Trip Review: Sesame Place / Residence Inn – Langhorne, PA

– Residence Inn, Langhorne, PA

Earlier this summer, I was thinking of a good place to bring kids for a short trip over the weekend. If you’re like me and work at an office job M-F, most of your leisure travel is going to come on the weekends.

Since I’m in the NY metro area, Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA seemed like a pretty good choice. I haven’t been to a theme park in years but I remember going to Hershey Park, Great Adventure, and Dorney Park as a child and it was a lot of fun. It would be nice to share that experience with the next generation.

I immediately started thinking about hotel options in the area, and there are several. Starwood, IHG, and Marriott all have presence in the area. Marriott even has 3 hotels just a few minutes from the park (Courtyard, Springhill Suites, & Residence Inn). I remembered I had a Marriott free night cert from having the Marriott Chase Premier card, but the certificate was only good for up to a category 5 hotel, which all 3 were. Sheraton & IHG didn’t make a lot of sense for me since those points / certificates were worth a lot more at other locations, so I decided on going with Marriott.

Of the three choices, Residence Inn seemed like the best hotel. It was the highest category and they generally cater to families staying long term with their room set up. Room rates were going anywhere from $230-$290 / night for a standard room, so it was a great choice for my free night certificate.

I was traveling with another couple, so upon check in, I asked if there were any upgraded room types with 2 beds. The front desk agent noticed my gold elite status immediately, and said due to my status, an upgrade to a 2 bedroom, 2 bath suite wouldn’t be a problem since they had availability. Gotta love that elite status.

I checked the room rate for a 2 bedroom 2 bath suite later on that evening and they were going for up to $389/night.

The room and hotel in general I found to be extremely clean and kid friendly. They have a bar sized pool table, BBQ grill, and basketball hoop which I found to be outside of the norm from most of my experiences with hotel stays. Full service breakfast for all guests which included hot and cold options. The room itself had a fake fireplace, kitchenette with silverware, an electric stovetop, full sized fridge, microwave, & plates/cups. Other nice amenities were an indoor heated pool with sauna, and a small exercise room.

– Full service breakfast / dining area

Great job Residence Inn, Langhorne! I’d have no problem coming back to this property again in the future.

I hate paying annual fee’s for my credit cards, but the $85 fee for the Chase Marriott Visa Premier seems pretty well worth it to me if you’re going to take advantage of the free night cert. The one thing I really don’t like about it is that it’s only good for 6 months from the time of issuance, which hits on the anniversary of your card. I’ve had no problems with them extending it though if you call up Chase and ask nicely.