HOJO prices going up?

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Is it just me or are the HOJO prices going up? Also seems they are offering the Ent rate less and less. I'm sure this is due to the popularity of the hotel.

I can stay at the Embassy Suites just down the street for less than a Kids Suite at HOJO (and this is with my AP discount of 20% or 15% off). That just seems wrong to me.

Yes it's closer, but we usually do ART anyway since we have a little one who doesn't want to walk that far.

No flames please, I know people get defensive of the HOJO. I've stayed there and love it but it just seems odd. Embassy Suites is a higher star of hotel...

I'm not sure it's worth the extra money to stay there when I can get a full cooked to order breakfast for my family every morning and drinks and snacks in the afternoon at Embassy.

 

[skiingfast]

I'm sure you are right. It's the nature of business though that prices rise. I can't find rates at other hotels that are as low as I got before either.

 

[NewbieMouse]

It also wouldn't surprise me if they started offering the ent rate closer to the dates instead of so far out. I would think offering these rates would be associated with times when the hotel expects to be slow. Sometimes that is predictable so they can offer them in advance, and sometimes it would be a short time before if their reservations aren't filling up. Unless it's a consistently predictable slow time, I'm not sure whey they would offer them so far in advance.

 

[Mouse13]

I agree about the price increases. We've stayed at HoJo many times and really like the property. But I've done my research and have gotten really great rates at the Fairfield and Courtyard. It looks like we'll be trying the Homewood Suites for our next trip and enjoying a few more amenities in trade for the walking distance.

 

[mamaofthree]

I wouldn't pay much more than the ent. rate at HoJo, not if there were other options. If all hotel prices are rising, that's one thing. We stayed there Thanksgiving weekend (building 2, mid price room), no ent rate, but got a deal from a link thru our credit union for $87 a night, which I thought was great for a holiday weekend. When it's time to plan our next trip I will do the same thing I always do, and compare prices for our dates. Love that I know what to expect from HoJo though. So its good to have it as a basis for comparison.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I think the value you get from something depends on what your priorities are. Our family has decided that the most important things to us on a Disney vacation are to be able to walk to and from the park with ease and to have a clean, comfortable room. We almost always go at "peak" times when the park opens at 8 AM, sometimes, though rarely, at 9 AM. We're cereal and toast people most days at home, so a big breakfast to start the day is not of importance to our family and would probably be something of a hindrance. We're not frills people so don't generally get real excited about room amenities like tv channels and toiletries. Hojos works great for us. We have stayed at some of the other nearby places as well and generally not been dissatisfied, so I am willing to shop around for price, but if it's a longer walk than Hojos, it's not worth it to us to save some bucks and trade-off the accessibility.

I feel like Hojos rates have gone up a bit, but I find that with planning and checking regularly I can usually get the rate down to what we're comfortable with. Even at the busy times we chose to go this year, we got a lot of entertainment/AP rate days and some other very respectable rates.

Other people's priorities will obviously be different than ours. Not everyone will bother to spend as much time checking and re-checking Hojos rates for instance. Some people find a big and/or cooked breakfast really important for the start of their day. Some people care more about certain room or hotel amenities. Some people don't find ART or driving and parking as annoying as we do. That's all cool. Tastes vary widely, and there are plenty of hotels in the area trying to meet people's different priorites.

 

[kiwitravel]

In August this year we seriously looked at Hojos dues to all the rave reviews here... We were staying 12 nights and needed two separate rooms, the entertainment rate was only available on two nights of the stay. Even with DisBoard discounts HoJos worked out to be over $1000 dearer than where we finally chose which was a 12 minute walk to the Disney bag check, had a free breakfast, free parking and free wifi, fridge and microwave, and a great uncrowded pool...We just couldn't justify that sort of difference and had a great stay at this hotel...

 

[jemilah]

Hojo hasnt updated the ent rate for almost a month now , I called today and confirmed it. I wouldnt spend that much without the ent rate either. If I am I will stay at BWPPI which gives bfast and is closer. Also their facebook page is gone too.

 

[skiingfast]

Also their facebook page is gone too.

Hojo took away thier FB page? I hadn't noticed. If so I wonder why.

 

[skiingfast]

Hmm very interesting.

Maybe they wanted to change how they work Facebook. I found this through a link to Hojoanaheim on FB. Also it looks like possibly Loreall's page may be the only official Hojo page. Very strange indeed.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Howar...867175?sk=deals&filter=153492508028111&ref=mf

 

[jemilah]

I asked and the girl didnt really have an answer and seemed really annoyed I asked if the ent rate had been updated. Not the normal customer service you get on the phone there.

 

[Ariel224]

The original Facebook page (Hojo Anaheim) was not set up as a business page. It was set up as a "person" that you had to befriend. That page, which was maintained by Lorealle is still there, but has been renamed as "Lorealle Bishop." (I double checked and she's still on my friend list). The page skiingfast linked to above appears to be a new "business" page, so yeah, it looks like they are just changing how FB communications are being managed.

I love the Entertainment Rates as much as anyone, but one can't take for granted that they will always be there. "Specials" are just that and can change at any time. I have a friend who is upset that Disney didn't do the everyone plays for the kids' price promo for 2011....same kind of thing. If Hojo is indeed scaling back or eliminating that discount, they could lose patrons, and they will have to respond accordingly to continue to compete with their neighbors. Business constantly evolves.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I love the Entertainment Rates as much as anyone, but one can't take for granted that they will always be there. "Specials" are just that and can change at any time. I have a friend who is upset that Disney didn't do the everyone plays for the kids' price promo for 2011....same kind of thing. If Hojo is indeed scaling back or eliminating that discount, they could lose patrons, and they will have to respond accordingly to continue to compete with their neighbors. Business constantly evolves.

Yep. Some people who are used to paying Entertainment rates for every trip may not be as enthused about staying there for trips when that rate isn't available. I love to get a good deal, but I have definitely stayed there without the Entertainment rate because if their rate is comparable or less than the other hotels that are not a further walk, then for us it's worth it since we rank the walking distance and comfort and familiarity with that property as our top priorities. Other people may be inspired to look further afield for deals and perks, so Hojo may see a decline in bookings. Only time will tell. Of course, with the "improving" economy, at least for some, we may see increased rates at a lot of hotels, airlines, entertainment venues, etc.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

I asked and the girl didnt really have an answer and seemed really annoyed I asked if the ent rate had been updated. Not the normal customer service you get on the phone there.

This makes me very sad to hear! Can you tell me what time you called and who you spoke to? I would very much like to look into this!

Thank you for your help!
Lorealle

 

[jemilah]

hmmmm it was yesturday mid afternoon, wish I could remember her name but it was as if I could feel her rolling her eyes at me.

 

[c&m]

Have to agree with the OP. We couldn't get a rate lower than $101 (with taxes in, it'd be about $120/night) for our March dates.

When I also called HOJO to ask them about ENT rate availability, I felt the "rolling of the eyes" and a fed-up tone from the voice over the phone. I didn't get the great customer service that I'd been hearing about on these forums. I said my pleases and thank-yous, and hung up the phone quite disappointed because we had wanted to try out this great hotel that everyone on this forum talks so highly of.

I ended up booking our 4 nights with the Sheraton Garden Grove for $150 less than the price at the HOJO.

 

[jemilah]

I tried to be really polite and happy sounding too, I have a reservation there and at BWPPI and if I dont get the Ent rate I will have to cancel Hojo. we have stayed there our last 5 trips

 

[Hojoanaheim]

hmmmm it was yesturday mid afternoon, wish I could remember her name but it was as if I could feel her rolling her eyes at me.

I will let our Reservations Manager know about this and ask him to look into it. :\

Thank you for letting me know!
Lorealle

 

[nana50]

I've stayed at the Anaheim Hilton and Towers many times for the $89.00 rate. It is a beautiful hotel and one of kids and my favorites. I was not impressed with the sad old looking HOJO's at all. Also the spa was dirty, everyone was drinking, (booze) bottles and no room to sit. Not happy, won't be going back.

 

[Brancaneve]

With the lack of Ent. rates, I think some of us, including myself, have been venturing out a bit and trying new hotels. It just seems that whatever else I try, I always think how nice it would be to just walk back to your hotel without having to depend on a bus, wait for a bus, or pray that you get on before it fills up. We stayed at the Hyatt, which was lovely, but we missed the Keurig, micro and fridge that the Hojo offers. On the other hand, I was a little disappointed when I didn't stay in Building 2 at our last HOJO stay and found the room to be smaller, more outdated and not as welcoming as the ones in Building 2.