Residence Inn Hotels in Pasadena

The hard product at this Residence Inn is quite good -- great location with clean, modern and spacious rooms. We had the two bedroom two bath suite, which though pricey at around $500 a night, was great for our family and even better than connecting room options elsewhere. The beds and pillows were comfortable, and the showers hot with good pressure. However, there were a number of disappointments with the soft product. We arrived late with a sick and very tired child, to find there were no linens in the room for the sofa bed. Moreover, the only person who could bring them up was on break for the next 20 minutes, and they wouldn't allow me to just come down to the front desk for them. These really should be kept in the room. Second, they have the large containers in the shower for soap, shampoo, etc., and once I was in the shower I discovered there were two shower gel containers, and no shampoo. The breakfast by far was the biggest disappointment, probably one of the worst I've ever had at a free breakfast property. The big metal warmers where you usually find things like bacon, sausage, or scrambled eggs, were filled with breakfast sandwiches (see photo). Specifically, the type where you buy frozen and heat up in the microwave, and keeping them in those warmers makes the buns a bit damp and unpleasant. I tried one, the soggy bun was bad enough, but it became inedible when I bit into the middle to find it cold from not having been microwaved thoroughly. They also were out of plates, having only small bowls, and apparently could not go down to Costco or the grocery store to restock. They also had limited juice options. I'm really on the fence on whether I'll go back to this property. The location and the large suite option make it hard to beat, but the failures from poor choices by management and lack of staff training make me want to try my luck elsewhere, particularly given the high cost.