An invitation was extended to YMC for
Erica to come to the grand opening of the
Courtyard and Residence Inn at L.A. Live, but Erica was out of town with her family.
Ali asked if I would be able to represent YMC, and I said yes! How could I not?
The event was a different experience for me on a personal level, because the events I attend are usually full of fellow bloggers who I've connected with beforehand. I went downstairs to meet our group for dinner not knowing anyone, and wondering how it would all play out.
(Spoiler alert: everyone was lovely, and I was giving Twitter and Instagram tips to old-school journalists who are new(er) to social media.)
I made a few new friends, which is lovely, but we were all here to celebrate the opening of the first dual-branded hotel on the West coast. What does dual-branded mean? It means that two tiers of a hotel chain are in one building, and everybody wins. All of the services that are a standard service to the Residence Inn chain are available to the Courtyard guests, and vice versa. There's a swimming pool, a fitness facility, meeting rooms, and even laundry service. The Residence Inn suites are larger and guests on that side of the hotel get a buffet breakfast, but all of the other experiences in the hotel are shared by all guests.
They were gracious enough to put me in one of the Residence Inn suites, which included a Queen bed and a full kitchen. Whenever my family and I travel, we always stay in suites, and the Residence Inn has one- and two-bedroom suites as well, which is perfect for us. I loved that there was a full-sized fridge, a large microwave, and all I would need to cook meals. (I love to cook, even when we go away. We'll eat out once or twice for dinner, but it's healthier [and cheaper] to buy our own groceries.) Having the buffet breakfast, with everything from pancakes and eggs to cereal, is another thing that we look for and enjoy as a family when we stay in hotels. Everyone gets to choose their own adventure and start the day on a good note (and full belly).
I attended the press conference on Tuesday morning (Canada Day!), and it was the first time I'd done so as a member of the media. The atmosphere was electric and you could feel the genuine excitement and pride of the people involved in making the hotel become a reality. The city of Los Angeles is really working at building up its downtown to provide jobs for the locals and bring tourism dollars in to further help their community. The Residence Inn is across the street from its sister hotel the JW Marriott, as well as the Staples Centre, and is a great addition to the entire L.A. Live community.
Here are a few photos of the hotel and my time in L.A.
Would I stay there again? Most definitely. In fact, my family and I are heading to Vancouver in a few weeks and are planning to stay in a Residence Inn suite while we're there.
In conversations with my new friends, I shared a few of my packing tips, which they were thankful for. I realized that after as many trips as I've taken, I've learned a few tips that have helped me, and I should pass them along.
Here are my top 5 packing tips:
1. Package your toiletries in Ziploc bags. Even if you turn them closed and put lids on, all of that bumping around in an airplane can cause havoc. On this trip, my spray lotion went from closed to open and I was left with a (Sealed!) bag full of lotion. I usually put them in a separate compartment as well. See my next point.
2. Pack an empty carry-on bag in your suitcase if you plan on bring things home. One year, at BlogHer in Chicago, I won a Wii Fit (So did Ali!) and it's a miracle that I got my suitcase closed. Now I put items I would pack anyway, such as my toiletries, in the carry-on and then pack it in my suitcase for the trip home.
3. Don't pack your exercise gear unless you're honestly going to use it. I run three times a week and go to the gym a few more, and the first few conferences I went to, I packed my gear thinking I would use the hotel gym. I did not. I was either in sessions, talking with friends and colleagues, or walking around cities that were new to me. I did participate in the 5K at Mom 2.0 last year, but that's only because it was in my time zone for once. There's no need for gym gear to take up all of that precious pace in your luggage for no reason. I did pack my gear for this trip, but the call of a photo walk was too strong.
4. Wrap each of your necklaces in tissue paper. I learned this one the hard way on my first trip when I got to the hotel and realized I had a nice entertwined ball of metal and fabrics.
5. Pack a change of clothes and necessities in your carry-on luggage. I always pack a little black dress and shoes, my accessories, and my makeup. Toiletries can be replaced, but I don't want to have to drop my entire budget of spending money at MAC if my luggage got lost.
Have you stayed at a Residence Inn before, or do you have any questions about my stay? Do you have any packing tips to share with the rest of us?
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