Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn Convenient, Affordable with Hollywood Flair

Recently I had guests coming into town that wanted it all - a location close to me in Toluca Lake, within proximity to Universal Studios, the Tonight Show at NBC and Citywalk, somewhere with a restaurant, pool and tennis courts for the kids, all at a reasonable price.

Even as a travel writer that’s a tough request these days. Just around the corner on Vineland I found the perfect place, .

This mission-style hotel built by B-movie actress Beverly Garland houses 255 guest rooms and suites in two buildings. It’s convenient location, close to Universal, NBC and Disney studios, makes it an affordable choice for both families and business travelers. 

Spacious rooms in neutral colors include free Internet access, cable TV, coffeemakers and private balconies. Their KidSuites are perfect for families on a budget, with two bedrooms converted into one big room housing bunk beds, flat-panel televisions, game tables, refrigerators and video games. Guests can also enjoy the large play and pool area, Jacuzzi, gym, onsite coffee shop, tennis courts and free shuttle service to Universal Studios and Citywalk. At starting rates of $144 per night, that’s a bargain. 

The Hollywood connection is also present, as the hotel bears the name of its creator, actress Beverly Garland. Garland built the property with her husband, real estate developer Fillmore Crank, in 1972. The actress made her name in several 1950s low-budget horror movies before establishing herself as a familiar presence in several television series. 

She played an escaped convict clad in hotpants in the 1955 film Swamp Woman, and a scientist’s wife who battles a cucumber alien from Venus in the 1956 film It Conquered the World, both directed by Roger Corman. She was nominated for an Emmy for her performance as a leukemia patient in the medical drama Medic, and was the first actress to star in the title role of a dramatic series and as a policewoman in Decoy. By the mid 1960s she moved on to play suburban wives and mothers on several television series including The Bing Crosby Show and My Three Sons.

Among her other television credits were episodes of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Louis and Clark, and 7th Heaven. Garland was also the longtime honorary mayor of Norht Hollywood. She died at the age of 82 in 2008.