HoJos worst?

[ByTheHook]

Okay, so what's been the worst experience you've had do deal with at HJ's Plaza in the past year? Bedbugs? Bad service? Cold water pool? Don't hold back.

Also, do they have any kind of shuttle or tram going out to DL daily? Hours?

Thanks in advance for any help/ memories.

 

[bbangel]

Worst thing I've had happen was a wet carpet from a malfunctioning air conditioner. I let the desk know and they had it fixed by the time we returned from the parks and made sure to ask if I need assistance with laundry or something to help dry out the suitcase that had been nearby.

There is an ART shuttle stop right outside the hotel but we never used it as the walk isn't that far.

Had such a good experience here that I'm headed back there for my next trip.

 

[spacemermaid]

I've stayed there a few times & the only thing I didn't care for was the pool temperature...too cold even when it was 100 degrees out. But, that was 2 years ago; I assume that issue has been addressed as I never see anyone complain about it anymore. It's not the hotel I prefer to stay at, but I've always had a clean room and pleasant dealings with the staff whilst there.

 

[Disney Mystic]

Wow it is difficult to find much wrong with this place. It's not that HoJo's is the answer to all the problems in the world, but they don't seem to let problems linger. There seems to be a sense that they really do care about what people think during their visit and they realize that after their guests go home, they're going to get online and talk about it, write reviews and warn others, so they go the extra mile to make sure the hotel visit goes smoothly.

The only thing I really don't like is that the walk is a little far down a busy road that is filled with speeding cars. Can't really fault Hojo's for that, in a perfect world there would be a monorail station just outside my hotel doorway, I can dream can't I?

My family and I have stayed there on about 8 to 10 different visits, and have also stayed at a number of the other properties. HoJo's is who we call first to see if we can get a room, every time.

 

[bumbershoot]

do they have any kind of shuttle or tram going out to DL daily?

There is ART, but really, it's a 10 minute walk if you're strolling. You can shorten the walk by crossing over Harbor and walking on the Disney side vs the hotel side. Hotel side has lots of driveways where cars (and delivery trucks, like the Pepsi truck that blocked things for a few minutes one morning when we tried the hotel side) do insist on going through, and there are way more people on that side.

 

[Bungle]

I'm sure you will hear lots of opinions on both sides. There seem to be some hard core lovers and some haters of hojos. Not too much in the middle.

We really enjoyed our stay.

There is no dedicated shuttle but you can take the bus. Honestly though it would probably take longer to wait for the bus than to just walk it.

 

[yoyoyo]

Freeway side of building 1. Too noisy. My favorite is the pool side of building 2

 

[jenpace]

Okay, so what's been the worst experience you've had do deal with at HJ's Plaza in the past year? Bedbugs? Bad service? Cold water pool? Don't hold back.

I'm not a huge Hojo fan by any stretch but I'm curious....why are you asking??

 

[emacat]

We've never really had a bad experience with Hojo. I learned before our first trip (thanks to the Disboards) several years ago that it's best to avoid the freeway side if you're a light sleeper, so we always make sure to stay away from those. Other than that, the staff has always been helpful, and for a basic hotel they serve our needs well, for a good price.

They do participate in the ART shuttle, which we often have tickets to in case it's been a long day in the park. They'll let you buy the pass at the front desk, and we've never waited more than 8 or so minutes for it. As a matter of fact, we love the ride back to the hotel, when we get to jabber with all different people, and my daughter even made a great "penpal" friend her age- LOL.

 

[nbliss]

The noise from the freeway if you stay in the rooms facing it in building 1. It was so loud we had to get earplugs. I've lived next to I-405 and I-90 here in the Bellevue area, so I didn't think it would bother me. But you are truly so close to the freeway, it's bad. Avoid that side like the plague.

 

[tinkcollector]

I have stayed at Hojo's quit a few times. I am usually on a budget, and Hojo's has been my best value hotel many times. As for the service, cleanliness, pool temperature, and overall expierence I would give them high marks. Mind you this is not a 5 star hotel, but they do a great job. Also, I need to say how friendly the gals are that work in the little mini-market souvenier store.

 

[nancy drew]

Just checking, the family suites are all facing the freeway in Building 1, right? In other words, they are all loud?

 

[the donut]

A few years ago we stayed at the HoJo in a DL facing room when a grad night was going on. There was booming music that kept us up until at least 3am, and we had the sound machine going for the baby. Luckily, the baby didn't care about the music and slept right through it. I think I would have preferred the freeway side that stay!

 

[jacs1234]

Our biggest problem with Hojos was a HUGE problem. Their darn pool is too good. The kids just wanted to play there all day We had to fight them every day. We'd come all the way from Hot and Sticky Australia (in December) so us grown-ups didn't want to swim or sit in the cold by the pool, we wanted to do Disney

I would stay there again, I think we had a leaky tap that got fixed for us, but we also had a faulty plug at the Grand Californian.

Next time I stay at HoJo's I'll make sure to put aside a few afternoons for swimming.

 

[auntiegem]

I would say the walk is the worst. Even so, we're staying there again this fall because we really like the hotel.

Cleanliness and a good night's sleep are the most important things to us in a hotel--and the HOJO exceeded our expectations on both of those prerequisites. The deluxe rooms in Building 2 have new carpet, furniture, beds and bedding, and were super clean. The bathrooms still have 1979 brown/orange decals on the bath tiles, but the bathroom was also immaculately clean. We slept better in their beds than we do at home.

So, we've decided to suck it up when it comes to the walk. Going to DLR in the morning is fine, but we may use the ART shuttle on the way back like we did last time. It was 100+ degrees (in November!) several of the days we were there, and our hot, tired, swollen feet just couldn't take the walk--10 minutes, or not. Also, like another poster mentioned, the ART ride back to the hotel is kind of fun, and you can end up meeting interesting people from all over the world. It doesn't take that long, and it's a nice ride in A/C comfort--perfect after a day of scorching hot weather.

 

[tdashgirl]

Why HOJOs is pretty much my first choice:
1) Reasonable rates for a hotel within (less than 10 min really) walk to DLR so no need for shuttles or car
2) Really comfy beds
3) Always clean
4) IMO nicest non-Disney pools within walking distance of DLR - the pirate pool is fun for kids and the garden pool is really relaxing and pleasant to hang out by (I can't say that for many of the pools along S.Harbor)
5) No charge for parking or wireless internet so no worries about fees on top of hotel rate/tax
6) They give 20% AP discount or the retro rate on available dates to APers - keeps this APer coming back!
7) Keurig coffee machine - makes a really decent cup of coffee in my hotel room
8) Overall very friendly and personable staff

Negatives
1) Not as close a walk as Park Vue, Desert Inn and Suites, Carousel, Tropicana, Camelot, etc. but the pros above usually outweigh this
2) We really didn't like our recent stay on the top floor in building 3, they have these high ceilings with uncovered windows letting in an insane amount of light. This was on a relatively cool May weekend, and it was still unbearable in the afternoon, too bright and had to blast the A/C. The light would wake us up at the crack of dawn too. I wouldn't stay in that type of room again.

 

[dmked]

We have stayed there several times and never had any problems. I would say they have 2 downfalls, no breakfast and a bit further than some hotels. Neither of those things is really a problem though, we LOVE Hojos especially when it is half off! (We have never stayed on the freeway side but some of my family did and they said it was fine)

 

[Ariel224]

Our biggest problem with Hojos was a HUGE problem. Their darn pool is too good. The kids just wanted to play there all day We had to fight them every day. We'd come all the way from Hot and Sticky Australia (in December) so us grown-ups didn't want to swim or sit in the cold by the pool, we wanted to do Disney

I would stay there again, I think we had a leaky tap that got fixed for us, but we also had a faulty plug at the Grand Californian.

Next time I stay at HoJo's I'll make sure to put aside a few afternoons for swimming.

That was our experience as well. We could have saved several hundred dollars in park tickets if we just traveled to HOJO and let the kids play at their water park for the week.

 

[ByTheHook]

I'm not a huge Hojo fan by any stretch but I'm curious....why are you asking??

We found a last-minute option to stay at DLH, which we're more familiar with, so I was trying to make an educated last-minute decision (if there is such a thing).

 

[ByTheHook]

Just checking, the family suites are all facing the freeway in Building 1, right? In other words, they are all loud?

Yes, a HJ employee just confirmed that for me today. They didn't say anything about the possible freeway noise, but I'm sure that could hurt their business if they did.