Fairfield Inn vs. Hilton Anaheim

[honeymom]

We need to use points for our next DL stay. We have narrowed down to either the Fairfield Inn or the Hilton Anaheim. When we tour, we like to start out early (as early as we are allowed in the park), take a break for a few hours during the day and go back in the park at night. Here are the pros and cons of both:

Hilton: pros: if we can get a renovated room it looks nicer as do the grounds. Staying at the Hilton might allow me to use some points to help buy one or two of our tickets.

cons: no guarantee we will get a renovated room. No guarantee that the Timon parking lot shuttle will be running which would make for a quick walk to the shuttle and tram to the parks. If Timon shuttle isn't working, we would have to use ART. Parking fees and other fees might use up much of the savings that we would get on the DL tickets.

Fairfield Inn: pros: Across the street on Harbor and the walk doesn't look much worse than the work from the DL Hotel to the parks. Would make afternoon break easier. Free parking.
Cons: Might be put in room over freeway. Grounds don't look as nice as Hilton. Rooms look smaller although adequate for our needs.

If you have stayed at either of these hotels, or better yet both, please chime in with your opinions. Thanks.

 

[Cinderlala]

I have not stayed at either hotel, but if you are using Hilton HHonors points for the Hilton room, you should have a really good chance of getting a renovated room---especially if you are a Gold or Diamond member.

You can even request a renovated room when you make your reservations. Or, if you are given an un-renovated room, you can request that it be switched.

I'm a Hilton Diamond member and I've found that their hotels are usually fairly responsive to the requests of the Hhonors members.

Hope this is helpful....

 

[jencav5]

I've stayed at the Hilton many times. It is a beautiful hotel. Our most recent stay was in March. I didn't ask about the renovated rooms, but I did notice they had signs about their new rooms everywhere. Our room was very nice-it seemed like it was probably renovated. Honestly, though, their rooms have always been nice for us. It is a typical hotel room with 2 beds, but nicer than your motel style rooms in the bedding, bathroom counters, decor, etc.... The lobby & grounds of this hotel make you feel like you are on vacation to me, than just staying at a motel style. I'm sure you already know this-just re-iterating the differences! Even if Timon isn't running, you can just cut across the parking lot and take the walking path to the front-it's really not that bad of a walk. The Fairfield is a bit of a walk down Harbor, next to the McDonalds, so I don't think it is that much shorter of a walk. I actually love the walk thru the convention center from the Hilton-it's really beautiful, with large palms and there's even a fountain. It's kind of serene! I've never stayed at the Fairfield, but I've stayed at other hotels on Harbor. The only good thing I have to say about them is the walk to the park (the ones I've stayed at are practically across from the entrance). I much prefer the Hilton.

 

[tinkerbelt]

I've stayed at the Hilton, but it was about 10 years ago. It was very nice, though, and we did walk from the park to the Hilton, through the Timon parking lot. The walk is a bit longer now, I think, but it is doable, especially if you don't have super little kids.

 

[honeymom]

Thanks. We are only hilton silver. While I find that they often meet our requests, it is not always the guarantee as when gold or higher.

We decided on the Fairfield Inn. It is a bit closer and since my husband complained that it was quite a walk when we stayed at the GCH, I thought I better pick something as close by as possible. While our kids aren't young, they are not the greatest about long walks.

 

[PigletGurl]

We've stayed at the Fairfield Inn and since my dad is Marriott Elite Member we got a Disney view. The rooms are small but perfect if you are going to spend most of your time at disneyland. There is a pizza hut ( i forget what floor it was), and a McDonalds in the parking lot. I loved seeing space mountain in front of us and we could see the fireworks at night from our room. It is about a 5 - 7 minute walk to the gates, and perfect for afternoon breaks. We loved it so much in November when we stayed for 5 days that we are staying in this hotel for our upcoming two week trip. I hope you enjoy your stay!

 

[honeymom]

Thanks. I don't think we will mind the small as much as we would mind inconvenience. We have stayed in other Fairfield Inns and while small, they aren't that much smaller than the room we stayed in at the GCH.

I don't know that we will be able to get Disney view (we booked at the AAA rate which doesn't specify view), but we will try.

 

[sand2270]

We stayed at the Fairfield in March and overall I was happy with it. I stayed with my DD8 and the room was plenty big for us. It was decorated nicely with Disney touches and was clean. I requested a high floor when we made the reservation and we were on the 6th floor with a view of the park (you can see pictures in my trip report below).

It has free internet and parking which I liked. There is a little marketplace with a Seattle's coffee, pizza and grocery items. We had breakfast there, a little pricey, but very convenient.

We were only there one night so we didn't use the pool. I don't spend much time in the hotel when I go to DL anyway so the room was perfect for our needs. The walk to Disney was not bad at all. Maybe a minute or two further than the hotels that are directly across the street.