Anaheim Convention Center and Hotel Choice

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

I just found out a conference I'd like to attend for work is being held at the Anaheim Convention Center in November! This is still in the tentative stages (namely, haven't brought it up with DH yet), but I definitely need the CEUs and this would be perfect. HOJO has the entertainment rate available for the time I would be there and that's definitely the least expensive option at $59/night. It's only a mile away from the convention center, so it's not a horrible distance, but it's definitely not the closest option, either.

The conference website lists Stovall's at $99/night and I've heard decent reviews about the hotel. I'm pretty certain this is the hotel Spacemermaid has recommended in the past. I'd be going to the conference from 8:30-5:30 and then hitting the parks until closing (most likely) and getting some sleep before starting over the next morning.

Any thoughts on staying way over at HOJO's instead of one of the hotels closer to the conference? Are there any shortcuts I'm not thinking of to get from HOJO's to the conference center? If I was tired in the morning and wanting a bit of a break from the walk, would ART work to get from HOJO's to the conference center?

 

[mvf-m11c]

The conference website lists Stovall's at $99/night and I've heard decent reviews about the hotel. I'm pretty certain this is the hotel Spacemermaid has recommended in the past. I'd be going to the conference from 8:30-5:30 and then hitting the parks until closing (most likely) and getting some sleep before starting over the next morning.

Any thoughts on staying way over at HOJO's instead of one of the hotels closer to the conference? Are there any shortcuts I'm not thinking of to get from HOJO's to the conference center? If I was tired in the morning and wanting a bit of a break from the walk, would ART work to get from HOJO's to the conference center?

BW Stovalls is a nice place to stay, I have stayed there in the past. If you are going to the parks later during the day, it is about a 15-20 min walk from the hotel to the parks.

I stayed at HOJO during the D23 Expo last year and it was not a good idea to stay at HOJO and walk over to the Anaheim Convention Center. It was a long walk and it was not fun to go back and forward from the Expo to the hotel. If you are just going to the parks, yes it is worth it. But for the Convention Center, it is not worth it. It took us 20-25 min to get to the Convention Center from HOJO. I would get a hotel around the Convention Center while it would be easier to go back and forward to it.

They ran the trams from the DL bus loading area towards the tram loading area at the former Lion King parking lot area by Katella ave when they had the D23 Expo. But right now the resort is using the former Lion King tram loading area as the bus stop for the TS parking lot.

There is no route from the Convention Center to HOJOs by using ART. You could wait at the bus loading area at DL and transfer to another bus that goes to the Convention Center. But that would take too much time.

 

[barefootmomma]

The Anaheim Hilton is wonderful and on Convention Center Way. I just paid $98 for a Thursday night and $99 for a Friday night, standard room. The rates are great for the quality that you're getting, in my opinion. I believe it's a hop skip and a jump to the Convention Center and, I know that it's about a 15-20 minute walk to the park, we almost always drive (and walk when not driving) from the hotel to the park so I don't know about ART from there.

 

[spacemermaid]

Stovall's is the hotel that I've recommended in the past

I've never done the walk between Hojo's & the Convention Center, so I can't advise about that except to say...that's an awfully long way to walk Stovall's is much, much closer. The rooms have all been updated recently, the pool/hot tub area is nice (2 pools, 2 hot tubs, surrounded by cute topiary tree animals), the beds are super comfortable, and breakfast is included.

If you use this link: http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/priceAvail.do?propertyCode=05185 , you should be able to get the very-much-discounted "book 30+ days ahead of time" rate. The only downside to that is, you can't change the reservation & it must be paid for in advance.

 

[KCSunshine60]

Hi - I just got back from a trip with my sons and we stayed at the Park Sheraton which I think is right next to the convention center. It was farther from the park than we've stayed in the past but I was quite pleased. We did a GetAway package that included the room, parking, 5 day park hoppers and $100 gift card for use on property. Our room was very nice and clean, comfortable beds, full balcony with a great view of fireworks. The staff was great. And, I thought the price was right - $970 which included the passes, parking and $100 gift card. We did buy an ART pass and used the shuttle. But, it was a very easy 10 minute walk to the parks as well.

Enjoy!
KC

 

[CMHusband]

I will admit that I've never stayed at Stovall's but I've driven by it many times and it looks like a dive to me. Its on the back side of the convention center and quite a walk to get there. But if you aren't spending any time there its probably okay for $50 bucks. Its still quite a walk from there to the park in my opinion and not exactly on the beaten path.

 

[karylrocks]

We stayed at the Anabella for a convention and I think it is just right for distance if you are doing the convention center and the parks. Call them directly for the best rate. I was planning to stay there again for my park visit in October but decided to bring my daughter and toddler grandson so switched to BWPPI for the convenience instead. It is really not a bad walk to the park from Anabella. I am surprised it does not get much mention on the boards but I really enjoyed it.

 

[darph nader]

If you want 'inexpensive' the Alpine is right across the street,as is the Desert Palm.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

Thanks to everyone for the input on the hotel choices! I think in the excitement of seeing a conference at the Anaheim Convention Center and then seeing Hojo's Entertainment rate available for those dates, I didn't really think through the other closer options. The last few times we've been to DLR we've stayed onsite (and will be again in two weeks ), but I sure wouldn't want to splurge on on-site with family vacation money when it's just me there for a conference with the opportunity to go the parks only in the evenings (the first workshops start at 8:30 and the last ends each day at 5:00).

The Alpine is definitely looking like a definite possiblity. Only $70/night and the Yelp reviews consistently talk about cleanliness (barebones, but definitely clean). I wouldn't be in the hotel (motel, in this case) much at all. Up early for the conference and then I'd head straight for the parks for dinner and hanging out until I was ready to call it a night. If DH and the girls end up joining me for the weekend, we might stay at one of the other places for Friday/Saturday night. That would save me $80 over Stovall's. Not a huge deal of savings, so if Stovall's is safer or in other ways preferable, please say the word!

I started looking at Priceline and Hotwire, but the chances of ending up even further away than Hojo's made me drop that method of finding an inexpensive hotel close to the conference center.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

Now I've starting thinking about the walk back to the hotel at night all by myself. I've heard plenty of people talking about the walk to the hotels on Harbor and how it's not a problem. What about walking all the way down to Katella, though? Would there be plenty of people? Is there a shuttle I can hop on? Where I stay will likely depend on the answer to those two questions.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Now I've starting thinking about the walk back to the hotel at night all by myself. I've heard plenty of people talking about the walk to the hotels on Harbor and how it's not a problem. What about walking all the way down to Katella, though? Would there be plenty of people? Is there a shuttle I can hop on? Where I stay will likely depend on the answer to those two questions.

It is not a far walk if you have a hotel on Katella Ave if you are going down on Disneyland Dr. You could walk towards the GCH and go down south on Disneyland Dr. and you if you are staying at Stovalls or Anabella it is only a 15 min walk. I have stayed at Stovalls and walked down Disneyland Dr. from the DTD and there are people walking down the street at night. They do have ART shuttles to go down toward Katella. But that is the hotels around Katella and DL Drive.

 

[spacemermaid]

Like mvf-m11c said, you can take the shortcut down Disneyland Dr. if you're staying on Katella & there will be plenty of people walking to/from the Park. It's a nice walk on a landscaped/lighted sidewalk & then through the GC lobby to DTD.

I've stayed in the Alpine Inn & the only issue I noticed is that the beds are hard...but then, I have a bad back so maybe others wouldn't think the beds were that bad . It's an older hotel (built around the same time as the Park) and the rooms are on the small side but the rooms I've had there were clean, which is more than I can say for some hotels in the area. You can catch the ART bus nearby but I don't remember where exactly the stop for the Alpine Inn is; someone at the front desk will know

 

[Eeee-va]

One other place I didn't hear mentioned is the Ramada Plaza Anaheim Resort, which is a similar distance from the parks as Hojo (maybe a touch longer) and reasonably close to the convention center. We bought ART tickets to go to Disneyland and only used them once, finding that it was faster to just walk. It's fairly well-reviewed on Trip Advisor (at least by star rating; I didn't read them ). I stayed there once in 2005, I believe it was, as it was the only hotel in the vicinity of Disneyland that we could get for under $100 a night or so. I thought it was fine, though I can't swear as to its condition now, of course.

I went to a convention one year at the convention center and some of my friends stayed at the Ramada Plaza for that too--I walked back with them once and the walk was not very long.

Have a great trip!

 

[dalstitch45]

The Anaheim Hilton is wonderful and on Convention Center Way. I just paid $98 for a Thursday night and $99 for a Friday night, standard room. The rates are great for the quality that you're getting, in my opinion. I believe it's a hop skip and a jump to the Convention Center and, I know that it's about a 15-20 minute walk to the park, we almost always drive (and walk when not driving) from the hotel to the park so I don't know about ART from there.

I agree. This is where I always stay. It is a very nice hotel, and it is right next to the Convention Center. Literally, just walk out of the hotel and go next door. You can take the ART bus to the park, or walk through the shortcut pathway between the Hilton and the Convention Center.