foot at Home Depot and turn it into art that slaps? The result is this quirky, rustic-modern mash-up that somehow works perfectly with the hotel’s playful vibe. I spent an unhealthy amount of time just staring at it, like I was in a minimalist Western film directed by Wes Anderson. 10/10 for creativity.

🛏 My Stay: The staff were friendly, genuinely cool people who didn’t just “fake smile” you to death. The room was spotless, cozy, and—yes—Instagrammable. The free breakfast at the adorable café next door? Delicious. The pool area? Small but peaceful and perfect for unwinding after a day of studio tours. The vibe? Laid-back luxury without the attitude.

🍊 Final Thoughts: The Tangerine is what happens when you mix old Hollywood charm with new Hollywood quirk, add a splash of color, shake vigorously, and serve with a biodegradable straw. Whether you’re here for a studio tour, a creative retreat, or just to escape the soul-suck of corporate hotels, this is your spot.

And seriously—someone needs to give that split-rail artist a raise. Or at least a latte. ☕✨ Loved the Tangerine! ...

My wife and I stayed here because we had tickets to see a taping of the 'Big Bang Theory' at the nearby Universal Studios (Bazinga!). I was a bit reluctant because it's a converted old-school motel, and I am not partial to either orange or tangerines. Not to mention traffic or smog.

But I am very partial to Sheldon, and I had no choice.

So, my spot abandoned, I proceeded to stock up on tissues and disinfectant (and that was just for SouthWest airlines). We found The Tangerine very close to Burbank Airport, which seems like it was used in the movie Casablanca (which we later learned had shots taken at Warner Bros. studios)... A quick rental car ride later, we arrived. It was 12:05 pm.

The friendly hotel employee looked suspiciously like Ricky Ricardo. He smiled, looked down at his watch and said, "Hm. It's 12:05 pm. Check in is 1:00 pm." Panicked, I looked for my spot on the orange couch nearby... but could not find it. He then called someone on a radio (or was it a 1990s cell phone?), and Bazinga! they found a room for us.

We climbed the stairs, and I noticed that strangely this retro 1950s property lacked an elevator. I quickly identified my emergency exits, and we entered our room. I believe it was 233 - a corner room. The room was - surprise - orange, and looked like it was from a much fancier hotel than a 1950s motel. I entered. I looked around: luxury. I exited. Closed the door. Looked around: 1950s Cuba-style motel. I re-entered: luxury. I exited: Cuba. I re-entered: luxury.

My wife told me to stop.

I pondered whether bed bugs might exist in this hotel, or whether we might have picked them up on SouthWest airlines as our carry-on snuggled next to that suspicious woman wearing slick black pants. No bed bugs, assured me, my wife.

We unpacked. I noted that the WiFi was excellent (strange, I thought, for a 1950s motel to have WiFi - could it be original?). Left for the Big Bang theory taping... our GPS indicated it was an 8 minute walk: so we drove. We arrived and witnessed the performance.

I waived at Sheldon. He did not wave back.

I saw my spot. All was well with the world. We left and went to Bob's Big Burger (very near to The Tangerine) and I thought of Austin Powers... thinking that Bob's Big Burger had gone out of business, but really it had never left. "Where was Dr. Evil now?", I pondered.

We returned to The Tangerine, slept (and perhaps did other sorts of adult behaviors - you'll never know), packed up and left. Thank you, Tangerine, for a wonderful hotel experience in Burbank, California.

Here's lookin'...

The best word to describe the first impression of this place is Quaint. It has a very eclectic vibe about it and reminded me of a 70s casino movie, but that's not to say that it was old at all. It felt modern and clean and just delightful. We only stayed for a handful of hours to sleep before attending an event. we originally thought we would feel like it was wasted money to pay for a room just for those few hours, but the customer service at this hotel made us feel like we were valued and completely taken care of by the staff. First of all we arrived at nearly 4 a.m. We had informed the hotel that we would be arriving late and while most places roll their eyes at me for coming in after 1 a.m. the Tangerine staff assured me that whatever time we arrived they would happily be there for us as they were there 24/7 and didnt want us to worry. When we arrived, the kindest woman checked us in and gave us a later check out time since we had come in so late, we didnt ask for it, it was offered. We were extremely worried about parking because the pictures show about 4 parking spots in front, but there is additional parking on the back side of the building with ample access to the rooms. Our other concern with parking was due to our event. We were to be there at 7:30 a.m. but the parking structure at the event wasnt actually open to us until 2:30 p.m. Many hotels wont allow parking once you're checked out of their facility, but an incredible gentleman behind the desk told me that as long as our parking pass was visible we could park all day. Once he found out that our event was letting out at around 10 PM he said "why dont you just park here all day and not worry about having to come back and move your car midday?" I almost cried moved by the absolute kindness and generosity after our long night's drive and few hours sleep. The beds were comfortable and clean, the room was spacious and well set up, amenities were classy (make up remover towelettes, shower cap, shower gel, conditioning shampoo, lotion I think) hair dryer provided, coffee maker, and in the lobby they served pastries from Portos bakery...YUM! Everything was impeccable and we were so impressed by our short stay that are looking forward to a longer stay in the future. We will never stay anywhere else when traveling to Burbank. It was a quick walk to the WB studios oh and one last thing - the pool was so crystal clear and clean my son regretted not having time to take a dip. Stay here, you...