Hilton Anaheim Tour + Review
The Hilton Anaheim is located right next to the Anaheim Convention Center and, of course, Disneyland. I’ve eyed staying at this property since my college days in nearby Orange, California. Unfortunately, the property let me down in a number of ways. Read on to read my thoughts!
Booking
If there’s one thing that the Hilton Anaheim had going for it, it was the price of a one-night stay. I did check in on a Tuesday, but a prepaid reservation only ran me $120. For Anaheim nowadays, that’s a pretty reasonable price, and my guess was it’s because of the size of the hotel, with 1,572 rooms they need to fill each evening.
I’m a Hilton Honors Diamond member due to my Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, so I earn a total of 34 points per dollar on every dollar spent at Hilton right now (10 base points per dollar, 10 bonus points due to their 2x promotion, and 14 points for spending on the card). I value these points at 0.5 cents per point, so all-in, I’m getting 16% back as a points rebate.
Check In
I arrived at my hotel on the early side from my JFK flight into Orange County’s airport SNA. The elite desk for check in is located right next to the main check in area, but there was just one person working, and it took a bit of time to get check in. While my agent was very courteous, the hotel’s upgrade policy was incredibly lackluster. Despite having open rooms with better views (like of Disneyland), they wouldn’t upgrade me beyond a two-category upgrade, which unfortunately meant it was just a “pool view” room.
The hotel also offers Diamonds $15 per person, per day in property credits. I also received my two bottles of water at check in. The hotel offers a pretty solid happy hour at $15 for a beer and a burger, as well as a special menu at breakfast priced for the credit. I’ll give them kudos for this, as nothing is more annoying than a breakfast credit that doesn’t quite cover breakfast.
The Room
For a full room tour, check out my video above. Bottom line, this room needed some extreme TLC. From the tired main bedroom to the drab bathroom, it was definitely something from the early 2000s. Plus, my “upgraded” view was really just a view of an interior courtyard. Wifi wasn’t the fastest (nor the slowest) I’ve experienced, and hanging in the room just made me feel depressed. This was the lowlight of my stay.
Amenities (Pool, Gym, Restaurants)
There were some major highlights when it came to amenities at the Hilton Anaheim. Sadly, I felt like the pool complex needed a lot of work. For a hotel that’s near Disneyland, you’re inevitably going to have families visiting, even if it’s primarily a convention center hotel. The pool has a pretty nice water play area for the kids, but the main pool is something you’d find at a suburban apartment complex- uninspiring to say the least. There was a pool bar for snacks and drinks, but on the day of my visit, it was over 100 degrees, and the pool deck was baking hot.
There are two restaurants in the lobby, as well as a Starbucks. The Mix Lounge offers drinks and bar snacks, as well as the happy hour I mentioned above. Mix is also the name of the main restaurant, where I had my Mickey Waffles in the morning. The service here was excellent during breakfast. The Starbucks actually had a Hilton Elite line for morning coffee runs, which was a first for me to see. Finally, due to its location near the convention center, there was a food court with a few options.
The gym was located on the basement level, and quite sizable. However, it’s a dark maze of hallways to find it, which if you’re noticing a theme to this review, you’re onto something. The hotel needs better lighting!
Overall
The Hilton Anaheim was a good price for a place near Disneyland, being about a 15 minute walk to the main gate. However, the lack of renovations at this property gives me pause from ever returning. Overall, there are better loyalty program affiliate hotels located nearby for those that read blogs like this.
