You'll hear a lot of positive comments about HoJo on these boards. Couple of reasons:
1. The entertainment book rate. They have a special where, with the Ent book card, you can get a standard room for $59 a night, and a deluxe room for $74 a night. (recently renovated, new mattresses, balcony, Disney view, microwave and fridge in room). The Entertainment rate is currently showing as available on these dates:
http://www.hojoanaheim.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=14 . Be advised that even if your dates aren't on there, frequently more dates are added last minute. For example, there were no dates in July, then about a dozen showed up on July 1st. Looks like a lot of them have already been snapped up. You do NOT need to have the book on hand when you book your stay. You just have to have it by the time you get there and check in; they will need your card. If your stay is after November 1, you will need the new 2009 book. You can get the book for your own area, doesn't have to be the Anaheim one; you just need the card. You can get a book for most places for $25. So consider: buy an Ent book and use it to book a standard room for $59 a night for 4 nights. That's a savings of $40-$60 PER NIGHT, when compared to what you'd pay for one of the hotels at the crosswalk, and at a nicer hotel. So you'd save $160-$240 just for buying a $25 book. I'd say that's worth it, even if you never use the book for anything else. When you call to book this rate, you must call the hotel itself and ask for IN HOUSE reservations (don't let them shuttle you to the national line; they won't know what you're talking about) and their in-house reservation people can help you with the Ent rate. Ask if Lorealle is available to talk to.
2. HoJo is the nicest hotel on the "strip" within close walking distance (it has inside corridors rather than the outside ones at the motels at the crosswalk) and it has a large "garden" pool, beautiful grounds, and a brand-new, pirate-themed, kids' water play area. If you click around on the above link, you can see pictures. It is well within easy walking distance. Granted it's not right AT the crosswalk; but the difference is a matter of 4 minutes' walk. Also, it's up at Manchester, so most people in the know cross Harbor at Manchester and walk down the quiet side of the street, away from the crowds, and enter at the taxi entrance. It saves you several minutes. Most people report a total walking time of 7 minutes from the HoJo parking lot to the turnstiles. This is closer than staying at one of the farther towers of the DLH or at Paradise Pier.
3. Lorealle. She's one of the managers at HoJo, and she's SO nice. If you have any questions, concerns, need help-- e-mail or call her at the hotel, she will behave toward you like an instant friend. She even joined the Ladies' Only DISboard group for dinner on their trip! Lorealle frequently posts here and answers questions on the DIS.
Hope that explains the DISboard HoJo obsession.
