Marriott Launches its First Dual-Branded West Coast Hotel

The Details

Courtyard Los Angeles L.A. Live
www.marriott.com

Residence Inn Los Angeles L.A. Live
www.marriott.com

It’s a carpet divided on the fourth floor of Marriott’s Courtyard and Residence Inn L.A. Live. To the right, the flooring takes on a vibrant orange hue, while the left brandishes a royal purple.

No, your eyes don’t deceive you. The carpet didn’t jump onboard the trendy ombre train, either. Your feet are standing where the hotel splits off into two separate brands and subsequently, offers different types of rooms for various sets of travelers.

Courtyard and Residence Inn L.A. Live is a two-in-one, custom-designed hotel that plays to the individual strengths of sister brands Residence Inn by Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott. Though a hotel with the same concept opened in Manhattan last January, this property — which celebrated its grand opening on July 1— is the first of its kind on the West Coast.

As a longtime force in the extended-stay hotel segment, Residence Inn L.A. Live caters to business travelers and families in particular. Studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites — 219 in total — are available, designed to accommodate stays of five nights or more.

Business trips are made seamless at the Residence Inn due to a functional in-room work space; free high-speed Internet access (even faster Wi-Fi access is available for a fee); and useful services such as faxing, copy and printing. Families and other traveling groups will also appreciate complimentary buffet-style breakfast and fully-equipped kitchens with a refrigerator (that can be stocked through the hotel’s grocery delivery program), a stove, a microwave, a dishwasher and a cooktop.   

Meanwhile, Courtyard has rightfully earned its reputation as a prominent lodging brand in the upper-moderate tier. Standard rooms at Courtyard Los Angeles L.A. Live offer a pull-out sofa with either one king bed or two double beds, in addition to a separate seating area and a large work desk. Courtyard’s 174 rooms (only 14 are suites) are geared toward shorter stays.

Photos & Videos

The recently opened Courtyard and Residence Inn L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles is Marriott’s first dual-branded hotel on the West Coast. // © 2014 Marriott

Courtyard and Residence Inn L.A. Live celebrated its grand opening on July 1 with speeches, a ribbon cutting, live music, small bites and refreshments. // © 2014 Valerie Chen

Confetti flies after Homer Williams, chairman of Williams & Dame Development, cuts the grand opening ribbon. // © 2014 Valerie Chen

As an amusing nod to the dual-branded nature of the hotel, two sets of twins sported either a purple or orange shirt. // © 2014 Valerie Chen

Courtyard and Residence Inn L.A. is one of the only dual-branded Marriott hotels with both room types on a single floor. // © 2014 Marriott

Resident Inn Los Angeles L.A. Live offers studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites for travelers booking longer stays. // © 2014 Marriott

Standard rooms at Courtyard Los Angeles L.A. Live are smaller, but still have similar niceties, such as a large work desk and a pull-out sofa. // © 2014 Marriott

Business travelers will appreciate access to multiple meeting spaces, including the “LA Meeting Room” with modern light fixtures plus natural light. // © 2014 Valerie Chen

Called the “Hearth Room,” the posh lounge area is where Resident Inn guests can enjoy their complimentary breakfast. // © 2014 Marriott

All guests can access the outdoor pool deck outfitted with cabanas, accessible from the third floor. // © 2014 Marriott

Take a seat and enjoy the Southern California weather on the cozy patio adjacent to the pool. // © 2014 Marriott

All guests, regardless of which side they stay in, have shared access to a 24-hour, hi-tech fitness center; an on-site laundry room; dry cleaning services; an outdoor pool with cabanas; a business center; and abundant meeting space. 

Guests can drink and dine at Table 901 Cafe, located in the chic hotel lobby, or opt for lighter options at Starbucks. For a more upscale meal, head across the street to LA Market, a restaurant located at the lobby level of JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live, also in the Marriott family. Diners can order seasonal dishes with a heavy California influence containing farm-to-table ingredients such as herbs and citrus grown in the hotel’s rooftop garden. 

With a hip neighborhood such as the burgeoning downtown of Los Angeles, the hotel will draw in guests from all over the world. L.A. Live — an entertainment district with sports and music venues, restaurants, a bowling alley and a movie theater — is merely steps away, while the Staples Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center require only a short walk.      

“Right now, about 15 percent of [Residence Inn properties] are in downtown locations, but about 35 percent of [what is in the] pipeline is urban,” said Diane Mayer, vice president and global brand manager of Residence Inn by Marriott, in an interview with TravelAge West. “It’s downtown, so there are higher barriers of entry. But there is a lot of extended stay demand in downtown that historically has only been met by full service hotels. So, as more developers have been willing to develop Resident Inns in urban markets because they know how successful the brand is, we want to be in every major city that we can be in the U.S.”

The $170 million project of building the hotel, led by owners American Life, Inc. and Williams & Dame Development, is expected to contribute more than $89 million annually in spending to the downtown area.