Best Hotel Rooms with Kitchens

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I was on the road in the U.S. for three months this year, and I learned a lot about which American hotels offer the best kitchens. At this point, I’ve stayed in all of the major hotel chains with kitchens, and I’ve come up with my absolute favorites. And you can trust me. Regular readers know that I travel often (though mostly in Europe) and I have a knack for getting the best experiences for the money.

But first: Why am I cooking so much on the road? Isn’t eating out part of the fun of traveling? Of course it is! But three months of restaurant food wouldn’t be healthy. And besides, I love to cook, especially from fresh, whole foods I source myself.

And so … here’s the list of the absolute best hotel rooms in American with kitchens. Please note that I have absolutely not received any kinds of breaks or deals or compensation whatsoever for these reviews. All opinions are independently mine, which is why I can be utterly frank.

All the kitchens in these American hotel chains offer a cook-top, dishwasher, microwave, cooking pans and utensils, plates and flatware, and a three-quarter to full-size refrigerator, unless otherwise specified. Note, however, that few of them offered ovens.

The Best American Hotel Chain with a Kitchen:
Element by Westin

I just love Element Hotel kitchens. Note that while most rooms have cooktops, not all have ovens (the one I stayed at in Jacksonville, Florida, did not).

When I walked into our hotel room with a kitchen at the Jacksonville Beach Element Hotel by Westin, I said, “I want to live here forever!” A huge window letting in bountiful natural light, plus an open, airy space and sleek, clean-lined modern furnishings in light, contemporary natural colors, made this such a joyful place to be.

Upsides: The hotel room kitchen was perfectly furnished with all kinds of high-quality pots and pans and lids (you wouldn’t believe how many hotel kitchens don’t have lids for the pans!) plus other things I needed, such as a grater and a colander and a solid set of knives.

Another really nice touch: The burners on the cook-top had two sizes — a large and a small. I’m shocked at how many hotel kitchens just offer two small burners on the cooktops. Ever try to saute food in a 10-inch skillet atop an 7-inch burner? You know what happens. If you’re a serious cook, the two different sizes of burners will make a lot of difference.

Minor downside: The side-by-side seating at a semi-hightop table in our room was not ideal for the kinds of leisurely, extended dinners we enjoy. Our workaround? We always travel with a little card table and portable chairs. That way, we can have a table by the window everywhere.

Where we stayed: Jacksonville Beach, Florida

P.S.: Element Hotels can be a bit pricey. However, I’ve saved thousands on Marriott lodging by using the Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card. Here’s a link to sign up for one and get three free nights.

Second-Best Hotel Room with a Kitchen:
Home2Suites by Hilton

The only thing missing from the five Home2Suites we stayed in was a cooktop. Fortunately, the front desk will lend you an induction cooktop and skillet.

This hotel chain with kitchens also gets high marks for having a bright, airy, clean and modern feel. As a bonus, Home2Suites also has, to me, a certain European feel — the rooms remind me of the way the best vacation rentals I stay at in France get the most out of small spaces, having everything you need, without any clutter whatsoever.

Upsides: I love the “module” style of furnishings — the dining table rolls out from underneath a desk when you need, it, and is space-savingly stowed when you don’t. Ditto with the coffee tables — they’re easily stowed away. Also, Home2Suites are generally a little less expensive than Element, and often less expensive then my third-place choice, Residence Inn by Marriott.

Downsides: Home2Suites do not have cooktops! They have everything else (dishwasher, microwave, nice-size fridge, etc.), but if you want to cook in a pan, you have to borrow an induction cooktop from the front desk. That’s no problem … except the only pan that comes with the cooktop is a six-inch skillet. Therefore, this kitchen-furnished hotel chain is probably best if you’re only cooking for two.

Where we stayed: Nokomis, Florida; Amelia Island, Florida; Fort Worth, Texas; Louisville, Kentucky; and Bettendorf, Iowa.

Tied for Third: Residence Inn by Marriott and TownePlace Suites by Marriott

Residence Inns offer well-furnished kitchens and the ones we stayed in had dining tables (very important to people who like to dine!). Not all have ovens. Photo courtesy of Marriott.

When it comes to hotel rooms that have kitchens, I can also highly recommend these two Marriott chains. They are generally very comfortable and nicely furnished — I just happen to prefer the cheerful, bright, airy furnishings and decor of the Home2Suites and Element.

Upsides: The ones we stayed in offered actual dining tables, which matters a lot to us (as you’ll see below, some places do not offer dining tables or anywhere else to sit and eat … argh.).

Downsides: Residence Inns have been around a while (I first stayed in one in 1996!). While some of the properties are brand-spanking-new and beautiful. others are a bit dated. Certainly, all of the ones we stayed in were clean, but compared to the bright, airy feel of the Element Hotels, one location, in particular, felt tired. The three TownePlace Suites we stayed in, however, were perfect.

Where we stayed:
Residence Inns: Melbourne, Florida; Port St. Lucie, Florida; Amelia Island, Florida, Clearwater Beach, Florida.
TownePlace Suites: Seguin, Texas, Chesterfield, Missouri.

Note: TownePlace Suites are generally less expensive than Residence Inns.

Other Nice Hotel Chains that Offer Kitchens

While these didn’t place in my top three, I would definitely stay at any one of these chains again, provided the online reviews didn’t send up any red flags. I will say, however, that I tend to stay more often at Marriott properties than the ones below because of all the points I rack up on credit cards. Big fan!

Candlewood Suites

These are simple-yet-pleasant value-priced hotels with kitchens within the IHG group. I especially appreciated the committed dining area — always a place to sit and eat. I should mention that this chain often attracts longer-term work crews that sometimes like to sit outside and enjoy themselves come quittin’ time. I get it! But be advised that you might just hear music playing out of a pickup truck below your window. In the end, it wasn’t a problem, because after 10 p.m., some crabby lady (I won’t say who) called down to the front desk and asked the clerk to ask the partiers to quiet down. Which they did. So in the end, no problem. It wouldn’t stop me from staying at one of these spots again.

I just don’t get it: Some American hotel rooms with kitchens do not offer dining tables. Our solution? We always travel with a card table and two folding chairs, plus nice tablecloths. That way, we can always have a table by the window. Here was our view in North Carolina.

Homewood Suites by Hilton and Staybridge Suites by IHG

These two hotel chains with kitchens are are very much alike in quality, furnishings, and price. While I can certainly recommend them, what I absolutely do not get is why some of the rooms do not offer a table or other place to sit down and dine. Are they assuming that most Americans want to shovel food into their mouths while slumped on the couch in front of a TV?

Note that some rooms in these chains offer dining tables and some do not … but you can’t always be sure you’re going to get one. My advice is that if this is important to you, call the hotel ahead and ask which of their rooms truly offer a place to sit down and eat, as the photos of the rooms don’t always tell the truth (I’m talking to you, St. Petersburg Staybridge Suites!).

Of course, we always travel with a table … and we always set it by the window. Problem solved.

P.S.: The IHG hotels also have a very worthwhile credit card for racking up points. I use it often. Here’s some info and an offer for earning 80K points. Highly recommended.

So — do you have a favorite hotel chain that offers kitchens? Do tell! And of course, there’s always VRBO (which we also did), but when moving from place to place, these residence-style hotels work well.