Residence Inn by Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE — Hotel in Los Angeles

My partners and I were really impressed with our stay at Residence Inn over a weekend. We found a deal through a third party website that was $223/night after all taxes and resort fees. Our room was recently renovated and we liked most of it. We'd definitely stay again, especially considering the price.

The entrance area doubles as the kitchen. They were just enough plates and plenty of cups and utensils. As usual, the cutting knife is horrifically dull. The generous fridge was nice to have, as was the large microwave. I liked the entrance mirror to check your outfit, and and dlittle tray to put down coins. I wish the tray was larger so you could put down a whole wallet and phone.

The seating area is good, with a comfortable couch and a desk chair by the TV. The TV looks and sounds fine but the smart box is awful. It only has YouTube and Netflix, not any other apps, and can't even play videos off of a USB. YouTube kept crashing and was limited to a lower resolution. If you want to connect your laptop to the TV, be sure to unplug the serial cable from the TV (it looks like a phone jack) before turning it on. You can disconnect the ethernet cable from the smart box If you're laptop has a port. Just be sure to put everything back before you check out!

The king bed is really firm so side sleepers won't like it, but otherwise it was good. The couch has a fold-out bed or you can just sleep on the couch cushions if you want it soft. Extra linens are available in the closet. The wardrobe had good room but the doors couldn't close properly and the light stayed on. There was a makeup nook across from the wardrobe but oddly no chair.

The bathroom was generally good, with hot water coming quickly and a nice toilet (although it's high up and there's no stool to use like a squatty potty). I wish there was a way to turn down the force on the shower head, it was almost too much. The towels were adequate if a bit rough. And the sliding door has a gap, so if someone makes noises on the toilet, everyone else can hear them 😬

The breakfast buffet was quite generous, with hot potatoes and eggs and sausage and sugared waffles. On weekends there is also an omelet bar, but there can be a 15 minute backlog. There are also pastries, cereal, oatmeal, and a few fruits. There are no milk or cheese alternatives if you are lactose intolerant like me, so no cereal or bagels with cream cheese! The dining area is nice and I enjoyed the buffet every day.

The $30/day resort fee includes $30 daily credit to the cafe and 2 free on-tap beers/wines/sodas from the cafe, every day! There was a nice citrus ale on tap that quickly ran out on Friday and wasn't replenished throughout the weekend, and the only red wine tasted very musty. The cafe has a selection of sandwiches and salads and tasty desserts, as well as coffee and tea and snacks. My partner ordered some hot wings and was surprised to find they were actually quite strong! The staff can be overworked so be patient with them, the food never takes more than 15 minutes anyway.

Staff in the lobby were helpful and there's lots of space to sit and talk with friends while sipping your free wine/beer. The surrounding area was nice to walk during the day, but once the sun sets you'll find some seedier characters blasting music next to the food trucks. I even heard gunshots out front! Valet parking was rather expensive so I went to the lot just east of the hotel. It was pretty cheap and you can use a "ParkUp" app to pay each day. The Athena parking lot out front was much more expensive so I don't recommend it.

My complaints about the room were minor, and overall I appreciated the amount of space and value, plus the snacks that seemed like a fair value for the resort fee. Convenient to walk to the convention center and isn't worse than it most other parts of DTLA. We would...

PROS: Room 2321 was amazing! Comfortable and spacious with incredible amounts of storage. Who needs that much storage space? Ha. The bedroom was cozy with a large king bed, a TV, lots of natural light, and a full bathroom with a fantastic shower! The kitchen was small, so we used the dining table and the buffet for our groceries and prepping & plating. Full-size fridge with an ice maker. Plenty of plates, glasses, etc... Bonus half-bath, what a great surprise! Living room had plenty of seating, a TV w Netflix, and also, lots of natural light. The views were ok, but it was definitely nice being on the top floor and getting a look in 3 directions East, South, and West. On a clear day, sunsets must be great! You can see the famous Hollywood sign, the L.A. Live area, and other interesting buildings. Noise was not an issue, there were occasional ambulance or police sirens, but in general...very quiet! Location is fantastic with plenty of options to stay in the area for fun or hop on metro a few blocks away to explore other parts of the city. One day, we took it to the Exposition Park (garden, museum, science center) and another day, we rode over to Dodgers stadium to see a game. CONS: Rooms are a bit pricey after all the extra fees are added in. We thought we got a great deal, but the fees bring you back to reality...it cost a lot. But considering there are very few, somewhat insignificant cons and lots of pros, the price was really not that bad, I suppose. Towels, we should've asked for extras on day 1, we used every single towel we had. Also, if you need the sofa-bed, make sure to check upon arrival that you have linens. Coffeemaker. It would've been nice to have a full-size coffeemaker instead of a single serve brew. So, if you're a coffee drinker, pack a French press for the trip. Breakfast was nothing impressive. We really expected better food and beverage options. Actually ended up making our own breakfast each morning. OVERALL: We have to make occasional trips to L.A. for medical reasons (healthcare in NV is below average and USC Keck has amazing doctors!)...anyway, we would love to stay here again...psst, Marriott, Residence Inn...we would LOVE it, we will take 2321 (or the like) anytime it's available at...

Our check-in experience and nearly all interactions with the staff were quite good. We had reserved a one bedroom suite and requested two queens, due to the fact that we were traveling with my young special-needs son. At check-in, we were told that we were booked for a two-bedroom queen room (2107), based on availability. In many ways, this extra room was quite nice. However, due to the roll-in showers in the bathrooms, water from the shower would drain all over the bathroom floor and made the bathmat (and the entire bathroom) a wet mess. It would be helpful, when individuals without a disability are booked into this room, to identify some temporary solution to keep the water from escaping. Additionally, throughout our stay, we were disappointed by the fact that the sheets used in our room didn't seem to fit the beds--and the fitted mattress cover and fitted sheet constantly came of the corners of the bed at the slightest touch. Lastly, as you entered the room, the bedroom on the right side didn't have operational lights or outlets adjacent to the bed. Sometimes the lights would flicker, but they never worked properly. This was extremely frustrating. The clock in the bedroom on the left was not accurate--completely off from the correct time--and didn't seem to have a way for guests to adjust the time. Lastly, the same day we checked out, I called the hotel because we realized that my son had left his favorite two stuffed animals in the bedding. We called and asked if someone would please look for them. We received a call back from the Loss Prevention officer, who reported that no one had turned them in. I asked if someone would be able to please go check and he didn't commit to doing so, seeming rather uninterested in being helpful. On the whole, we liked the location of the hotel, many of the amenities, and most of the interactions with the staff. It just seemed that our room and a couple of other key issues may need some improvement. Many thanks for the opportunity to...