The Garland
Seven tree-shaded acres in Studio City, with a pool, bunk-bed family suites and a free trolley to Universal Studios.
$$From about $275 a night
The Garland is a hotel in Studio City with 257 rooms, 5.4 km from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Studio City, United StatesThe Garland in pictures
The take on The Garland
The Garland stands on seven tree-shaded acres on Vineland Avenue in Studio City, a Valley hotel of six- and seven-storey wings behind a low lobby, a pool and a courtyard, with the 101 freeway along one edge. The actress Beverly Garland and her husband Fillmore Crank found the site in 1970, and it opened in 1972 as a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge. A $20 million makeover, completed in 2015, redesigned all 257 rooms, now bright with orange accents and patterned wallpaper, and added The Front Yard restaurant and Beverly Park, a garden for events. It is a Universal Studios Hollywood preferred hotel.
Every room has a private balcony, a fridge and a safe. The entry Deluxe King is 247 sq ft (23 m²) and sleeps two; the Deluxe Two Queen and the Premium King are 331 sq ft (31 m²). The Kids Room is partitioned, with a queen bed for the parents and a bunk-bed nook with its own television for the children. The Family Suite is 560 sq ft (52 m²): a king bed, a separate bunk nook, a living room, a microwave and space for up to five. The Portola Suite, also 560 sq ft, swaps the bunks for a full-size bed and a desk, for teenagers.
What the hotel is chosen for is the family day. A free trolley leaves the hotel on the hour from 8am to 10pm for Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk and picks up at CityWalk at a quarter past, so the car can stay at the hotel. There is no 1pm or 3pm run, so a midday rest means the 12:15pm or the 2:15pm ride back, and the driver will drop you at the Universal City Metro station if you ask. The outdoor pool is open from 6am to 10pm, with a family hot tub and an adults-only one, and dive-in movies run on Friday and Saturday evenings all year and nightly in summer. Board games and foosball fill the courtyard, and the Hollywood Bowl, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour and the Walk of Fame are 8 or 9 minutes away by car with clear roads.
The trade is the setting. The 101 runs along the north-east edge of the grounds, some rooms hear it, and the hotel had its balcony doors replaced in 2013 to quieten it. Beyond Universal and the Metro line to Hollywood and Downtown, you need a car. Two nightly fees and self-parking from $50 add about $89 a night before tax. Book it for a Universal trip with children, or a first Los Angeles week built around the studios and the Hollywood Bowl; skip it for a beach holiday or a walkable Hollywood address.
Go deeper on The Garland
Getting from the airport in LA
By car from LAX 34 minBy car from BUR 13 min
The closest of our hotels to any airport, 13 minutes from Burbank by taxi; from LAX it is 34.
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Booked with
A driver meets you in arrivals with your name on a sign, at a fixed price agreed when you book. Booked and paid with Welcome Pickups through our partner Travelpayouts; we may earn a commission.
The Garland: the room to book, Family Suite
The Deluxe King is 247 sq ft (23 m²) and sleeps two, and the Deluxe Two Queen is 331 sq ft (31 m²) with every bed in one room. The Family Suite is 560 sq ft (52 m²): a king bed for the parents, a separate nook with bunk beds for the children (a full-size bed below, a twin above), a living room, a fridge and a microwave, and space for up to five.
- Ask for
- When you book, ask for a room away from the freeway edge of the grounds, and keep the balcony door shut at night.
- Avoid
- The 247 sq ft Deluxe King, which sleeps two. The Deluxe King Pool View too, if you want early nights: it looks over the pool, where dive-in movies run on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:30pm, and nightly in summer.
Hotel DNA
The Garland: who it suits
What guests keep saying
Recurring themes in recent guest reviews, in our words. No quotes, no scores.
Praised again and again
- The free trolley to Universal Studios
- Pool area, movies and daily activities
- Friendly staff and clean rooms
The recurring complaint
- Freeway noise from some rooms
- Parking and nightly fees on top
Read the reviews yourself before you book.
Where The Garland is, and getting there
The address is 4222 Vineland Avenue in Studio City, though the postal address reads North Hollywood, with the Hollywood Freeway (US 101) along the north-east edge of the grounds. On foot, the restaurants on Ventura Boulevard are 8 to 10 minutes away, the Ralphs supermarket is 10, the playground at Woodbridge Park is 13, and the Universal City/Studio City station on the Metro B Line is 17, with Hollywood/Highland four minutes down the line. Universal Studios Hollywood is a 28-minute walk or a 6-minute drive. With clear roads, the Hollywood Bowl and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour are 8 minutes by car, the Walk of Fame 9, Hollywood Burbank Airport 12, Downtown Los Angeles 16, the Getty Center 17, Rodeo Drive 19, Santa Monica Pier 28, LAX 34 and Disneyland 50; add time at rush hour. Self-parking is from $50 plus tax a night and valet from $55. Some rooms hear the freeway.
- Area
- Studio City, United States
- From the centre
- 5.4 km
- Airport
- 34 min from LAX
- Price band
- $$
- Typical rate
- From about $275 a night
- Rooms
- 257
- Last renovated
- 2015 (opened 1972)
- Pool
- Outdoor
- Beach
- None
- Spa
- No
- Adults only
- No
- Restaurants
- 1
- Parking
- Yes
- Selected by
- Independent research
- Last checked
- October 2026
Questions people ask
Good questions about The Garland
Is The Garland worth it?
Book The Garland for a Universal trip with children: a free trolley to the park, a pool with weekend movies and a Family Suite with its own bunk nook. Budget for about $89 a night in fees and parking, and keep the balcony door shut at night. A 1972 motor lodge turned retro-mod family base on seven acres beside the 101, where the pool, the movies and the free trolley to Universal do the work. Expect a relaxed, kid-friendly stay that works best with a car and a plan for the park.
Does The Garland have a pool or a beach?
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
Where is The Garland?
It is in Studio City, United States, about 5.4 km from the Hollywood Walk of Fame and around 34 minutes by car from LAX airport.
How much does The Garland cost?
Entry rooms typically start from about $275 a night outside peak dates. We show typical rates, never live prices or invented discounts.
Which room should I book at The Garland?
Family Suite. The Deluxe King is 247 sq ft (23 m²) and sleeps two, and the Deluxe Two Queen is 331 sq ft (31 m²) with every bed in one room. The Family Suite is 560 sq ft (52 m²): a king bed for the parents, a separate nook with bunk beds for the children (a full-size bed below, a twin above), a living room, a fridge and a microwave, and space for up to five. When you book, ask for a room away from the freeway edge of the grounds, and keep the balcony door shut at night.
Is The Garland adults-only?
No. Families are welcome.
Our verdict
Book The Garland for a Universal trip with children: a free trolley to the park, a pool with weekend movies and a Family Suite with its own bunk nook. Budget for about $89 a night in fees and parking, and keep the balcony door shut at night.
$$From about $275 a night
If you book through our links we may earn a commission from Expedia. It never affects which hotels we include. Hotels cannot pay to be here. · Last checked: October 2026
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