#1 Anaheim Hotel on Tripadvisor

[Reepicheep]

My recollection may be faulty, but over the past 5 years or so (and perhaps longer) I think the Ayres Hotel on Katella has always been the #1 ranked hotel in Anaheim. Interestingly, sometime in the past day or two the "Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance" has taken over the #1 spot.

The Courtyard is obviously an excellent hotel, but very expensive. But I suppose it is a good choice for families who will spend a lot of time in the water park.

I've been watching the daily rate for the Ayres hotel in August, and their "Disney Passholder" rate for the last half of August is only $111. I've been curious about the Ayres hotel for years, so I think this is the year that we'll finally stay there. The most inexpensive room I can find at the Courtyard in August is $259/night, so I don't think I'll be staying at the Courtyard any time soon.

 

[sherilaine]

I love Tripadvisor but I do not read a lot into their ranking system. The reason being Courtyard have only 120 reviews so far - that is peanuts because it's brand new. Ayres on the other hand has over 10 times as many reviews. However, their % of excellent reviews is lower which will gradually happen over time as a place gains more and more visitors and more things just happen to go wrong. Right now Courtyard does not have any 1 star reviews, but it'll happen eventually. I focus more on the content of the reviews, especially recent ones and the negative ones - I like to read those and try to figure out if there is a valid reason people gave them a poor review or if they are mostly people who just like to slam everything - often times that is the case.

And yes, price point is a big issue - ranking is just based on their star system - it does not take into account the location, the price point or the amenities. However you can personalize your search and that can give you a better apples to apples perspective between certain hotels.

 

[sheetz]

Newly built hotels usually get better ratings because, well, everything is so new! Everything is clean and working and the staff eager to please. As hotels start to get run down they begin to receive lower ratings.

 

[endy]

I love both Ayres Orange and Katella. For $111/night well worth it. I believe they now charge for parking. The breakfast is very good with different hot stuff daily and a cook. The ART shuttle stops out front door. Most important is the bed and pillows are oh so comfortable.

 

[Indiana Scott]

After having stayed at so many of the hotels on Katella, I can't give any credence to those rankings. I think it has a lot to do with what's important to you and how much weight you give to a particular metric.
In our case a lot of what makes a place great to us (besides cleanliness, condition, etc) is location. A detail that is perhaps more important in this case than it is in most other travel destinations.

 

[MillauFr]

I think the Courtyard fills a niche that has been sorely lacking at Disneyland. Most of the sub $200 night hotels near Disneyland are fine but nothing special. I think many people are looking for a four/five star hotel experience and are willing to pay. The Grand Californian is charging four/five star hotel prices but even that place doesn't really measure up either.

I would never spend top dollar since all our family is looking for is a comfortable bed, quick breakfast, clean, and close location.

 

[Reepicheep]

I love both Ayres Orange and Katella. For $111/night well worth it. I believe they now charge for parking. The breakfast is very good with different hot stuff daily and a cook. The ART shuttle stops out front door. Most important is the bed and pillows are oh so comfortable.

Thanks for the info, Endy. I didn't know of the existence of the Ayres in the City of Orange (truth be told, I wasn't aware of a city named Orange, either).

For the August days I'm looking at, the Katella Ayres has a passholder rate of $111.20/day, while the Ayres Orange has a rate of $142.20. From the reviews, the hotels seem to be essentially identical, so I assume there is no compelling reason for me to choose the Orange hotel over the Anaheim hotel?

Two more questions for you (or anyone else who cares to answer):

(1) it appears there are very few restaurants located near the Anaheim Ayres, so should we plan on eating supper before returning to the hotel?

(2) is the "evening reception" pretty minimal? As I understand it, they offer primarily beer, wine, soft drinks, and taco chips with salsa and guacamole. Plus, chocolate chip cookies available all day (personally, I could make a meal out of beer and taco chips, but my wife and daughters probably expect more)

**************************

After reading the comments within this thread about TripAdvisor, I've concluded that I've been taking the rankings on the website too seriously. I think from now on I'll treat it more as an indicator of quality and value, but I guess I'll really have to dig deeper into the reviews for each individual hotel rather than assume that a hotel ranked (say) #7 is necessarily better for me than a hotel ranked (say) #26.

In fact, I know this is the case. In August 2014 I reached the conclusion that the Sheraton Park provided the best value for my family. The 2016 edition of "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland" now also ranks the Sheraton Park as the best hotel value in Anaheim. But TripAdvisor currently ranks the Sheraton Park as #41 out of 114 hotels. Clearly, there can be a wide variety of opinions about individual hotels.

 

[kathy040690]

My mom took my kids and stayed at the courtyard in november and there wasnt a single complaint. however with it being so new and not many reviews yet is why it would be bumped to #1.

I cant wait to stay there this year for the first time !!

 

[sherilaine]

We would consider the Courtyard sometime I think - we just like getting two bathrooms in our kids suite next door, the option of a 'quieter' pool area away from the kids area, and I am not a fan of paying $20 for forced valet parking, as they have no self parking option. But it does look nice and new so it is tempting!!

 

[Malcon10t]

I put NO credence in the Trip Advisor ratings. Why? Eden Roc Motel is rated 18. People give it a 4 out of 5 while saying the beds are uncomfortable, the AC doesn't work right, but it is close. It is rated above the Residence Inn, ahead of Desert Inn and Suites, Springhill Suites (corner Harbor and Katella) anad the Graand California. Eden Roc is the one motel I will sleep in my car before staying there. And I won't sleep in my car in the parking lot.... I don't understand how they decide on the rankings, and I do fear managers can pump up their ratings.

I do like Trip Advisor to see what is happening overall though.

 

[endy]

Reepicheep the biggest difference between the two is Orange is 6 or 7 stories high and the pool is fairly nice nestled between some palm trees. Katella is 3 stories (maybe 4) and the pool is sort of in the parking lot corner. Otherwise for the price difference I would stay at Katella. Maybe you can get an Angel's game while you're there, it's maybe a 10 minute walk to the stadium. Honda Center is right across the street.
Orange is just a few blocks from the Orange Mall, used to be called the Block, forget new name.

The breakfast has all the usual fare plus one day could be pancakes, sausages, hash browns the next day bacon and eggs, next French toast. I like that it varies. There is a cook making your breakfast to order so it's not sitting in a hot buffet.

I could also make a meal out of the beer and nachos but it's not worth rushing back. Funny story, we were staying at Orange a few years ago with my DS 14 and his friend 13. The friend had a bowl of the nacho mix and decided he didn't like it. Before I could see what he was doing he dumped his bowl back into the big dish and grabbed something else. I tried to stop him but I was a second too late.

I don't think there are restaurants within walking distance as we drive everywhere. There is a mini fridge and microwave in the room. There is a lounge bar type place across the street but never been and don't know the rules for kids.
Restaurant suggestion - I 've been to Fire and Ice twice, it's at Garden walk. It's a grill where you pick all the stuff you want and give it to the cook who grills it while you wait. I really enjoyed it, good happy hour drinks.
Both Ayres are the only motels I've stayed at in Anaheim and would stay at either in a heartbeat. We usually tent camp to save some money.

 

[Nicolette11785]

I do have to say that the Ayres Hotel/ALO hotels have the very best beds. They are so comfortable. The beds alone make it one of my favorite hotels.

 

[Reepicheep]

Endy and Nicolette: thanks for the info on the Ayres Katella hotel. I just made a 3 day booking for $111.20 plus tax, and I'll probably add a day or two onto each end of the stay once our vacation plans are totally finalized. Because of the low Canadian dollar, I've been trying to save money where possible, so I saved around $10/day by booking a "king plus pull out couch" room rather than a "two queen" room. Probably a foolish decision on my part, but I figure I have at least a couple of months to upgrade my reservation to two queen.

During the final "terms and conditions" part of the booking, there was a clause which apparently means that children over age 12 cost an additional $10/day. Since my daughters are aged 12 and 17, I guess I'll have to pay an extra $10/day or $121.20 plus tax, but still an excellent deal. I'm already very much looking forward to the breakfast, not to mention the free beer and nacho chips...

 

[GatorChris]

I stayed at Ayers on Katella back in June. It's an alright hotel. The breakfast was really good as they have a cook there to do omeletes and such. The rooms weren't any more spacious than other hotels near DL. I think it gets good ratings in Anaheim because of it's proximity to the Honda Center. Anyone wanting to catch the Ducks just have to walk across the street. Add in modern furniture and the breakfast and those sports fans will be giving it great reviews. To me, it was about the same as the Tropicana.

As for the Courtyard Water Park, it'll cost you a lot more to stay there. But the rooms look big, it's new and modern, and it has some killer looking water slides that even I want to check out. Maybe not as good as the ones at DLH, but definitely better than Paradise Pier or the Grand. However, the prices there consistently stay at $250 and up. That's a place I'd go if it were a warm time of year or if I had some money to burn. But it's too much when I can stay on the same strip for much less.

 

[Chris9ty]

In October we stayed at Hotel Indigo on Katella. It was ranked #1 at the time on Trip Advisor. A small hotel that had been remodeled a few years ago. They gave out notes asking us to leave a review on TripAdvisor at checkout. No breakfast, 15 min walk to the park. But I had no problems and it was what we were expecting so it received high review from me!

 

[yupikgal]

I keep going back and forth over which hotel we should stay at! I have reservations at several, including both Ayres (Orange and Anaheim) Hotel Indigo, Sheraton Park (but I'm 99% sure I will be cancelling this one) the new Homewood Suites near convention center, Fairfield & Tropicana right on Harbor. I know the last 2 just got renovated this year!! We've stayed at the Fairfield, but it has been a while.

Help me to decide!! At one point, I was even desperate enough to think we may need to stay on property since we will be there during Thanksgiving week, which I've never been before, just for the early entry each morning. But then my daughter made me come to my senses, and realized it was an arm & a leg, eve splitting it 3/3 like I wanted to. (6 nights total).

Normally stay across the street somewhere, the last few times it's been Best Western PPI, but they are booked!

 

[AussieNSW]

We stayed at Homewood suites convention centre last thanksgiving week and loved it. A decent breakfast included. We caught the toy story to the park each day as it was just next door.

 

[ljmclin]

My daughter and I are traveling to Anaheim in March for a cheer competition at the Convention Center. I have hotel reservations at both Ayres hotel (Anaheim and Orange). For me, Orange is about $75 cheaper. I don't know the area at all. Is there a reason I should stay at one hotel over the other? We are flying into LAX and will be driving to Anaheim so I will have a car. I will be going to Disneyland for at least one day and I would love to ride a shuttle so I don't have to pay to park. We have never been to Disneyland, or California for that matter so I am totally clueless. I would appreciate any help. Thanks!!

 

[tarheelalum]

I suspect tripadvisors ratings are heavily influenced by how much advertising money a Hotel spends on their website.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I keep going back and forth over which hotel we should stay at! I have reservations at several, including both Ayres (Orange and Anaheim) Hotel Indigo, Sheraton Park (but I'm 99% sure I will be cancelling this one) the new Homewood Suites near convention center, Fairfield & Tropicana right on Harbor. I know the last 2 just got renovated this year!! We've stayed at the Fairfield, but it has been a while.

Help me to decide!! At one point, I was even desperate enough to think we may need to stay on property since we will be there during Thanksgiving week, which I've never been before, just for the early entry each morning. But then my daughter made me come to my senses, and realized it was an arm & a leg, eve splitting it 3/3 like I wanted to. (6 nights total).

Normally stay across the street somewhere, the last few times it's been Best Western PPI, but they are booked!

I would never stay at ayers. Isn't it a bus ride away. I always stay somewhere walkable. So, you need to decide what's most important to you. Fairfield & Tropicana are the closest in your list.

HomeWood Suites is brand new. I love it! It's the place we keep going back to. We couldn't justify spending about the same amount to stay at Camelot inn family suite when we can get nice large breakfast and mon-Thursday "snacks" at dinner.