New Residence Inn Marriott will become the second hotel in downtown Burbank when it opens Oct. 5.

At the end of October, travelers staying in downtown Burbank will have a choice of hotels for the first time in decades.

When it opens Oct. 5, the Residence Inn Marriott of downtown Burbank will join the Holiday Inn as the only hotels in the area, said Kimberly Takerian, manager at the Burbank Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s still very, very rough,” said Karen Lorton-Vella, the Marriott’s general manager, of the 166-room, all-suite hotel, which is still under construction.

Even though the soft opening is a little more than two weeks away and the grand opening Oct. 24, not all of the rooms at the 123,462-square-foot hotel are completely furnished, but Lorton-Vella said she expects construction to be on time.

When the work is done, every room will get a little Burbank flavor, she said.

“The owner really kind of put a lot of thought into us being in Burbank,” she said of R.D. Olsen Construction officials. “We’re in the media capital of the world.”

So the Marriott is decorated accordingly. Each room has a piece of art in it that features icons and recognizable features of the city and of Hollywood.

Across the street from the two-towered, 490-room Holiday Inn, the Marriott hopes to be a hub for travelers interested in staying in town for a while.

“We cater to extended-stay travelers,” she said. “People who stay for five days or longer.”

The hotel, which has been under construction since July 2006, has 16 two-bedroom suits, 26 one-bedroom suites and four executive suites, with the rest being studios.

The executive suites feature floor-to-ceiling, curved windows that face the Glendale hillside in the main living space and cover more than 1,200 square feet.

Each is named for a different music or movie business awards show.

“This is bigger than where I live,” she said as she stood in the living space of the Academy Suite.

Employees at Black Angus Steakhouse, which neighbors the hotel, are hoping to see some increased business from the overflow of travelers, said Paul Roth, the restaurant’s general manager.

“Everybody hopes that when you have a hotel right next door, your business picks up,” Roth said.

He will take a tour of the hotel when it opens in October to get better acquainted with the staff and the amenities, he said.

The hotel has reservations made already into January, she said, but cannot take official bookings until Oct. 22.