Hotel thoughts

[GracieB]

Do you feel a hotel is "just a place to sleep"? I am traveling to Disneyland with an old friend, and she is balking at paying for anything higher than $90 a night! Her theory is, we are just going to sleep there, so the full-service, nice grounds, better bedding, higher end surroundings, lounge, etc., do not matter anyway. I disagree! She also thinks it is crazy that the Hilton, Marriott, etc., charge a parking fee, whereas the cheap motels don't. Her other contention is the free continental breakfast, which she feels is a "must have", along with free parking. I don't feel it an issue. Most free breakfasts are not that great anyway, with the exception of Embassy Suites, so what is the big deal? We could always grab Denny's or IHOP, or something from La Brea when we get to the parks.

So my question is, if you were traveling with someone who wanted to stay in a $60 Motel 6, and your taste runs more to Hilton, Marriott, Embassy Suites--how do you compromise? Right now, I have a $94 room at La Quinta, and she is looking for something cheaper!

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[krusty007]

Depends on your priorities. When I go, I like to be as close to the entrance as possible. If you stay at a high end hotel, rely on the shuttle, and have a relaxing breakfast, you'll likely get to the park with the crowds.

But it's your personal preference. I agree for a Disneyland trip that it's just a room. If you were talking about a resort in Mexico that you don't leave, that's different.

I do think getting a good night's sleep is important so I scrutinize Tripadvisor to insure a motel is clean, reasonably quiet, and had good beds and sheets. Dirty or torn sheets gross me out.

 

[dragonflycurls]

I would personally love to stay at the DLH. My wife though? She thinks the same as your friend.

But honestly, last visit we stayed at BWPPI instead of DLH and I thought it was perfect. Couldn't get any closer to the parks, rooms were nice.

Maybe if I had kids it would be nicer to have a nice hotel with a nice pool. For now i'm okay going budget.

 

[WTFetus]

But it's your personal preference. I agree for a Disneyland trip that it's just a room. If you were talking about a resort in Mexico that you don't leave, that's different.

I do think getting a good night's sleep is important so I scrutinize Tripadvisor to insure a motel is clean, reasonably quiet, and had good beds and sheets. Dirty or torn sheets gross me out.

My thoughts exactly. You don't need a high class room, but you do want a comfortable room so you can get a good night's rest.

I went twice last year. Stayed at the Marriot the 1st time, and stayed at Ramada the second time (cheaper and free breakfast). Boy was that 2nd time a mistake. Ramada's air-conditioner was so loud, the bathrooms were dirty, and the beds were really uncomfortable. I'd rather have spent a little more for the comfort, and just get a cheap breakfast at McDonalds in the morning.

I think staying at a place like the Marriot is a good compromise for the two of you. You aren't shelling out large amounts of money like you would for a DL Resort (since you're only using it for a bed), but you are paying for that little extra comfort.

 

[awdsmama]

I think I'm in the middle.

First, location is key to me so while some hotels boast being "across the street" they are really a block or two away so I get rid of those right away and pretty much narrow it down to the hotels between Harbor/Disney WAy (Anaheim Plaza for example) and the Hojo to the north.

I don't seriously consider the on site hotels because TO ME the prices are insane - unless traveling off season and you get a great rate maybe ;-)

I don't care about free breakfast. If they have it, great. Otherwise we'd rather be eating a peanut butter bagel while walking to the park anyway - a time saver!

Parking? We drove last time so the free parking at Hojo was nice. Don't need it this time. If the hotel rate is low enough, then I'm okay paying for parking. I don't want to tack an extra $15 on per night to a room rate of $175 though! At that rate it should be included

As for the room rate itself. You get what you pay for comes to mind. Therefore I'd be hesitant getting a place at $50--60 a night in peak season not sure you'd find it anyway?. I think a range of $80-150 is my comfort zone?
We aren't really in the room a ton, but it is nice to have a decent room bed to go back to at the end of the day! You don't want to feel like you're in a dingy no-tell motel

 

[momjeeps]

I'm more on the economy side of things when it comes to Disney as well. It really is just a place to sleep. As long as its clean and a good value, I'm happy. Keep in mind if you are not walking distance in the economy room you will have parking and/or shuttle, ART fees to content with. But even many of the "cheap" motels charge for parking. BW does for example. But I'm must like a previous poster. If the room and grounds are a large part of my vacation, I'm more inclined to spend some bucks for the amenities and nice pool or beachside accommodation's.

We are staying at BWPPI this time around. Right across the street. But for our size group its still over $100/nt.

 

[sheetz]

I'm sort of in the middle. I don't hate cheap motels, but I do like to get the best bang for my buck and I find that it's usually the mid range hotels that offer the best value. It sounds like you will have a car, so maybe you could save money on the hotel by staying a little further away?

I also like free breakfast at the hotel, but mainly as a time saver.

 

[SpacecadetNZ]

Usually I loooove a good 5 star hotel as much as the next girl Give me a full-service resort with a huge room and extra pillows, fancy amenities, and a gorgeous pool. BUT when it comes to Disneyland vacations, I'm the opposite - I know that the hotel is not my priority and that I won't be spending a lot of time in the room except to sleep. I would rather spend that extra $$ on fun Disney-related stuff. I hate paying extra for parking so if it's part of the room charge, I am happy. Similarly with breakfast. If it's free, that's all well and good. I don't like to start the day with a stomach-full of heavy sugary or fried food so all I am looking for by way of breakfast is toast or eggs or a healthy cereal. So I guess when it comes to a Disney vacation, I am more of your friend's mindset. But I do have some standards; cleanliness is a must.

It's hard to reconcile your expectations with your friend's approach. Either both of you compromise and feel a bit cheated of your perfect experience, or one of you does and the other gets her way. I'm not sure that there is any middle ground where one of you won't feel a bit disgruntled. If it's all about the finances for your friend, are you in a position to be able to subsidise her stay so that you can go slightly more upmarket than she is wanting to pay? Or could you offer to pay the parking?

That's not to say that I don't fantasise about having a few nights at the Grand Californian... One day!

 

[MrsM1955]

My only suggestion is to use Priceline. I've been lucky enough to get some nice rooms in Anaheim for about $60 a night. The downside is you have no choice on the property and you can end up with a room with 1 king bed.

If possible, you might consider getting another travel companion

 

[MinnieInOz]

If I was travelling with a friend and she didn't want to stay in the same type of hotel that I did, then I would stay somewhere else and let her stay where she wanted. I've never stayed in a motel style of accommodation, with external doors/corridors. I have always stayed in hotels (not just in the USA but everywhere we've travelled around the world). They don't have to be 5 star but they have to be clean and in a good area and have nice facilities.

I would not have a problem with a friend who wanted to stay at a motel, but I would let her stay there and I would stay where I liked.

We have travelled many times with friends and we don't always have the same preference when it comes to hotels/motels. So we always stay where we like and they stay where they like and then make arrangements to catch up, either at breakfast or late morning or whenever suits.

 

[seagodess]

I'm kind of in the middle, but leaning more towards your friends side. Price is a big one for me. I dont have much money, so finding something clean and cheap are at the top of my list of priorities. For us, yes it is just a place to sleep and we dont care much about anything else that you mentioned. We have stayed at places with free breakfast, and most of the time they are nothing special. We dont drive to DL, so parking fee isn't a issue we have to deal with. However if we did drive, yes I would want a place with free parking. I have never been to a hotel (other then the DL area) that charged for parking. We liked staying accross the street when we stayed at the FFI last time, however we went for a place a little farther down with a shuttle this time for $ purposes.

In your situation I would say try to find something in the middle of your tastes. I think what you found is very reasonable. If she finds something cheaper, look up reviews and concider it. If its not something you are willing ot stay at, then you may want to consider staying at seperate places and just meeting at the park.

 

[mama2twoluvbugs]

I am much more like your friend, I was raised on very little money and we arent rich now...taking a family vacation for five on a very small income, things have to be tight to make the memories happen. we are just going to sleep and shower there, I dont need anything special...as long as its clean, Im happy...in a few days we are leaving for anaheim and my sisters family are going to, where they opted for a hotel 3x as much as we did, we are saving a ton because we arent picky

 

[hootey]

Just remember "you get what you pay for" is usually true. We have stayed off property three times and all three times I wish we would have just stayed home. The uncomfortable beds, small rooms, and dirty old bathrooms just ruined the trips for me. Not to mention, having to ride the nooiisey, foul smelling, crowded shuttle/cattle car buses from one of the motels was a horrible mistake. We have stayed on property eight or nine times and feel it was worth every dime! We go to Disneyland to relax and forget the corporate world for a while.
Traveling should be on your terms, not theirs. We have had too many trips Ruined by others being cheap or unwilling to do things anyway but theirs. Traveling with friends or business associates is all about compromise. Staying in a clean comfortable room is one of our requirements

 

[VandVsmama]

A couple of questions:
Are you driving to the parks together or in separate vehicles?
Are you staying in the same room or separate rooms?

I think that in your situation, both of you may need to give a little on your wants vs. “must have’s.” For example, your friend’s “must have’s” seem to be:
$60/night or less
Free parking
Free breakfast

You can maybe find something like Motel 6 for $60-ish a night with free parking, but the free breakfast is a bit of a stretch. Based on pictures I’ve seen, the Motel 6 near Disneyland is probably a decent place to stay. But not all Motel 6’s and super-mega-budget motels are the same. Some of them have nefarious people hanging about in the wee hours of the night.

Your friend does realize, correct, that if you drive from the motel to DL, then you’ll be paying $15/day to park? Unless your motel is on an ART route and you take the ART shuttle to/from every day.

Another option is to stay in different motels and meet each other at the entrance each day.

 

[Californiacicle]

Yeah, pretty much. I'm a cheapskate when it comes to hotels because I rarely am in them when I am on vacation. For this trip our only priorities were walkable, free breakfast, and "cheap".

 

[GracieB]

We are sharing a room and rental car, and splitting up is not an option. I stayed at the Motel 6 in Anaheim in Oct, and it was okay for $70, but no breakfast. I am thinking of changing La Quinta to a nicer place and just not saying it was more, but I know she will probably catch on. She is not destitute, has a good job, just is cheap about hotels and restaurants. She even suggested sleeping on the floor if a single bed was cheaper!

I know she would balk at Blue Bayou prices, but I am surprising her with lunch there as my treat, and Fantasmic Dessert.

 

[sherilaine]

I hate travelling with cheap friends. I work hard and want to be comfortable on vacation. Sometimes though people don't mesh for travel, be honest is all I can say, and find a compromise. Sometimes when negotiating though it is better to give yourself a spread. Start with suggesting onsite, then the Marriott would be a compromise!!!

 

[seagodess]

We are sharing a room and rental car, and splitting up is not an option. I stayed at the Motel 6 in Anaheim in Oct, and it was okay for $70, but no breakfast. I am thinking of changing La Quinta to a nicer place and just not saying it was more, but I know she will probably catch on. She is not destitute, has a good job, just is cheap about hotels and restaurants. She even suggested sleeping on the floor if a single bed was cheaper!

I know she would balk at Blue Bayou prices, but I am surprising her with lunch there as my treat, and Fantasmic Dessert.

Are you splitting the room cost? I would suggest sitting down with her and both deciding a couple of the most important things you are looking for in a motel. For her obviously the only thing that matters is the cost. Tell her what your wants are and come up with something in between. Tell her your not willing to stay in a bad place just to save a few dollars.

 

[BadRomance]

To me, breakfast is only worth it if you're traveling as a large family or group and it would otherwise cost you +50$ to eat out every meal. Otherwise I'm fine with a 5$ breakfast sandwich or yogurt parfait on my way in the parks.

I wouldn't stay at a hotel based on free breakfast.

 

[awdsmama]

Sounds to me like you two really need to have a serious sit down, emotionless, talk about what you each want to get out of the vacation/your expectations.

She cannot expect you to become extremely frugal for her and you cannot expect her to become more indulgent for you.

There needs to be a way to reach a compromise.