We recently took an extended trip up to Colorado where stayed at the Residence Inn Boulder Broomfield/Interlocken for a majority of our time. (I’ll just stick with “Residence Inn Boulder Broomfield” for short.) This was a pretty solid stay and this was definitely a property that I would recommend for a nice relaxing, extended stay. Keep reading below to find out why.
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Booking the Residence Inn Boulder Broomfield
We sought out to escape the heat in Arizona, do some epic hiking in CO, and also to earn Marriott Titanium status with this stay.
Success was met for the last two goals but a heat wave was sitting over Denver during our stay so temperatures were actually about ten degrees cooler in southern Arizona! So much for beating the heat….
We decided to book this particular hotel largely based on the location to our hikes (and because it was dog-friendly).
Related: Bringing a Dog to a Hotel: Essential Tips for a Good Stay
We wanted to be close enough to Rocky Mountain National Park to make a day trip out of it while also being close enough to our other destinations like Keystone, Colorado where we stayed for a couple of nights in order to acclimate for hiking Grays Peak.
In the end this was not the best plan.
If you want to visit Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) I think you are much better off just staying in Estes Park which we eventually did.
The reason is some of the trailheads are located pretty far into the park and if you are driving out from Denver/this hotel you could be looking at four to five total hours on the road which is not ideal, especially if you need a really early start due to park reservations.
Ultimately, I ended up paying cash for this hotel booking and unfortunately was not able to stack the booking with any type of Amex Offer or ongoing promotion. But still, we hit Titanium so that was nice!
Location overview
The location of this hotel is perfect for someone looking for a lot of standard eating options located nearby.
Within walking distance you have: Wal-Mart, Benihana, Jason’s Deli, Five Guys, Popeye’s, and other establishments for poke, pizza, and Mexican food. There is also a movie theater next-door and a shopping mall with plenty of eating spots as well.
The entire area just felt very nice and so if you are looking for that type of vibe this will be perfect.
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Check-in
At check-in, we were greeted by a helpful and friendly staff member. We stayed at this property for nearly 2 weeks as it was a true extended-stay and during that entire time I thought the staff was pretty great.
The room
You can basically choose from three different room types: studio, king suite, and two queen suite.
Since we were traveling with our dog we decided to book a king suite so that we could put him in a separate area at night. The king suite is pretty spacious at 634 square ft.
We were placed on the first floor right next to an exit which was extremely convenient for the pup. The drawback of being on the first floor is that you have people walking across your window view but we did not spend much time in the bedroom during the daytime so this was not a big deal.
I thought the bed was pretty comfortable. The pillows and mattress are not on the same level as a nicer hotel but because this was an extended stay we brought our own pillows and blankets and used them.
The headboard had built-in nightstands on each side with two USB ports and two power outlets, which was super convenient.
Related: Should You Use USB Ports In Hotel Rooms? (Stay Away!?)
The bedroom had a large HD TV, which we were thankfully able to set up our Apple TV with.
Outside of the bedroom, in the living room area you’ll have a sofa, working station, small dining table, and TV. The end table to the sofa and the desk both had two power outlets and two USB ports making it really easy to move around the suite with your electronics. As you can probably tell from the picture below, the sofa wasn’t so comfy.
The Residence Inn is one of the most popular hotel brands that offers a full kitchen. In this case, we had an oven and range, medium-sized refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher, and microwave.
In addition we had a small sink, coffee maker, and toaster. So this was a pretty well-equipped kitchen considering that you don’t always get an oven in these type of set ups.
Related: Are Hotel Coffee Makers Safe & Clean? (YIKES!)
The bathroom was pretty standard. Simple and clean is about all you can ask for at a hotel like this.
They did give us an accessible room which meant some extra contraptions in the shower.
Facilities
The lobby area is very spacious and modern and I really liked the seating area located near the back which opened up to the pool area. A lot of natural light and some cool, modern lighting fixtures gave the space a nice look and feel
Adjacent to the lobby, there is a pretty large bar area and quite a few different seating cubicles.
Breakfast
The free breakfast set up was pretty nice. It was set up in a very open area and consisted of what I would call a continental plus breakfast. It had all of the essentials of a continental breakfast such as muffins, fruit, and juice but it also had hot food offerings like eggs, sausage, potatoes, and even a waffle maker.
Related: What Hotels Have Free Breakfast?
Fitness center
The fitness center here was very spacious and modern. You could find all of the essential machines you would need for a good workout and I liked that the cardio section overlooks the lobby from the second floor. Pretty cool design.
Pool
There is also a nice outdoor pool area which was staying pretty busy due to the excessive heat wave.
There was a cool little fire pit area next to the pool along with some areas where you could have a nice little cookout. A lot of people congregated out here during the evenings when it got cooler.
The laundry room had a few different washing and dryer machines that you could purchase credits for via an app called PayRange (note this is not used for all ResidenceInn properties). You might also be able to use quarters as well.
The hotel also had some amenities you don’t usually see.
There was this cool little movie room which can be rented out. Normally it is a little bit more cozy with beanbags but I think a business was renting out the room when we viewed it which is why it looked a little bit more like a corporate setting.
They also had a library room which felt somewhat like a lounge and could also be rented for events I believe.
Final word
I really enjoyed the extended stay at this property. I really do like the location because of all of the nearby restaurants that make it so easy to grab something to eat. It’s also nice to have a Wal-Mart next door to an extended stay property. Overall, the hotel felt relatively new, clean, and modern. For me personally, it was not the best hotel for a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park but depending on your objectives when visiting it could still work.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
