HoJo discount rates - BIG CHANGES!!

[CourtFool]

Jonathan, thank you for your post. Hind sight being 20/20, I think this post could have quieted the villagers before they grabbed the pitchforks and torches.

I subscribed and I look forward to seeing what sorts of discounts are offered. Hopefully, we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. Finally, if I may, several people seem to have noted that other area hotels offer complimentary breakfast. I am glad to see all the other improvements you are making. Have you considered offering a breakfast as well?

 

[nana50]

I know it's blasphemous to say this, but I've always thought of the Hojo as kinda meh. The pool is great, that's for sure. Other than that, it's a little farther than I'd prefer to walk, the rooms are fine, the service is fine-nothing spectacular. And if you're normally tied to only vacationing on school holidays like we are, the retro rate was never available.

I agree 100%. I never saw why there was so much love for the place. Kind of sad and outdated looking to me.

 

[hojogm]

Finally, if I may, several people seem to have noted that other area hotels offer complimentary breakfast. I am glad to see all the other improvements you are making. Have you considered offering a breakfast as well?

We have considered it. We often have over 1000 guests at the hotel, and we don't have any food preparation facilities to accommodate that many folks in a manner consistent with the level of quality and service we expect. We are hoping to add microwaves to all rooms and expand our food options at our Main St. Market to provide more affordable breakfast items that can be prepared conveniently in the guest rooms. We feel that our partner restaurant, Mimi's Cafe, or McDonalds can provide a better breakfast value than we ever could.

Jonathan

 

[DarthMole]

I agree 100%. I never saw why there was so much love for the place. Kind of sad and outdated looking to me.

There are tradeoffs with any property. Non-DL properties within walking distance all seem to share the sad and outdated look so really comes down to price, distance & amenities. With prices inching up, up, up, it's making HoJo less attractive but it still has a leg up on other walkable properties for their pool areas, ample free parking for all guests (multiple cars per room if necessary), indoor corridors, kids suites, game room, laundry facilities, rooms with firework views and one thing I took advantage of on our last trip which was watching fireworks from the hot tub. Hard to beat a warm soak after a long day while watching the fireworks. On the downside, it's a longer walk than some properties, they do not offer free breakfast, and as mentioned already the prices have been creeping up. Like all the walkable properties, the decor is a bit dated but the place is clean and well kept. If you're looking for fresh and new in a walkable property, you have to open the wallet and stay onsite.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

I believe that our product, including great service, premium beds, premium coffee, new larger HD televisions, Castaway Cove and pools, Main St. Market convenience store, new gameroom, Mimi’s Café, etc. is a great value and experience (even at our regular rates) compared to our neighboring hotels, and is a “Super” bargain when you can get it at all at 30%- 50% off!

Jonathan
GM

this being the operative words...the problem is I dont think those rates are going to be offered at times when most people could/would be able to go...and although you have increased the product, you have also significantly increased the price so much so that there are many other properties that are just as nice or nicer that are less expensive...but alas, it remains to be seen...so we will watch and see what happens...

 

[bumbershoot]

Our subscription email lists allow us to connect with our fans and offer the right information to the right folks at the right time.

You were connecting with fans, or FUTURE fans, by doing what you had been doing. You're now just putting an obstacle in the way of people staying at your place who hadn't thought about it before reading it somewhere.

Have to subscribe vs have to buy an Entertainment book...the E book gets you other things, too!

 

[skiingfast]

If Hojo can't offer breakfast in house, perhaps they should offer breakfast vouchers to the restuarants who are thier neighbors. It would offer better value to guests and lower cost to provide for Hojo.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

If Hojo can't offer breakfast in house, perhaps they should offer breakfast vouchers to the restuarants who are thier neighbors. It would offer better value to guests and lower cost to provide for Hojo.

hey thats a good idea...i love mimi's

 

[JadeDarkstar]

even a free mc d's card would work fine. I just know i normaly chose hotels that have free breakfast. I dont think the new prices and stuff make hojos an #! recomandation on these boards at least i wont be so willing to jump up nad say hay try hojos ent rate. It sound like you guys are just trying to charge more. That is going to make a lot of ppl say no to hojos now and find cheaper across the street hotels and if some one wants one cheap no breakfast they have a few across the street that are 59 or so from what ive seen.

 

[CourtFool]

...if some one wants one cheap no breakfast they have a few across the street that are 59 or so from what ive seen.

Can you provide links? Breakfast is not a big issue for me, so $59 across the street sounds like a great deal. I want some of that action.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

i called anihime plaza inn and it was 59 a night, quality inn is 69 and has free breakfast. hum i know there is di if you call early enough you can get a nice sized suite for 99 or so but thats not 59 a night. the 59 a night one ive seen is anihime plazza inn.

I loved hojo the times we stayed there but with the new changes id more likely not go to them.

 

[chrissiecutie]

My 2cents-

Take out the affordable rates and you have something that I can find at just about any other hotel along the strip. The ET/Retro Rate was what got my family in your doors! It was what made me personally recommend your hotel to several of my friends & family. All of who stayed at your property simply because I recommended it & the rates were so good.

I wonder if this aspect was considered before making these big changes?? Word of mouth by your loyal Retro Rate fans is what gave your hotel the high rating on TripAdvisor. Without us- you would simply not have the occupancy that you do & that you have continued to enjoy throughout the years.

Yes, I think you will see a continued drop in your ratings. Especially as you work the kinks out of this confusing new program of yours. Check the board here, if you have ET card you get this, if AP you get this, but don't try & cancel before 30 days, look for emails, call in house, don't make changes, etc. Simplify HoJo's, Simplify. When you make too many rules & changes so quickly, folks will decide that you're just not worth all the hassle.


With that being said, I'm interested to see how this Super Family Rate pans out. As of right now, it feels like a strategic move to pacify the loyal Retro Rate folks. HoJo's can promise the moon & back, ie UP to 50% off- but I sure hope this isn't an empty promise. Once upon a time, ET rates were many, easy to find, easy to book & easy to save! If this "Super Family Rate" works in the same manner- then great! I don't care if it comes to me in the form of an email that I have to subscribe to or in the form of a ET card that I had to purchase off ebay. If the result is the same & I'm able to easily save a good chunk of money & have SOME flexibility in dates- then I'm a happy HoJo's customer.

And BTW- saying that the emails are for the benefit of your loyal customers...PUH LEEZE!! As another poster said...now I just have more spam that I have to weed through. And you best not be sharing my info!

So Jonathan- I like your hotel. I really do. Your staff is friendly, your rooms are clean, your pirate water park is a big hit for the smaller kids, the Keurigs in every room was simply genius & the beds are comfy.

But you need some work too- your bathrooms are digusting- in every bldg, your market is overpriced & way too crowded with junk, you do need a breakfast if you expect to maintain in your current market (free bfast vouchers for Mimi's is a great idea!) & you really need to get a handle on your up & down pricing.

I would also like to see your employees not be so stingy with the Keurig coffee pods. For us coffee drinkers, it takes 3 of those small little cups just to get my behind moving in the AM. Then 1 for the road. So by now I've blown through them all & poor DH is wondering where all the coffee went. Whenever I've asked for more from housekeeping or front desk- they act like I'm going to steal them all & sell em on the black market. Same goes for towels & blankets.

And to all the other loyal HoJo's fans. Let's hang in there and see what happens....HoJo's has been good to me for the last few years & IMO, they deserve some understanding & patience as they figure things out. I mean really...how lucky are we that we scored a bed bug free hotel for $59/night?? We all knew it couldn't last forever...but what HoJo's does now and how they choose to treat their most loyal of customers, remains to be seen...I say, we revisit this topic after the hype from Carsland blows over & the loss of the easily avail Retro Rates are no longer filling their rooms.

 

[wvnative]

i called anihime plaza inn and it was 59 a night, quality inn is 69 and has free breakfast. hum i know there is di if you call early enough you can get a nice sized suite for 99 or so but thats not 59 a night. the 59 a night one ive seen is anihime plazza inn.

I loved hojo the times we stayed there but with the new changes id more likely not go to them.

first. Anaheim plaza doesn't offer free breakfast.
We have been regulars at Hojo for several years now. we also always buy an E book for our area so its never been an issue. We are currently AP holders but may not continue to do that every year. I love HOJO but there are others that will work just fine that cost me way less money. We've signed up too and will wait to see what happens. With limited dates we can travel, Hojo may not be our go to anymore.

 

[NVDisMom]

My 2cents-

Take out the affordable rates and you have something that I can find at just about any other hotel along the strip. The ET/Retro Rate was what got my family in your doors! It was what made me personally recommend your hotel to several of my friends & family. All of who stayed at your property simply because I recommended it & the rates were so good.

I wonder if this aspect was considered before making these big changes?? Word of mouth by your loyal Retro Rate fans is what gave your hotel the high rating on TripAdvisor. Without us- you would simply not have the occupancy that you do & that you have continued to enjoy throughout the years.

Yes, I think you will see a continued drop in your ratings. Especially as you work the kinks out of this confusing new program of yours. Check the board here, if you have ET card you get this, if AP you get this, but don't try & cancel before 30 days, look for emails, call in house, don't make changes, etc. Simplify HoJo's, Simplify. When you make too many rules & changes so quickly, folks will decide that you're just not worth all the hassle.


With that being said, I'm interested to see how this Super Family Rate pans out. As of right now, it feels like a strategic move to pacify the loyal Retro Rate folks. HoJo's can promise the moon & back, ie UP to 50% off- but I sure hope this isn't an empty promise. Once upon a time, ET rates were many, easy to find, easy to book & easy to save! If this "Super Family Rate" works in the same manner- then great! I don't care if it comes to me in the form of an email that I have to subscribe to or in the form of a ET card that I had to purchase off ebay. If the result is the same & I'm able to easily save a good chunk of money & have SOME flexibility in dates- then I'm a happy HoJo's customer.

And BTW- saying that the emails are for the benefit of your loyal customers...PUH LEEZE!! As another poster said...now I just have more spam that I have to weed through. And you best not be sharing my info!

So Jonathan- I like your hotel. I really do. Your staff is friendly, your rooms are clean, your pirate water park is a big hit for the smaller kids, the Keurigs in every room was simply genius & the beds are comfy.

But you need some work too- your bathrooms are digusting- in every bldg, your market is overpriced & way too crowded with junk, you do need a breakfast if you expect to maintain in your current market (free bfast vouchers for Mimi's is a great idea!) & you really need to get a handle on your up & down pricing.

I would also like to see your employees not be so stingy with the Keurig coffee pods. For us coffee drinkers, it takes 3 of those small little cups just to get my behind moving in the AM. Then 1 for the road. So by now I've blown through them all & poor DH is wondering where all the coffee went. Whenever I've asked for more from housekeeping or front desk- they act like I'm going to steal them all & sell em on the black market. Same goes for towels & blankets.

And to all the other loyal HoJo's fans. Let's hang in there and see what happens....HoJo's has been good to me for the last few years & IMO, they deserve some understanding & patience as they figure things out. I mean really...how lucky are we that we scored a bed bug free hotel for $59/night?? We all knew it couldn't last forever...but what HoJo's does now and how they choose to treat their most loyal of customers, remains to be seen...I say, we revisit this topic after the hype from Carsland blows over & the loss of the easily avail Retro Rates are no longer filling their rooms.

Well Said, top to bottom!

 

[Califgirl]

I guess I'm the only one that's not on the 'free breakfast' bandwagon.

I enjoy staying at the HOJO. It's not the only hotel I choose in the area, but I've stayed there fairly often and I enjoy it. I like that it's walking distance and that Mimi's is across the street. (I wouldn't mind a discount for Mimi's, but it won't make or break whether I stay at HOJO or not). Sometimes I eat at Mimi's, sometimes I eat in the park, sometimes I eat in the room. HOJO's store has a good variety of breakfast food for a fast and inexpensive breakfast. I don't expect a hotel to feed me, and the times when I've stayed at places that have a free breakfast, they weren't anything I would especially look forward to.

What brings me back to HOJO's is the great rates (which hopefully will show up in their e-mail specials) the clean rooms, friendly employees and the free parking. I love the free parking.

 

[MommyLove]

Let's hang in there and see what happens....HoJo's has been good to me for the last few years & IMO, they deserve some understanding & patience as they figure things out. I mean really...how lucky are we that we scored a bed bug free hotel for $59/night?? We all knew it couldn't last forever...but what HoJo's does now and how they choose to treat their most loyal of customers, remains to be seen...I say, we revisit this topic after the hype from Carsland blows over & the loss of the easily avail Retro Rates are no longer filling their rooms.

I'm in a bit of wait-and-see mode too. I'm really looking forward to Super Family Rate emails from them! I'm sure we'll be discussing it here on the DIS when special rate emails go out. So curious...

I'm also anxious for the special rate emails because I have a Kids Suite booked for part of our Dec/Jan trip (the suite wasn't available for the whole time, so I booked a suite at the Park Vue for the other nights). I booked it awhile back at a 20% off rate and I was hoping that the Entertainment rate would kick in at some point for those nights. If it doesn't... I'm not willing to pay the price I have on the reservation (which is $183.20 for four of the nights). I'm already looking at alternatives.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

i called anihime plaza inn and it was 59 a night, quality inn is 69 and has free breakfast. hum i know there is di if you call early enough you can get a nice sized suite for 99 or so but thats not 59 a night. the 59 a night one ive seen is anihime plazza inn.

I loved hojo the times we stayed there but with the new changes id more likely not go to them.

quality inn and suites has been on the bedbugs list registry for a bit and my friend stayed there in Jan and she was only getting it for one night and she said NEVER AGAIN...she showed me pics of it and theres no way i would stay there...

I went to plaza inn a few weeks ago to get something and all i could think of was "thank god i never stayed here"

 

[chrissiecutie]

I guess I'm the only one that's not on the 'free breakfast' bandwagon.

I enjoy staying at the HOJO. It's not the only hotel I choose in the area, but I've stayed there fairly often and I enjoy it. I like that it's walking distance and that Mimi's is across the street. (I wouldn't mind a discount for Mimi's, but it won't make or break whether I stay at HOJO or not). Sometimes I eat at Mimi's, sometimes I eat in the park, sometimes I eat in the room. HOJO's store has a good variety of breakfast food for a fast and inexpensive breakfast. I don't expect a hotel to feed me, and the times when I've stayed at places that have a free breakfast, they weren't anything I would especially look forward to.

What brings me back to HOJO's is the great rates (which hopefully will show up in their e-mail specials) the clean rooms, friendly employees and the free parking. I love the free parking.

Here's my take on it...

If HoJo's is going to be raising their prices (which it appears they have been!) then they also need to increase their amenities. The reality is that they are but 1 hotel in a vast sea of many...and many offer FREE breakfast. Even at a $59/night rate.

Now...just because they would offer a free breakfast doesn't mean that everyone will take advantage of it. I for one like eating in the park, or muffins I've brought from home or even at Mimi's. Chances are if HoJo's offered a free breakfast, I would give it a try but wouldn't necessarily eat there every single day of my stay.

The reality is that for many guests & people doing comparision shopping for Disney hotels- a free breakfast will be a deal breaker. Why would an older couple with no kids choose to stay at a hotel that's a bit farther away & offers no breakfast, when they could stay literally across the street from Disney at the same price & enjoy a free breakfast. KWIM?

Personally- HoJo's is the only hotel on our SoCal trip that doesn't feed us in the AM. For my family, when road trippin- a free breakfast IS on my dealbreaker list. Simply because there are SO many hotels in SoCal, that if the hotel doesn't offer a free breakfast, free parking, free WiFi then there's one right around the corner that does. I think HoJo's will now find themselves in this exact same situation. You said it yourself- what keeps you coming back is the great price. So take the price OUT of the equation...and what do you have?? A nice hotel, lacking amenities in a sea of hotels with amenities.

HoJo's is currently alienating the people who have been so loyal to them. I'm speaking of the young-ish families with small kids who are looking for a clean, safe hotel at a great price. So if they are pushing us out the door- wouldn't it make sense that they would at least want to attempt to attract more guests of a wider demographic??

While I don't expect HoJo's to feed me at the ET/Retro Rates- I do at almost $200/night. Heck- at that price I'm expecting wine & a manager's reception.

 

[disney-super-mom]

But you need some work too- your bathrooms are digusting- in every bldg

This.

I've stayed at the HOJO so many times through the years....basically if we're not staying onsite at one of the Disney hotels then we're at the HOJO. And we really like the HOJO. BUT....yes, their bathrooms are all kind of gross. The fans/vents are especially nasty in every room.

Although, we've also had rusty fixtures (rusty light fixtures and shower heads), cracked toilet tank lids, black mold growing in the crease where the bathroom walls joins with the ceiling, scum build-up on and around shower heads and faucets, ect.

Most of the bathroom issues we've shrugged off over the years. When it comes to the yucky vents/fans, we just don't look and avert our eyes completely because it's just.....ick!

But we like that their rooms are light and bright with large windows. We love their garden pool - really wish they had a hottub over there though - who wants to soak in a hottub and try to relax in the middle of a noisy kiddie water playground?

I remember them announcing the addition of a new hottub over by the garden pool a few years back, but it never happened.

We also think they have a beautiful property (pretty landscaping, well kept grounds, twinkle lights, ect).

I don't mind if they're changing the "way" they offer a decent discount. I'm just afraid that any decent discount will be offered even less than it was before, which was already few and far between.

The HOJO's regular rates are getting a bit steep though. It's kind of depressing to happen when the economy is still in such sad shape, but it is what it is.

I've never really shopped around for other hotels, but I'm not opposed to it. We always wanted to try the Candy Cane Inn and also the Shereton Anaheim. I think both of those hotels also have their own private shuttle, which is pretty cool.

 

[BELLEDOZER]

My family loves HOJO's and have stayed there many times over the years. It just seems that this year that they've made massive changes to the way they are operating. I personally think that the changes being made are confusing, and they are just making excuses for upping their prices on their hotel rooms. It's gotten to the point where I can no longer recommend them to my friends, who do come to me for info about DL all the time. They have raised their prices to a point where they no longer have an advantage over the other hotels in DL. Because of this our next trip we will be giving the CCI a try.