Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia Review

I am back in Los Angeles to visit our local office in the area. My stay would bring me into the area for a week and I was looking for a Marriott property as I am still working to requalify for Ambassador status. I want to get the qualification behind me so I can switch back to stay at Hyatt properties. Unfortunately, the closest Hyatt in LA is far away, and I really hate traffic. Therefore, I stay pretty much at every other brand, as they all have properties closer to the office. That’s why I chose the Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia for this trip to the area.

I was also working on a few simplymiles.com offers and one was for Uber Eats. As Marriott has a partnership with Uber, I get to earn additional points when using the service while staying at a Marriott hotel. There are a few other Marriott hotels in the area but all of them were around $200/night. The Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia set me back only about $130/night.

Booking & Stay Details

I booked a seven-night stay just after I touched down at LAX in the morning. I booked straight through the Marriott app, which has had connectivity issues lately. It always takes a while to find properties and complete the booking in the app.

Location

The Courtyard Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia is located in the city of Monrovia. It is located on Huntington Blvd right next to the 210 freeway. You have easy access to the freeway, and you can make it to all the important places in the Los Angeles area. There are many hotels located close by in the same area. I have reviewed a few of them already like the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Monrovia – Pasadena Area and the Hampton Inn Los Angeles/Arcadia/Pasadena. There are also many restaurants in the area and some shopping.

Parking

There are plenty of parking spots on the property all around the building. Parking is complimentary and no parking pass is required.

Shuttle Service

No shuttle service offered.

Check-In

The front desk is to the right as you walk into the lobby through the main entrance. You can’t miss it. During my check-in process, I asked if they had any suite upgrades available and he was actually able to upgrade me to the Junior Suite. I was super excited about it. The agent told me that it would be next to the elevator, but I didn’t mind at all. Hey, it’s a suite. I grabbed my room keys and used the elevator next to the main entrance to get up to my room. I was given a choice of points or $10 daily food and beverage credit as my welcome gift.

Next to the front desk was a flavored water dispenser as well as some snacks hotel guests could grab. 

1 Bedroom Junior Suite, 1 King, Sofa Bed, City view, High Floor (Room 610)

The entrance to the room is right next to the elevator. As you enter the room you have a big space next to the door. Followed by that is a wall closet which holds a suitcase stand and a couple of hangers. The entryway enters the living room area. To your right, you have a bunch of closets and shelves. In the very corner is a small kitchen sink. Following that is a bigger closet with several shelves holding the coffee maker and an ice bucket on top. Hidden behind the bottom door is a refrigerator. Connected to it is a work desk with an office chair. Unfortunately, the desk is completely useless as the large flatscreen TV is mounted on top of it. You have no space to even set up a laptop, even when you turn the TV.

Opposite the desk is a sofa bed. In the corner of the room is a lamp stand next to the floor-to-ceiling window. The window has a door that looks like you can get onto the balcony outside. Wrong, the door is locked, and the balcony is not accessible. From the room, you get a view of the nearby 210 freeway.

Next to the desk is a door which will lead you into the bedroom. Inside the bedroom is a king-sized bed. Mounted to the headboard are a lamp on either side of the bed as well as a nightstand. Next to the bed, against the inside wall is another large closet with hangers, iron, and ironing board. Next to it is a dresser with a couple of drawers. Another TV is mounted on top of the dresser. The bedroom also has large floor-to-ceiling windows, with a door. This door is locked as well and you can’t get onto the balcony, unfortunately. Part of the air conditioning system sits on the balcony.

The entrance to the bathroom is more or less in front of the bed. It is separated from the bedroom by another door. Inside is a vanity with a single sink and wall-mounted mirror. On one side is the toilet and on the other side is the shower/tub combination. Inside the shower, you have wall-mounted dispensers for shampoo, body wash, and conditioner.

The air conditioning units are mounted above the door between the living room and bedroom. There was a wall-mounted remote on the bedroom side but the remote for the living room side was missing but the mount was still visible. However, the same remote works for both units. 

Neither part of the suite offered a lot of extra space. Seems like the suites are mainly there to make room for the otherwise dead space behind the levator.

Unfortunately, there was no space to set up a laptop to get work done. As I would be staying for a week, I really needed a space to get work done while here. I went back downstairs and asked if their regular rooms have an actual work desk. I would rather stay in a regular room with a good work desk than in the suite. Yes, it’s a one-bedroom suite but space wise the suite feels smaller than the regular King guestroom at the hotel.

Guest Room 1 King, Sofa bed (Room 818)

This room is located at the very end of the hallway. As you enter you have the bathroom to your right. Inside is a vanity with a single sink and a wall-mounted mirror. Followed by the toilet and the shower-tub combination. Inside the shower, you have again three dispensers for the different types of soap.

Outside the bathroom is the King-sized bed. A lamp is mounted to the headboard on either side of the bed. There is also a nightstand on either side of the bed. Following the bed, you have the sofa bed with an ottoman. A tall light stand is in the corner behind the sofa bed. In the same corner is also the air conditioning unit which can be controlled by a wall-mounted panel next to the bed. 

Next to the air conditioner is a floor-to-ceiling window with a door. The door here is locked as well and you can’t access the balcony, unfortunately. I wish the balcony would be accessible. The view from the eighth floor is decent. The window faces the 210 freeway and the city, rather than the mountains, but it’s still a pleasant view. 

Opposite the bed is a large closet. It holds the coffee maker, ice bucket as well as a small refrigerator at the very bottom. The closet has multiple shelves inside and outside as well as hangers and a suitcase stand. Next to the large closet is a counter which has three drawers on one side. On top of the counter is a large flatscreen TV and a smaller work desk with wheels is placed underneath it. You can pull the desk out and set it up however you want to have it. The office chair is comfortable as well. 

Unfortunately, the door never closes fully when you leave the room. You must pull it completely close to lock yourself. Otherwise, people can get in your room without a key.

Public Areas & Amenities

Lobby

The lobby is quite big. As you enter the lobby through the main entrance. You have a set of stairs leading up to the dining area. In front of you are the elevators and to the right, you have the front desk and additional lobby space which is used as a foyer for the meeting rooms and ballrooms. There are a few seating options scattered throughout the lobby.

Business Center

A business center is located in the lobby area close to the bistro. In the corner, by the bookshelves is a section where you will find two workstations and a printer.

Meeting Areas

The Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia has quite a few meeting rooms and ballrooms. Great for conventions. That is also a reason for the bigger-than-usual lobby space.

Fitness Center

A hallway to the left of the front desk leads to the ballrooms as well as to the fitness center. The fitness center is at the far end of the hallway on the right side. A room key is required to enter the fitness center. From inside the fitness center, you have a view of the outdoor pool area. The fitness center has a few workout machines.

Pool Area

To access the pool area, you need your room key to open the door at the end of the hallway. There are a few chaise loungers spread out around the pool and whirlpool. The pool area faces the freeway, and it could get a bit noisy during the evening hours as there is always lots of traffic.

Guest Laundry

There is no guest laundry facility at the hotel. However, the Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia offers a dry-cleaning service. There are a few dry cleaners in the vicinity of the hotel if you want to save some money but lose out on points when you charge your dry-cleaning charges to the room.

Dining

Breakfast

As you are used to from Marriott Courtyard properties, they don’t have an actual breakfast buffet or restaurant. Courtyard properties have a Starbucks where you can buy your breakfast. As a Platinum or higher elite member, you have the option to receive a daily $10 food credit or points. 

Bistro Hours (Temporary)
Monday – Friday: 6 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 7 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Market

A small market is located next to the front desk. You get the usual choice of drinks and snacks as well as some over-the-counter medicine. Open 24 hours a day.

Conclusion

Overall, my stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia was nothing special. The proximity to the freeway could be bothersome for some, especially if you try to relax at the pool and hear the traffic noise non-stop. The service was great, and the staff was amazing and always helpful. Unfortunately, the highspeed internet option didn’t work and you could only get normal speed. Highspeed internet is complimentary for top tier elites with Marriott that’s why I always try to use it and I need a lot of bandwidth too.