Residence Inn Tustin Orange County

The Residence Inn Tustin Orange County is a relatively new hotel being built last year.  From what I could tell they are still going through some growing pains.

Lobby

Upon entering the hotel, the lobby is very spacious with plenty of seating.  There is also a flat screen TV and the breakfast area can be seen.  There is also a small pool located just outside of the lobby area.

The front desk is to the left.  There was a line of about six people in front on me but only one front desk agent working.  She kept calling for assistance but no other employees came to the front desk to assist the growing line of upset customers waiting to check-in.  Although check-in is at 4:00 PM from what I could tell all people waiting to check-n were told that there room was not ready yet, and that they would be contacted when their room was ready.  It sounds like there is not enough housekeeping staff in order to get the rooms ready in time for check-in.

2 Bedroom Suite

When it was my turn to check-in my Ritz Carlton Platinum status was recognized.  Fortunately my room was ready, maybe in part to my Platinum status.  It was strange in that I had received a message earlier that day indicating that my request for a 2 bedroom suite had been granted, and that I would be upgraded.  Funny thing is that I never called the hotel.

Kitchen

Free Hot Sauce!

Upon entering the room, you step directly into the kitchen area.  There is a full sized fridge, oven, dishwasher and microwave.  There is also a coffee maker and small sink.  There were packets of hot sauce on top of the fridge.  Maybe housekeeping is doing a poor job, or they weren’t tall enough to see it.

Desk

There is a small desk just past the kitchen, which does not provide too much working space for being a business hotel, but is functional enough.

Living Room

The living room features a sitting chair and long sofa with chaise lounge.  There is also a moveable tray that can be used as a table to eat while watching TV which I thought was a great idea.

King Bed

The first bedroom has a king bed, but feels very cramped as there is very little walking room around the bed.

TV

There is a flat screen TV which is conveniently located at the foot of the bed.

Shower

Sink

The bathroom is fairly large with a large shower and single sink.

The other bedroom is located on the other side of the living room area, and is great for families in which you can have some privacy away from your kids.

Queen Beds

TV/Drawers

There are two queen beds with two sets of drawers, a flat screen TV and 3 night stands.  Outlets are easily accessible which is always a plus.

Shower/Tub Combo

Sink

Toilet

The bathroom is large and features a shower/tub combo and oddly only one sink.  Water pressure was not all that great.  There is ample counter space which is also a plus.

View

Although the room overlooked the 55 freeway, there was very little noise when the windows were shut.

The air conditioning worked great, perfect for the hot summer days.

There is a complimentary breakfast buffet for all guests which is the norm at the Residence Inn.  The food area is rather small and gets very cramped and crowded.  There are hot options including scrambled eggs, sausage, oatmeal and a waffle maker.  Cold options include cereal, bread, pastries, bagels, yogurt and fruit.

All in all I had a great stay at the hotel, but staffing could use some improvement.

It should be noted that upgrading to a 1 bedroom suite seems to only be $10-$20 more than a regular room which is probably very well worth it.