Red Lion

[sirvin12]

I am having a really hard time deciding where to stay! Has anyone stayed at the Red Lion lately? How's the walk? I found a room for $69. Thanks

Shannon

 

[carebee21]

Red Lion is too far to walk with two little ones IMO. We've stayed there. It's nice, but we always use the ART shuttle. The hotel itself is nice; it was just renovated a few years ago. You get free internet and they have a great hot breakfast buffet which is only $10 for adults and kids 10 or 12 and under eat free. They do however charge for parking (maybe around $12/night) and do not have a spa.

 

[Saylan]

We will be staying there next week. Our room does not include the parking fee so I believe you can get that waived if you wish. The majority of feedback I've heard about it is positive so I am excited to be staying there.

 

[sirvin12]

Thanks for your help. Saylan you will have to let me know how it is.

 

[Saylan]

Thanks for your help. Saylan you will have to let me know how it is.

I definitely will. I found a half marathon trip report from last year on this board that made me confident in my choice. We're payng 73.50/night for our room which has a king bed with fireworks view. I'll do my best to report back. Is there anything in particular you look for in hotels that you want me to keep an eye out for?

 

[sirvin12]

Just how clean it is and how safe it feels really. Thanks for your help! Oh and If you walk how long it takes.

 

[wildboyzmommy]

We (1 adult, 3 kids) are staying here mid October. I figure the walk will be okay since my boys are a bit older. I want to know how the breakfast is. Always thinking about food... Oh, and the pool!

lisa

 

[tffnyjean]

I'm going to chime in too and ask you to report on the comfort of the beds. The Red Lion is on my list of possible places to stay.

Thanks

 

[Saylan]

Ok, I've written that all down (I made a little form with all those topics actually so I can note things as they happen ) and I'll let everyone know our thoughts when we get back. If you think of any other things you'd like me to note, just pop in. I probably won't be able to check after Tuesday.

 

[maberlyne]

Just got back from a stay last week. This is maybe my third stay there since they've renovated.

Beds are comfy. Rooms are very nice and clean. Place felt really safe, interior hallways and all. Parking is currently $14/day, I believe. We didn't use their breakfast.

We did have some weird issues with them... we were like the second room off the first hallway by the lobby, and they were seriously drilling something in the elevator at midnight one night! Fortunately, we were so tired, we slept, but it was definitely audible in our room. Other nights they were waxing the lobby (or something). We kept finding little flying bugs in our room (but that could be because I left the window open the first night). Our fridge was also wonky, but after we had someone come look it was fine.

Anyway. I requested they waive our parking fee (they had also put us in a kid suite - no kids in our party - when we had put for 2 queens) in relation to all we had happen, lol, and they did . I would definitely return.

 

[Porturican]

I was on the fence about staying here for our upcoming Oct trip because I felt it was to far and I hate dealing with ART but I kept leaning towards it because we have breakfast for free and that it was recently renovated.

Then I heard information that their daily incidental charge was $100

BUT...I called and found out that they charge $40 per night for incidentals (up front) then of course if you dont use it they release the hold. I believe if you do cash they take a $100 deposit then if for what ever reason you use up that $100 on room service they will call and ask you to put down another $100deposit.

The thing that finally sold me on staying there is that they are right next to the Disneyland Toy Story parking lot and you can just walk in there and catch the shuttle to the parks for free.
I have had to do this before because I missed the last ART shuttle from Disneyland and the Disney CM's told me to catch the Toy Shuttle then walk from there to my room (which was Dolphins Cove on that trip)

I cant wait to go now!

 

[aprincess@mail.com]

stayed here about 5 times and we enjoyed it. We just slept there and did not use anything else but the beds and the fridge drove to Disneyland with our free parking season pass. We would stay again. Very clean and safe

 

[sirvin12]

Bump

 

[NancyIL]

The thing that finally sold me on staying there is that they are right next to the Disneyland Toy Story parking lot and you can just walk in there and catch the shuttle to the parks for free.
I have had to do this before because I missed the last ART shuttle from Disneyland and the Disney CM's told me to catch the Toy Shuttle then walk from there to my room (which was Dolphins Cove on that trip)

I cant wait to go now!

It's not that long of a walk from the Red Lion to the entrance to Disneyland. You may do as much walking from where the shuttle drops you off as from the hotel to the park.

 

[jemilah]

turn left out of the front entrance and walk into the disneyland parking lot, and jump on the shuttle for free! I didnt know you could , but saw LOT"S of people doing it and felt dumb. toy story lot, sorry forgot to put that, and it drops you off far closer than the regular parking tram does.
We stayed there last January and loved it, nice room , but that extra deposit on the CC really upset me.

 

[Saylan]

Well I'm back, and a little worse for the wear, so I'll have to wait to do my full report until later. I didn't forget and definitely have A LOT to say about the place (good and so-so, nothing overly bad). Punchline: We'd stay here again. More details to come after a nap and some cold meds.

 

[Pollito916]

We just returned from the Red Lion this past weekend too, and I would probably stay there again. I had booked it on Last Minute Travel, and may have mis-read the parking fee, because I was surprised by the $14/day parking fee. I wish I had read this thread before the trip to know it could be waived.

Overall, the room was nice, clean, and beds were very comfortable.

Complaints:
1. The staff when I was checking in was not very knowledgeable. There was information on the ART on the counter, but he didn't know how/where to get tickets or what route the hotel was on.
2. No fan in the bathroom, so it took a while for the mirrors to unfog after showers.
3. Noise in the hallway. It sounded like kids were running and yelling down the hallways, late (for me and my kids) after fireworks. The kids were even knocking on our door after midnight, which was very frustrating with 2 young kids in the room, and the night before the half marathon when I had to get up at 3 am. I know this isn't the hotel's fault, but something could have been done to stop it sooner.

But the complaints are minor, and I would probably stay there again, especially now that I know the parking fee can be waived and you can hop on the free shuttle from the Toy Story lot.

 

[Saylan]

We just returned from the Red Lion this past weekend too, and I would probably stay there again. I had booked it on Last Minute Travel, and may have mis-read the parking fee, because I was surprised by the $14/day parking fee. I wish I had read this thread before the trip to know it could be waived.

Overall, the room was nice, clean, and beds were very comfortable.

Complaints:
1. The staff when I was checking in was not very knowledgeable. There was information on the ART on the counter, but he didn't know how/where to get tickets or what route the hotel was on.
2. No fan in the bathroom, so it took a while for the mirrors to unfog after showers.
3. Noise in the hallway. It sounded like kids were running and yelling down the hallways, late (for me and my kids) after fireworks. The kids were even knocking on our door after midnight, which was very frustrating with 2 young kids in the room, and the night before the half marathon when I had to get up at 3 am. I know this isn't the hotel's fault, but something could have been done to stop it sooner.

But the complaints are minor, and I would probably stay there again, especially now that I know the parking fee can be waived and you can hop on the free shuttle from the Toy Story lot.

The no fan in the bathroom was our most major issue as well (not for fogging though ). That and the fact the fridge only stays 'cool' not cold and turned off every 2 hours.

It's funny you had sound issues too. Around 8:30 pm the night before the half marathon, someone started hammering something. I kid you not, hammering into the walls. I called down around 8:40 when the sound hadn't stopped and told the front desk. They got our room number wrong and called us to ask if we were hammering something as someone had complained . Once I cleared up the room number issue, I never heard from the front desk and the sound was gone shortly after, never returning. I did find it weird that he wasn't really worried that a guest was hammering something into the walls. He gave no indication he thought it was an employee.

We were asked on check-in if we were parking as I had paid our booking up front and no parking fee was included. Since I said no, there was no fee, but on check out I did have to pay a 1$/day resort fee.

The front desk were equally clueless about the Disneyland Express (which stops right outside the hotel). We wanted to know what time exactly we had to be out there for the first shuttle (the pamphlet just says 5:35 am for the whole route). The guy at the desk guessed either 4:15 or 4:40 am (neither of which were right). Luckily, we timed it perfectly.

 

[sirvin12]

I booked my room! We will officially be staying here October 10-14. Thanks for all your help. I only paid $330, not bad.

 

[Saylan]

Ok so I'll summarize the points people asked me to look for:

Safety: I felt 100% safe. They had a security guard at the front door at all hours which I liked. We never had issues with people trying to enter our room (yes, this has happened at other places, thankfully, the door was locked).

The safe was HUGE and easily fit our wallets, laptop, smart phones, documents, purse, with room to spare. Plus, it's not a key lock but a code you enter each time (so you can change it as often as you want and the staff don't have a way of knowing it, unlike if you accidentally leave a safe key lying around).

I left tips (in clearly marked envelopes on the table) and the staff didn't take them. They moved them and cleaned around them, but never took them any night. I appreciate that and it makes me feel safe that they wouldn't even consider taking what doesn't belongs to them (we still used the safe though).

Cleanliness: The room was clean. Our socks stayed white. The showerhead was a little weak, but the shower was clean with no mould. Our linens were fresh each day (unless we didn't use them) and I never had any issues with cleanliness.

Walk/Distance: At the start of the trip, we didn't feel the walk was long. It's not unreasonable at all. After running the race... It felt a little too long but neither of us could stand so, that's our own fault.

It took us about 10 minutes or less depending on traffic lights. The ART (route 6) stops right outside the door though and Red Lion is the last pick up before the parks and last drop off from the parks. We used this after the race for ease on our feet.

I would say the walk may be far for littler guests, though. But I felt we were a lot closer than many of the hotels with the exception of the couple directly across the way. I'd rather the walk since I felt this hotel offered a lot in exchange.

Food: Some may recall I didn't plan to eat here. Well we got there way early (like 1:30 pm local time) and checked in. When we went to our room, it wasn't ready so we came back down and they apologized profusely (I didn't really care since we were so early) but they gave us vouchers for free breakfast to make ammends (sweet!) and stored our luggage securely while we went out.

Honestly, I heard terrible things about the breakfast and expected the worst. I was beyond shocked to find it otherwise. I went up for 3 or more helpings of food. It was hot, it was clean, and I had no complaints at all. I loved the hashbrowns, sausage rounds, and french toast. I don't like bacon, so I didn't try that. I generally am violently ill from eggs but these didn't bother me at all. There was tons of fresh fruit (cut and whole), yogurt, hot oatmeal, cold cereal, and a wide selection of breads/bagels. They even had something that would cook your pancakes right for you there (as well as some already made with the hot food).

Drink-wise, coffee/tea/fruit juice/hot chocolate were available at the buffet (and cold milk for cereal) as well the server brought me a glass of milk. All of that was included. I'm not sure if my glass being free was due to the voucher or not, though.

We got the meal for free, but it is normally 9.95. I would say it's a high end continental breakfast and given that it's all you can eat (and we saw people take whole fruit for the road without issue, not sure if they were allowed though) I don't think 9.95 is unreasonable, especially given the cost of eating most places in and around Disneyland. I'd pay 9.95 here in my city for a buffet so .

Pool: We went down and looked at the pool but never used it. It's not too big, not too small. It looked clean and there was an abundance of pool toys available for use. The wall said the max number of people was 140, but that seems a bit much to me. There is some very nice lounging areas around the pool with nice furniture and firepits that are turned on at night. The hours for the pool weren't bad (either 5 or 7 am until 10 pm). It looked like music could be piped out there from the restaurant and there is (normally open) patio doors from the restaurant (and through it the main lobby/store) to the pool area. The grab-n-go area of the main lobby had pool toys and floaties for sale as well.

Bed: The bed we had was a king bed. At home we have a pillow top no-disturb matress so ours is more firm than most. I found the matress at Red Lion to be a little futon-like: flat and smushy. It wasn't bad at all and we had no problem sleeping on it, but we tend to prefer matresses with more form and firmness.

Thoughts:
Cons (shorter list):
- The fridge did not stay cold, only cool, and turned off every couple hours. If we'd been staying there for any longer length of stay or reliably needed the fridge, we'd have asked about it. Also, it had a very bad aroma, but was thankfully behind a cupboard so you only smelt it when you used it.

- The bathroom needs a fan and a door that is the right size. They have a sliding door for the bathroom (the theming is great so I liked that) but it was about 0.5-1 inch too small so there was always a small opening on either side where someone might catch a glimpse of something they wish they hadn't. Not an issue for us, but if you have many adults sharing a room, or something.

- We found 1 bug, not a bed bug, not a cockroach, and easily killed by DBF, but given a previous poster mentioned it, we did find one our first night and that was it.

- Possibly long walk depending on feet and size, but not unreasonable.

- The water pressure was weak in the shower.

- Staff can be clueless sometimes, but they are definitely helpful and willing to try.

Pros:
- The theming and style of the room is great! DBF and I loved it. It didn't feel dated or floral. It felt modern and slick.

- The fireworks view was great (we were on floor 6). We could watch them lying in bed. We also got great landscape views with the mountains and sunsets.

- The tv didn't always come in clear but it was big and easy to see. The alarm clock has a doc for iPods and nature sounds so we really liked that.

- Free wifi and cabled internet made things a breeze for setting up things with family back home. When it didn't work, we'd call the front desk and they already had someone fixing it. It was usually up again in less than 5 minutes and this only happened 2 times.

- We had no sound issues minus the earlier mentioned hammering which the front desk remedied shortly after we called about it. We could hear the fire works a little bit but most nights it was so quiet we were able to sleep right through it.

- The safe was best one I've ever had and the one I've felt the most safe using. No chance of a staff member using a misplaced key to access it and ample space for even large-sized valuables (it was about the size of a microwave).

- The microwave worked well as well. The sink in the bathroom had no delay in hot water (sometimes I find it can take a while) and had good flow so you weren't washing forever (I loved the sink!). The Bath and Body Works supplies were nice, and quickly replaced as needed. It was comforting to see a brand I knew wouldn't irritate my skin.

- The Disneyland Express drops and picks up right outside the door (at the ART) station. We only had to be out there for a total of 1.5 minutes to get picked up and be on our way. No hassle, no issue, no walk.

- The grab-n-go had lots of quick to go food, from packaged bagels to hand-made sandwiches, cold drinks and hot drinks, and all sorts of things a traveller might need (maps, pool stuff, sunscreen). It was open 24 hours a day along with the front desk, and there was a full fledged store open during normal hours.

- There was a data station in the front lobby for travellers to hook up devices and use the wifi if they were waiting for something, as well as a touch screen large T.V. with access to forecasts and other useful travel details as well as the potential to use it to book shuttles and other necessities. Very handy for those without a smart phone.

I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else or anyone has any questions, let me know! for Red Lion!