Glendale Express Hotel

I had a truly great experience at the Vagabond. The price is incredible, and the rooms are updated and also just plain adorable. The hot tub and pool is nice and they have a selection of needed items at the front desk. Couldn’t have asked for anything different. Thank you!

Cool lobby. Nice staff. Simple, clean room. Quiet. Appreciated the bell carts available to bring our suitcases in. Also appreciated the mini fridge and coffee that is included. Bed was comfortable. Loved that I could cast my YouTube/netflix videos from phone to the tv. Easy drive to the Echoplex, which is why we came to town. Would definitely stay again.

The location of the hotel is great with easy access to highways and cool city spots. The room we stayed was big enough for a family of four. Besides that, the staff was really friendly, especially Chris and Bonnie.

The hotel lobby is designed with a hip, cool vibe, as well as the area heading towards the pool. We enjoyed our time here, and the staff was extremely nice. The pool was heated, which was a big win. I will say, however, that the hotel beds are on the smaller end, but my husband and I fit just fine. However, I know some of us are crazy sleepers, and that would be something to be aware of. Overall, we would book here again!

We stayed for 5 days and we couldn't have asked for better accommodations. The rooms are very clean and comfortable. Every staff member was incredibly kind and helpful with any questions we had. While, there isn't any TV, just cromecast, we didn't have an issue with this. We were there to see the sights not watch TV!

We'll definitely recommend Glendale Express to anyone and everyone staying in the area!

Loved that this hotel was pet friendly! Have traveled for years with our dog, so it's great having a hotel that is pet friendly. My college-age daughter was out West during part of her summer break & wanted to go to California - this was her first time in LA area. I had lived out here almost 30 years ago. This hotel has some history (used to be a Holiday Inn), but even though it was older, it was clean & well maintained. The gentleman that checked me in was extremely friendly & suggested numerous places to eat (definitely need to check out Foxy's and Snooze for breakfast) & places to see while in town. He took the time to talk with me vs just checking me in - great customer service! I would definitely go back to his hotel if I am back in town - 30 years from now. :-)

For the price and location seriously nothing to complain about! Great budget motel, friendly staff, close to Porto’s(!), cute lobby and merch and newly renovated rooms. No, it’s not modern or anything, but the walls have fresh paint and it’s looking good. Our room even had views of the mountains. I see though that the price has gone up since we visited in the summer of 2022, so it might not be as affordable anymore. But since other hotels and Airbnb’s in LA are ridiculously priced, places like this makes it possible for me to visit California and not be financially ruined. And I’m so grateful for that! Very random pictures, but it’s the ones I found from our stay. We also stayed in Santa Monica and I can only say AVOID to that neighborhood nowadays.

If you are looking for a cute and not too expensive hotel, with all the basic necessities and TOP NOTCH costumer service, this is an amazing option. My college Model UN club choose to stay here during a conference and we had a great time. The lobby is very nicely decorated with comfy couches and a couple of board games. We were happy to learn that the hotel is walking distance (about 10-15 min) from the Americana at Brand mall. The hotel has a pool and hot tub that close at 10pm and the rooms were perfect for a weekend trip. The beds were comfy to sleep in, you can chromecast your phone or computers to the TV's, and the water pressure was awesome! I would recommend bringing your own toiletries since what they provide in the room is pretty small but I am sure that if you call down to the front desk they would give you more. The shower heads are a bit low (I am 5'6 and it was only a bit taller than me) so if you are particularly tall that may be a problem. Each room has a small balcony with a chair that is nice to drink in the morning sun. The rooms also have a very cute mini fridge with a good amount of space.
But I have to get to the best part of this hotel, the staff. I was extremely impressed by how kind and helpful the staff of this hotel were. They did their best to check us in early even though we had arrived before check-in time, we were given complementary rubber duckies when we arrived (which I was EXTREMELY enthused by as I do collect them in my free time), and we were met by warm smiles when we returned to the hotel each day. To give an example of the sterling service of the staff members, one of my friends was trying to tie her tie for her suit and none of us could figure out how to do it, one of the front desk workers offered to help and tied it perfectly in less than 5 minutes!
A few other things to note if you are interested in staying here:
- It is a smoking free hotel (parking lots and all)
- Cleaning staff won't come every day unless you ask them too
- You have to put down an incidental charge at check in (I saw someone being rude to the staff because she hadn't realized that this was part of the price so hopefully others will keep this in mind and be courteous to the people working here).
- This one is important to know: they do NOT serve a big breakfast. They have complementary coffee, pop tarts, and some water in the lobby. We didn't mind but I know others might. They do have a small market at the front with chips and soda though.
- This was my favorite part: they have a vending machine with various essentials like Advil and period products. I've gone to super posh hotels in the past that don't sell feminine care and when you are in a pinch this can be SO important.

Overall a great experience, I hope others will enjoy it as much and me and my club did!

Cool hotel. Lots of retro decorations. Pop tarts for breakfast!!! Large, open, welcoming lobby. Plenty of parking. Outdoor pool. Rooms were quiet but musty (my only complaint)

As soon as you step into the lobby you’ll get a sense of what makes Glendale Express such a vibe. The decor and style of the lobby is well thought out and very inviting. The hotel is well managed and the staff is very friendly. It’s also very centrally located with easy access to Universal, Hollywood, Pasadena, Burbank, and of course all the things Glendale has to offer as well. Highly recommend Glendale Express!

I almost don't want to promote Glendale Express so as to keep it a secret. This place is amazing for the price! Despite the proximity to the freeway, we barely heard any vehicle noise. The neighborhood felt secure with plenty of restaurants and groceries nearby.

The beds were comfortable - like an 8 on a scale of 1(camping without a mattress) to 10 (memory foam). Although the rooms clearly had wear and tear, everything was clean, odor-free, functioning and felt completely secure. They offer free wi-fi and Chromecast set up on their TV's - and they're even knowledgeable enough to help you set it up. It appeared the cute balconies were available in most rooms.

The bathtub was very clean, clean enough to put your child in for a bath. I will say the shower drained a little slowly, but that's really my only complaint. Definitely a gem for the price-point. We didn't have to use the a/c and the unit looked pretty old - but it functioned when we tried the heater briefly.

Very clean rooms (my number one concern) . Friendly staff. Micheal was very helpful and nice. We had great time at the pool. the pool and the pool area are very clean (would be nice to have music in the pool area). This hotel is located in a great area. The area is beautiful, with lots of restaurants and stores around and very safe. I would stay here again. Thank you Micheal for your great customer service and hard work.

5 stars because the Employees are amazing.
Its a very old hotel and they embrace it with retro decor. Its not luxery it is low buck but it works.
I have stayed in a few rooms and they are always clean.
The lobby is more comfortable than ANY hotel i have stayed in and has 24/7 golden oldies playing and comfortable couches to lounge in.
Occasionally you see groups for local concerts or events.. of all ages and backgrounds both from this country and foreign.
I took a risk and kissed the Camel because .. Camel that's why.
Only real downside: If you smoke you need to go across the street to the parking lot. I met a very cool chick from Australia having a smoke before she ran off to see Lady GaGa.
The place grew on me and my second visit made me realize i really like it here. It has everything a true California Girl loves.

This hotel has a big pool, we had a great 2 bight stay here . There was no problem , the front desk employee speak spanish and are very, very helpful. The downside would just be that u can hear between walls. There is free parking and they give u a parking permit. They also have a nice balcony as well. Also had restaurants near by.

My daughter and I just completed a 7 day stay and absolutely loved this hotel. The staff was fantastic, especially Michael H., he was amazing! Always greeted us as we got going really early in the morning, provided us some wonderful options on what to do while we were here and always made sure we had everything we needed! Thank you Michael for helping to make our stay great!

We were just in town for the weekend and visiting friends nearby, so we tried out Glendale Express because of the good deal we found online. The hotel is super hip and rooms are big + big fridge in room. They also have free water and coffee in the am + a little shop if you need a snack. Also loved the Chrome Cast streaming service option.
Chris R. helped check us in and was super helpful and nice. We will come back another time.

Nice place to stay away from the noise yet right by the freeway. Plenty of parking, they have free pop tarts and coffee, tea, water in the morning. Hooking up to the TV was easy the instructions are a bit confusing. Connect to the wifi turn the TV on follow the website to pair the TV with your phone or computer once paired open the streaming app you want to watch hit the icon (different for each app) to show on the TV. The instructions on the guide in the room are confusing because if you are not pair to the Comecast first the icon will not appear on the app you want to use worked perfectly for us once paired. The only downside is you have to pair it each time you turn on the TV it doesn't stay paired. If you want to save a few bucks from the big fancy places near universal this is the place to do it quick drive 15 mins or less to Hollywood and burbank, only about 35 mins depending on the day and time to Santa Monica pier. Friendly staff the decor is out dated but really who's spending the money to stay in a room with upscale decor, I came to the LA area to be out and about seeing the sights. The bed is comfy we had a king bed the pillows a super nice. I have stayed in room that cost 300+ a night so if the decor throws you off don't let it! Really think about how nice the decorations are in the big price hotels (not great) the room is meant to sleep in maybe watch some tv not spend your day in. For the adults if pop tarts are not your thing 1 mile down is a IHOP go get some pancakes

Where to begin.. My family of 4, plus pet, was well cared for during our week stay. We had only planned a few short days, but decided to extend as this place was so relaxing. From the entire property being a non-smoking premises, the thorough cleanliness, and quirky retro decorations, everything was exceptional. We only regret being too busy to use the pool and missing the first morning of complimentary poptarts. Next time because we are coming back for sure.

Love the vibe of this hotel. Staff is really friendly, rooms are big, beds are comfortable, and the location was incredibly convenient. This will be the hotel I book when I visit the area. Definitely recommend.

YAY!!! THEY ALLOW DOGS!!! Thanks Micheal for your patience and kindness. Showing me around the place and the short history on the place was very kind and charming. After swiftly being checked in, we zonked out in our very cozy room!