BEST WESTERN PLUS Media Center Inn & Suites, Burbank

I had a room facing that apartment building too. Totally know what you're talking about Cassie. My room faced a bag of garbage on the tenant's landing and a child's toilet. They were also loud. Thought it was a classy area but guess NOT. My room was ok but the alley noise was annoying.

I was not happy with having a room with a view of a toddler toliet and clothes hanging over the balcony of an apartment complex next door.

Bed was comfortable (I am fussy), the staff were kind, gave us very good directions how to find them from San Francisco, room was bright and clean, conveniently located. It had an iron, a good tv, and one great thing, the high speed internet was free and automatically showed up on my laptop, no messing with cables or paying for hot spot, etc. Nearby Mexican restaurants were quite good. The only thing we did not like was that they only seem to have one luggage carrying rack, and they made us go and look for it all through the parking garage then a staff had to go look for it on the second floor. I did hear two guys having sex but it was pretty muted, other than that both the neighborhood and the hotel was very quiet. It is not located in the hub of anything, just close to the studios, but not far at all from all the typical tourist attractions. I would stay there again.

After a three-day stay, I recommend the BW Media Center Inn in Burbank CA, especially if you have a car to get around. It compares well in the $120-240 per night rate category for that area, and is superior to the mid-level chain offerings in Hollywood. The hotel is about two years old, and remains clean and well-maintained. It is modern, pleasantly-decorated and comfortable, but not luxurious. It is located on West Riverside Drive near the intersection of Hollywood Way and Alameda Avenue, and is just a few blocks from the Ventura Fwy (134) interchange. A number of movie studios are located nearby, and the hotel is a short car ride from Universal City and other Hollywood sites. There are a number of restaurants within a few blocks of the hotel, but the area is more offices than retail. During our stay, there was ample free parking in a two-level underground garage; an elevator goes from each level up to the lobby and guestroom floors. Although the area around the hotel appeared safe, the garage is isolated, and might seem a bit disconcerting when alone there late at night. The rooms are larger, comfortable and clean, with several nice ammenities. The two queen beds in our room (217) each had pillow-top mattresses, and a niche near the bathroom had a refrigerator (empty, not a mini-bar), coffeemaker, and microwave oven. There was ice and soda vending on each floor. The larger TV had dozens of cable/satellite channels, including at least two HBO channels, news, kids' programs, etc. There were two phones; the desk phone was cordless. The bathroom was fairly plain, although it did have a black marble countertop; the combination tub/shower was a fiberglass shell with a low ceiling, and thus the shower head is at a lower level. Towels and toiletries were very standard or slightly lower for the mid-level range. The closet in our room was small and inconveniently located. The HVAC worked well, although the individual room unit was slightly noisy when running. The thermostat included a motion sensor that is supposed to turn off the unit when nobody is in the room, but is seemed to also deactivate the air-conditioning during the night when we were sleeping, and the room got slightly warm. There was both ethernet and wireless internet access in the room, both free to guests. The wireless signal seemed to be a bit weak in our room. Our rate included breakfast, which was very modest: pastries, cereal, juice, and toast. We did not use or visit the pool. The staff was friendly and tried to meet requests. Overall, many positives and few negatives; a nice place to stay.

This hotel is perfectly suited for business as it is clean and comfortable, close to a kinkos and plenty of restaurants (some 24 hour). Also good for vacationers who want a great location and don't plan on being at the hotel all the time. (If you just want to sit around the hotel and not go out, this may not be the place for you as there is no restaurant and the pool is small). However, the hotel is surrounded with plenty to do. Many restaurants in walking distance. Shops, studios, Universal, Hollywood, freeway access, and more all close by.

note this is a no smoking anywhere on the property hotel. Also there's no restaurant, and no in-room movies. If you're looking for a quiet, clean room, you're fine. Looking for anything beyond that, you might want to upscale a bit.

The walls seemed too thin and we woke to people running up & down the hallway and the door to the next room slamming.