Description: When my mom passed away in 2003, all of her children and a few other family members stayed at Marriott’s Residence Inn in Salem. We were treated so well and were so comfortable there, my brother and I decided to again use it as a home base during our stay. At $120 a night, we could each have our own bedroom and bathroom, a kitchen, free breakfast every morning, free dinners Monday through Thursday, and warm cookies every night in the lobby.
The room was as comfortable as home--a comfortable bed, a TV in the living room and in each bedroom, good lighting for reading the novels we’d brought along, and a fridge where we could keep our Diet Coke cold. And did I mention the warm cookies every night?
Each morning we went to the exercise room for a workout on the treadmill, stationary bike, and a few weights. After a shower, breakfast was always waiting for us in the lobby, with two morning newspapers and plenty of table seating available. Always scrambled eggs, sometimes sausage patties, sometimes biscuits and gravy. Yogurt, several cereals, an assortment of bread and pastries, several juices, and coffee and tea were always on hand. A Belgian waffle maker is heated and waiting for guests to prepare their own waffles. On cool mornings, the fire is lit, and a TV is tuned to morning news.
Monday through Thursday, dinner is served, including once-a-week catering by a local restaurant. We never were around to try it out. But did I mention the warm cookies every night? Actually, they usually only have the cookies Monday through Thursday, but they had them out Friday and Saturday too. When we didn’t see any Sunday night, they were happy to make up a batch. They even phoned us in our room to let us know when the cookies were out of the oven.
We have found the service at this Residence Inn to be outstanding. When all of the family was there in 2003, we needed a place to gather the night after my mother’s memorial service. They were so kind to allow us to use the community room off the lobby to have pizza delivered and to use the tables and seating in the lobby.
The Residence Inn is located just west of Highway 5 at the Highway 22 exit. An office complex sits in front of it with beautiful water features and landscaping. We’ve often seen blue herons and Canadian Geese, including a mommy, daddy, and seven chicks enjoying the park-like setting.
January 2008 update: All of the rooms are being renovated and they look great! New carpeting and furnishings give the place a more modern look. I'll admit the new couches are not very comfortable, but they sure look nice!
We were able to take advantage of the mid-week dinners this trip. Soup and salad one night offered cream of broccoli or chicken and wild rice soup. Actually quite good! The salad was the basic Costco bagged version with several dressings to choose from. The rolls were too hard and not very good. Another night they served pizza delivered from the local Figaro's restaurant. The pizza itself was good, but not very warm. We didn't even think to take some back to the room and heat it up.
Each morning, a big breakfast was waiting. Scrambled eggs, sausage patties, an assortment of cereals and breads and something new each day. One day it was biscuits and gravy. One day it was pancakes. One day tortillas were served so you could make breakfast burritos. As always, the waffle iron was hot and ready for a fresh belgian waffle. It was a great way to start the day...a fully belly with little effort and no cash out of pocket!
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