Over the last few months, I’ve been visiting several of the hotels near and around the Anaheim Convention Center that make good options not only for convention guests, but also for folks visiting the Disneyland Resort. This month, I’ve arrived at the Hilton Anaheim, not only the largest hotel in Anaheim, but also the largest hotel in Orange County, California.
The Disneyland Resort is surrounded by locally owned and chain non-Disney eateries, lodging and more, so sometimes there are some great options (and values) to be had just outside of the gates. When it comes to hotels, Disney has its Good Neighbor Hotels, which can be included with your park tickets as part of a Disneyland Resort Good Neighbor Hotel Vacation Package.
The Hilton Anaheim, with its 1,571 rooms, dwarfs its nearest competitors for size, the Disneyland Hotel with 973 rooms (plus 344 Disney Vacation Club Villas). Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa has 948 rooms (plus 115 DVC villas and suites).
Not surprisingly, the Hilton offers a large variety of room layouts and sizes, most with either a King-size bed or two Queen beds. Guests can choose from rooms or suites, a variety of different views, rooms with balconies or lanai access, and more.
My room was on the 14th floor (isn’t that really the 13th floor, but I digress) and featured a comfortable King-size bed, along with a small lounge that could sleep an additional person in a pinch.
The room also has a couple of drawers for storage and a large work space. Also packed into that wall unit is a refrigerator, coffee maker, and large television.
The bright bathroom area features a small countertop, a makeup mirror, and upgraded towels.
The large walk-in shower features Crabtree shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, plus a hand-held shower head.
Across from the bathroom is a small closet with a safe, iron and ironing board, and luggage rack, plus room to hang a few items of clothing.
Because of its size and proximity to the Anaheim Convention Center, the Hilton has nearly everything a convention goer (or Disneyland visitor) will need.
If you’re hungry, you’ll find a full-service restaurant in the lobby. When I visited, Mix was operating in a temporary location, but was still serving a full menu.
Nearer to the Convention Center is a food court with at least four different options, including gourmet burgers, Italian food, Mexican food, and salads.
If you’re looking for coffee, try the Starbucks pop-up location or Hansen’s Market, which has coffee drinks and also a large variety of packaged snacks.
If a cocktail is what you need, the Mix Lounge right in the middle of the lobby is where you want to be.
The Hilton offers two different gift shops. One has more high-end merchandise, along with sundries or accessories a traveler might need. The other focuses more on tourists with a nice selection of Disney merchandise.
Also near the lobby is a full-service salon, an Enterprise Car Rental counter, and a large FedEx Office Print & Ship Center.
The 5th floor is where you’ll find the hotel’s pool. Unfortunately, it was under construction during my visit. That floor also features other outdoor decks to get some fresh air or sunshine. There are even hotel rooms available that open up to these spaces.
Scattered throughout the hotel’s public space, including a lower level, are a large Health Club with an indoor pool, meeting rooms, convention space, and more.
The Hilton has a large parking lot; however, parking is $42 per day for self-parking and $54 per day for valet parking, not including tax.
The hotel is adjacent to the Convention Center, but the walk to Disneyland will take around 20 minutes. The Toy Story Parking Lot is just across the street, but it doesn’t make sense to pay for parking at the hotel and then another $35 for Disney parking. Your best option is to walk or use the Anaheim Resort Transit.
The rooms at the Hilton are comfortable and the amenities are plentiful, however, that sometimes comes with a cost. That said, the hotel is massive, and while sometimes your room can be a bit a trek from the elevators, they have a lot of rooms to fill. If you find yourself traveling during a non-convention week, you might actually be able to stay at the Hilton for a very good price.
If you can get a fancy hotel, for a not-so-fancy price…I say go for it.
