Originally Posted by hhoope01

Back in the 90s, my kids loved sleeping on the murphy bed in a penthouse suite (it was a novelty to them). But I will admit it has been decades since I last stayed in one.

Originally Posted by EdofFX

Yes, your description is more accurate. There was a bed in a small area on a higher level that was reachable through some interior stairs. I did not consider that a second floor because it was so small. I don't even remember whether it had space for anything else other than one bed. It did overlook the living room. There was no door between the two level, nor between the bedroom and living room, and therefore no privacy.

Originally Posted by Horace

The upstairs loft has a king bed (sometimes two single or double beds), a closet, and a full bathroom. Yes, the loft overlooks the living room, and the interior stairs do not have a door.

The downstairs bedroom sometimes has a real bed and french doors for more privacy. Sometimes, it's furnished with a desk and a murphy bed, so it's more of an office that converts to bedroom when necessary.

When we used to vacation with our kids, the Penthouse Suites were wonderful — much better than traditional hotel rooms.

The percentage of Residence Inns with the old format has been decreasing since the format changed in the mid-1990s and the brand has continued to expand its footprint. Also, as owner of these older properties choose to rebrand, the number of them decreases. But I disagree with the OP's assertion that "they no longer meet brand standards and guest expectations." They continue to be part of the brands. Marriott is not kicking them out. And the Marriott website clearly shows which properties have the old Penthouse Suites. The standards changed for new new-builds, but the older properties still meet Marriott's brand standards if they properly maintained.

Originally Posted by 1120

I’ve stayed at several of these, most recently in Greenwood Village, CO.

Personally, I really like the layout.

Originally Posted by yyzflyer

There's a bunch of these still around. Buffalo-Amherst, NY, for one. Not that great when there's a foot of snow on the ground and you're going for breakfast in a separate building or toting luggage to your car.

Originally Posted by dcchi

Like others, in recent years, I've really enjoyed staying in the newer Residence Inns, which have generally been really nicely furnished.

However, in pandemic times, these older RIs actually have a distinct advantage in that each unit has its own individual, exterior entrance. No need to walk through hotel hallways, touch elevator buttons, etc. And, if they're renovated decently, these can be pretty nice. In fact, that rationale is leading us to choose the older RI in Boulder over a newer RI.

Originally Posted by Horace

I would not use the term obsolete. I would just say it's an older concept.

Marriott switched its standards for new Residence Inns to buildings with elevators and interior hallways many years ago. Expectations for security and accessibility have changed. But there are still plenty of the old ones left. There's a place in Marriott for older Residence Inns that are well-located and well-maintained.

This subject has come up before on FlyerTalk: Is Marriott Turning Residence Inns over to Sonesta?

Here are a few paragraphs I wrote in the earlier thread (with some modifications):

Residence Inn was acquired by Marriott in 1987. Initially, the brand standards continued to call for clusters of residential buildings with outside doors, including 2-story penthouses that were reached by outside stairways.

Around the mid-1990s, Marriott changed the standards for new construction to inside hallways and the elimination of 2-story penthouses. There were probably a number of reasons why Marriott chose to make the change, including accessibility, maintainability, security, liability, and evolving guest expectations.

For 25 years or so, the Residence Inn brand has grown to have primarily the "new" configuration.

It seems Marriott is happy to collect franchise and marketing fees from owners of older Residence Inn properties that maintain their properties properly.


A Residence Inn penthouse suite is an apartment-like suite, The entrance is on the second floor at the top of an exterior stairway. Inside, the first floor has a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen with a table, and a bathroom. The first floor also has either a bedroom or a sitting room / office with a murphy bed. An interior stairway goes up to a loft bedroom with a second bathroom. It's terrific layout for families on vacation or who need long-term accommodations. But it's terrible for those for whom stairs are a problem.

Look for photos of penthouse suites at the following properties. (I've stayed at all three of them.)

Residence Inn Boulder: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...e-inn-boulder/

Residence Inn La Jolla: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hote...iego-la-jolla/

Residence Inn Albuquerque: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hote...n-albuquerque/

Originally Posted by s0ssos

I'm looking at the photos as I thought I never stayed in a penthouse suite, given they have bathrooms for the loft on top. But looking at the RI La Jolla that is just a loft. No bathroom on top. If so, then like this?
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hote...ento-cal-expo/ The loft? It feels cramped at the top, though it is cool it isn't really a room or any meant to relax, imo.