Deep in the heart of Hollywood's vibrant tourist area, the Hollywood Orchid Suites hotel offers budget friendly rates and a prime location for visitors to Los Angeles.

The intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Highland has become a booming tourist magnet, with such must-sees as the Kodak Theater, Mann’s Chinese Theater, the Hollywood Bowl and the aptly named Hollywood & Highland Center, a multi-level complex that offers shopping, dining and nightlife options. Nearby are chic clubs such as Element, as well as many celeb-packed restaurants.

Some neighboring hotels are charging prices upwards of $250 a night to stay in a standard hotel room, yet the Orchid Suites offers larger accommodations for a fraction of the price…sometimes less than $100.

Why Orchid Suites Is Such a Great Deal

Though the hotel is an older building, that works to your advantage in the form of larger rooms for a cheaper price.

Accommodations range from a junior room, which is basically a studio style room with a mini-kitchenette (small fridge, microwave and sink), all the way up to full suites featuring one or more bedrooms, two bathrooms and a separate kitchen complete with a stove and full-sized refrigerator.

Rates start as low as $99 a night for the junior rooms and go up to $229 a night. For the two-bedroom two-bathroom suite, during the low season (January and February, plus the week after Labor Day in September until the week of Christmas). During peak season (end of June through Labor Day week), the same rooms range from $139 to $329 a night. Even at the high end, those rates are still a deal when you consider the two-bedroom suite can hold six travelers.

Location is Key for Orchid Suites

You really won’t find a better location for your Hollywood exploration than this hotel.

Orchid Suites is situated directly behind the Hollywood & Highland Center, across a small alley. This means while the three-story building is all but hidden from street views by the towering complex next door, a half-block walk puts you in the center of the action. Walk out of the hotel, across the alley, and up a long outdoor hallway - you’ll find yourself in the center atrium of the Hollywood & Highland Center.

The hotel is also only a block from the Hollywood & Highland MetroRail stop, which gives you easy subway access to other parts of the city, such as Universal Hollywood theme park and downtown Los Angeles – all for less than $2 each way per person. It is also only a block or less from several public bus routes, which will enable you to easily traverse the entire city.

Orchid Suites Doesn’t Skimp On Amenities

For the lower prices, the hotel offers a surprising list of included items with your stay.

Let’s start with free wi-fi…and not just in the lobby, but the entire hotel. While nearby luxury hotels are charging $10 or more a day to use their in-room wi-fi, you can go anywhere in the hotel, including the pool area, and log on for free.

How about a pool? Yes, there is a pool that is big enough to do laps or just cool off on a sunny LA day. Need a little break from a room full of friends? Try the small rooftop garden area, which offers a partial view of the nearby Hollywood Hills. Forgot your laptop? Log on to the computer terminal on the second floor of the lobby free of charge (though they do limit your time if there’s a line waiting to use it).

A small elevator reaches all floors but the rooftop and each room has free cable TV, free coffee, hairdryers, and a safe big enough to hold two laptops with all the cords and space to spare. Daily cleaning service is also included in the rate, and the entire staff is friendly, from front desk to housekeeping.

In the basement, you’ll also find a coin-operated guest laundry room (at the time of this article, it came to $2.25 to wash and dry a load, with a nearby vending machine offering small detergent boxes for 50 cents – no fabric softener, though). Also on the lower level is a free gated underground parking garage, and the entire hotel, from front door to the garage gate is security-access controlled via keycard or intercom.

And don’t forget the kitchen facilities in each room, which will save you big on food costs.

What You Won’t Find at Orchid Suites

With the in-room kitchens, the hotel doesn’t need an on-site restaurant. But if you don’t feel like cooking there are over twenty restaurants ranging from McDonald’s to high-end eateries like Wolfgang Puck’s, all within three or four block walk.

There’s also no on-site spa, though the neighboring Renaissance Hotel has one, if you really want to splurge on a massage or facial. Speaking of spas, the toiletries are also pretty basic no-brand-name offerings of shampoo, soap and lotion. No fancy offerings, so if you need something special, bring your own.

Finally, the rooms themselves are older and some show more signs of wear and tear than others. Water pressure, for showers and sinks, also gets a bit weaker the higher up in the building your room is. Your view is also limited to either the backside of the five-story Hollywood & Highland Center or the hotel next door. But the rooms are clean and really, are you here for a place to sleep cheap in Hollywood, or the view?

How to Book at the Orchid Suites

The hotel accepts online reservations at OrchidSuites or by phone at 800-537-3052.

If booking online, visit the rates page to check for any last minute “manager’s special” rates or discounts, which are often posted. Add on 14% for the unavoidable tourist tax the city imposes to any reservation to get the final costs. Expect the hotel to take your credit card info to guarantee the room. The card is not charged unless you are a no-show the day of, or if you cancel your reservation less than 48 hours prior to your stay.

Map the hotel online at 1753 Orchid Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028.