Howard Johnson or Del Sol Inn

[BecBennett]

We're a family of 4, including a 9 year old and a 4 year old.

Would you book the HoJo for $2400 or the Del Sol for $2000? (Both in Australian currency)

Usually we stay at the Park Vue Inn, and we were looking at BWPPI, except park vue has jumped in price since we were there last and best western doesn't have any availability (for our dates in October). Ideally the closer the better for me, but the water play area at the HoJo is very appealing for my kids.

So which would you pick?

 

[katyringo]

Will you use the small water park at hojo? It will be great for your 4 year old, but may feel small for your 9 year old. That would be the deciding factor.

400 could also be some more in park expirences like a character meal or buying genie+.

 

[mel2014]

We've stayed at the Del Sol twice (most recently in May 2021) and at HoJo three times (most recently in February 2022) and I would hands down pick HoJo (though the call is a little closer if that's for an unrenovated room with the double beds in buildings 3-6 rather than a renovated room in building 1 or 2). There are lots of discount codes for the HoJo, so you might keep an eye out for further discounts (join their mailing list if you haven't already).

The only thing the Del Sol has going for it is proximity. We were disappointed in every other aspect of our stay.

The beds were uncomfortable, especially the bunks, which appeared to have a plastic-encased foam mattress rather than a standard innerspring mattress.

The air conditioning was noisy and kept loudly cycling on and off while being incapable of keeping the room at a constant cool temperature.

The mini-fridge had a terrible ticking noise -- since we had food to keep cold, rather than unplug it, my husband

The shower had weak pressure/temperature

The wifi was poor

The exterior staircases and corridors were loud, so even when we were trying to take quiet midday breaks, the housekeeping carts were rolling loudly by.

I don't feel like we're hotel snobs (we stayed at the even-cheaper Kings Inn and were perfectly happy there), but this property just seemed run down and dated.

By contrast, the HoJo is a more resort-like property. The grounds are impeccably maintained and it feels peaceful after walking back to the hotel from the parks. Your 9-year old might be at the old end for the water park, but the large Garden Pool is in a nice setting at the back of the property vs. the pool in the middle of the parking lot at Del Sol (other than the location, the pool at the Del Sol was fine).

I'm guessing based on the prices that you'll be there for several nights, so having a nice place to relax and take breaks would be a higher priority.

 

[BecBennett]

We would use the water play area, but I must admit that reservation system for it at the moment annoys me. I'd prefer not to have to book a time, and just go when we're in the mood for it.

It also would be for the cheaper rooms in buildings 3-6, or possibly even the standard room, which I can't work out where it is.

 

[StarlitNight05]

Have you checked on pricing for the Tropicana? Since you mentioned proximity is important, I figured I would mention it.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I am a fan of Hojo so I would stay there. I never hear anything particularly positive about the Del Sol. When I stay at Hojo, I do not choose buildings 3-6, so I can't say what those rooms are like. Buildings 3-6 are two story buildings and I suspect subject to even more freeway effects (noise, vibration, etc) than the 7-story building 1 and 4-story building 2. If the room you are looking at has queen beds, then it will be in building 1 or 2; rooms in buildings 3-6 only have double beds.

My preferred rooms these days are the the park view rooms in building 1. We often sed to book the two bedroom family suite when my boys were young. They loved it because of the bunk beds, and DH and I liked it because of the separate rooms and bathrooms. Those rooms do face the highway though and are also on the ends of building 1, so they can feel a bit noisy. Building 2 rooms are usually quieter than freeway-side building 1 rooms, and building 2 has most recently been updated (they were working on it when the pandemic began). All of the building 1 and 2 rooms we have stayed in over the years were a comfortable size for our family of four. The beds are very comfortable. The decor is bright and fun. The rooms have been very clean.

When they were around 10 and under, my boys liked the water play area at Hojo. They also enjoyed the separate pool. It is a nicer pool area than at many of the area motels. I have no experience of the water amenities though since the reservation system was implemented.

 

[DharmaLou]

I'd always go HoJo - if you'd like, I have a code for 15% off your stay. That might make the cost almost even.

 

[mel2014]

We would use the water play area, but I must admit that reservation system for it at the moment annoys me. I'd prefer not to have to book a time, and just go when we're in the mood for it.

It also would be for the cheaper rooms in buildings 3-6, or possibly even the standard room, which I can't work out where it is.

I was concerned about the reservation system as well and it did have an effect on our break planning and spontaneity. On the plus side it did push us to schedule in breaks, which we definitely needed, but on our first day we had a pool reservation for 3-5 and were ready to take a break at 1 -- we ended up being there on super-hot days in February and were sweltering and ready to jump in the pool at 1:30 but had to wait. My observation was that they were allowing people to make last-minute reservations and constantly counting people in and out, so I think there's more flexibility than it sounds like on the website.

To one of the other points made, I think Buildings 3-6 would actually be quieter because they are sheltered behind the taller buildings and farther away from the freeway.

 

[BecBennett]

Has anyone booked through ZenHotels before? They have a really great price on HoJo, but have some bad reviews

 

[IslaLila]

We love Hojo but have only stayed in the remodeled rooms. In the past I found good coupon codes, which helped.

 

[BecBennett]

I have a booking at Hojo, but if I'd booked it two days earlier I would have saved something like $700 So I'm just kicking myself and looking at other places that are cheaper. I'm probably going to keep checking to see if BWPPI might pop up again for a similar price. Or if the deal where I would have saved $700 comes up again

 

[Malcon10t]

Hojo's hands down.

 

[mel2014]

I have a booking at Hojo, but if I'd booked it two days earlier I would have saved something like $700 So I'm just kicking myself and looking at other places that are cheaper. I'm probably going to keep checking to see if BWPPI might pop up again for a similar price. Or if the deal where I would have saved $700 comes up again

Have you looked at the Home2 Suites on South Manchester? It's maybe a minute or two farther walk away than the HoJo and includes breakfast, though the pool area obviously isn't as nice as HoJo -- they do have a small sprayground in addition to the pool. Great spacious rooms, very nice and new.

 

[Aladora]

Have you checked out Desert Inn & Suites? It is right at the crosswalk and you can get really good rate there!

 

[Malcon10t]

Have you checked out Desert Inn & Suites? It is right at the crosswalk and you can get really good rate there!

And really horrible beds.

 

[Aladora]

And really horrible beds.

The last time we were there the beds were very firm but I prefer a firmer mattress. TBH though, our last stay was in 2016 so they might be worse now.

 

[duckboyone]

We always stay at the Del Sol, and I would agree with what's been said here about it. In your case, with young kids, it's probably worth the extra $ to get the HoJo. For us it's worth it to spend that money in the park, because we go early and come back late, so we're hardly in the room anyway, and our days tire us out.