Talk to me about motel noise

[ColoradoLime]

I’m a light sleeper so I’m second guessing staying at the BW Park Place Inn. I imagine all the motel style places are going to be noisy. I’m starting to think I might want to book an actual hotel and walking a bit further isn’t a big deal.

So what do you think about the noise at BWPPI? What hotels in the area would you suggest if we truly wanted quiet?

 

[Dizzy4DL]

I loath noise at my hotel. That said, I accept that the motel/hotels near the entrance will have noise. And I'm (mostly) happy to make the trade for a shorter walk. I've stayed at BWPPI 3 times. If you decide to stay there, ask for top floor, back of the hotel. Also, most of the hotels in that area have garbage truck noise early in the morning. The worst noise I've had has been at Park Vue and Best Western Anaheim. Unfortunately, I have no recommendations for a quiet hotel because in my many trips I haven't experienced true quiet.

 

[smartlabelprint]

In my 20’s BWPPI was my go to. Fast forward…my kids have sensory processing disorder and we quickly learned we had to book a suite with a door, so motels were out.
2018 I went to DLR with just an adult and I thought BWPPI would be great for the short walk. The noise was atrocious. Either I’m a hotel snob now or I’m just “old”.

The closet hotel is Marriott courtyard theme park entrance. It’s too expensive for me. I’d be at the home2suites on Manchester but they don’t have bedrooms within a suite. So we walk the 20 min from homewood suites. We love it and staff has always been friendly.

 

[pokee99]

It's funny you posted this because I'm going through the EXACT same struggle! And I want to stay at a Marriott property for my points/and status nights, so it makes the decision even more difficult since there are slightly cheaper non- motel options nearby.

So....I reserved the Fairfield by Marriott which is just down the road from that BWPPI and also a motel style property. To add insult to injury, it's $300+taxes per night for our dates, which just seems ridiculous! The Courtyard next door was $400+ per night and is now sold out now. I REALLY want that location though because not only is it super close to the main entrance, but there's a Panera Bread and a McDonald's right beside the motel's parking lot. The convenience is just too critical!

Alas, I'm a super light sleeper like you, and having an outside entrance in a busy area seems like an insane choice for me. I'll have white noise, and likely the AC/fan to help muffle the noise, but I keep wondering if it'll be enough. I've stayed at the BWPPI once before, and thought it was a little too budget and run down for my taste.

I'm a little concerned about safety this time around, since it's just my daughter and I this time. Hotels with inside halls offer a little extra security. I'm also quite picky about having a "nice" room. We're from Canada, so after taxes we'll be paying $450CAD per night!!! It almost makes me want to vomit to pay that for a motel...lol.

But.... the more I think about it, the more I realize I'll be exhausted... I'll probably be able to sleep through anything, really. And I'm not going to be particularly fussed about how new the room is if I'm just crashing there.

So the conclusion is: I think the convenience is worth the extra $ and the extra noise. Keep in mind that most hotels are noisy anyway... people running down the halls, slamming doors, elevators, ice machines, stairwells, highway noise, people partying above you, a screaming baby next door - I've literally had it all! Even the quietest of hotels can have the bad luck noise. Wouldn't you just kick yourself if you had to walk 20 mins each way and still had a noisy hotel stay?

I'm still not 100% there yet, but I think we're sticking with the Fairfield. The reviews are good.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the hotels in this one area - including the Fairfield, BWPPI, Camelot, Holiday Inn and Hilton Garden Inn.

 

[smartlabelprint]

It's funny you posted this because I'm going through the EXACT same struggle! And I want to stay at a Marriott property for my points/and status nights, so it makes the decision even more difficult since there are slightly cheaper non- motel options nearby.

So....I reserved the Fairfield by Marriott which is just down the roadfrom that BW and also a motel style property. To add insult to injury, it's $300+ per night for our dates, which just seems ridiculous! The Courtyard next door was $400+ per night and is now sold out now. I REALLY want that location though because not only is it super close to the main entrance, but there's a Panera Bread and a McDonald's right beside the motel's parking lot. The convenience is just too critical!

Alas, I'm a super light sleeper like you, and having an outside entrance in a busy area seems like an insane choice for me. I'll have white noise, and likely the AC/fan to help muffle the noise, but I keep wondering if it'll be enough.

I'm a little concerned about safety, since it's just my daughter and I. Hotels offer a little extra security. I'm also quite picky about having a "nice" room. We're from Canada, so after taxes we'll be paying nearly $500CAD per night. It almost makes me want to vomit to pay that for a motel...lol.

But.... the more I think about it, the more I realize I'll be exhausted... I'll probably be able to sleep through anything, really. And I'm not going to be particularly fussed about how new the room is if I'm just crashing there.

So the conclusion is: I think the convenience is worth the extra $ and the extra noise. Keep in mind that most hotels are noisy anyway... people running down the halls, slamming doors, elevators, ice machines, stairwells, highway noise, people partying above you, a screaming baby next door - I've literally had it all! Even the quietest of hotels can have the bad luck noise. Wouldn't you just kick yourself if you had to walk 20 mins each way and still had a noisy hotel stay?

I'm still not 100% there yet, but I think we're sticking with the Fairfield. The reviews are good.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the hotels in this one area - including the Fairfield, BW, Camelot, Holiday Inn and Hilton Garden Inn.

Hilton garden in is brand new. It’s kind of a shared building with home2suites, from what I understand. I’d absolutely stay there, without my sensory kids. It should be quite close to Panera, McDonald’s too.

I’ve never stayed at Fairfield, because of open hall. But rich acquaintances have and seemed fine there. That was a decade ago.

also, I’ve never felt unsafe at any motel on harbor.

 

[Whistlebee]

It's funny you posted this because I'm going through the EXACT same struggle! And I want to stay at a Marriott property for my points/and status nights, so it makes the decision even more difficult since there are slightly cheaper non- motel options nearby.

So....I reserved the Fairfield by Marriott which is just down the road from that BWPPI and also a motel style property. To add insult to injury, it's $300+taxes per night for our dates, which just seems ridiculous! The Courtyard next door was $400+ per night and is now sold out now. I REALLY want that location though because not only is it super close to the main entrance, but there's a Panera Bread and a McDonald's right beside the motel's parking lot. The convenience is just too critical!

Alas, I'm a super light sleeper like you, and having an outside entrance in a busy area seems like an insane choice for me. I'll have white noise, and likely the AC/fan to help muffle the noise, but I keep wondering if it'll be enough. I've stayed at the BWPPI once before, and thought it was a little too budget and run down for my taste.

I'm a little concerned about safety this time around, since it's just my daughter and I this time. Hotels with inside halls offer a little extra security. I'm also quite picky about having a "nice" room. We're from Canada, so after taxes we'll be paying $450CAD per night!!! It almost makes me want to vomit to pay that for a motel...lol.

But.... the more I think about it, the more I realize I'll be exhausted... I'll probably be able to sleep through anything, really. And I'm not going to be particularly fussed about how new the room is if I'm just crashing there.

So the conclusion is: I think the convenience is worth the extra $ and the extra noise. Keep in mind that most hotels are noisy anyway... people running down the halls, slamming doors, elevators, ice machines, stairwells, highway noise, people partying above you, a screaming baby next door - I've literally had it all! Even the quietest of hotels can have the bad luck noise. Wouldn't you just kick yourself if you had to walk 20 mins each way and still had a noisy hotel stay?

I'm still not 100% there yet, but I think we're sticking with the Fairfield. The reviews are good.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the hotels in this one area - including the Fairfield, BWPPI, Camelot, Holiday Inn and Hilton Garden Inn.

Eeek….I hate to tell you this but the Fairfield is loud. We’ve stayed there a handful of times and it’s the biggest drawback to me. The outdoor corridors are concrete and anyone walking by causes a lot of noise. I’m not particularly noise sensitive but I’ve definitely noticed it here. I do a white noise app on my phone and it works for me, but I’m not that sensitive to noise.

last visit we stayed at The Hotel Indigo and we were placed in a room facing the street, just above street level and that kept me up even with the white noise app. Maybe I’m more noise sensitive than I realize

 

[pokee99]

Hilton garden in is brand new. It’s kind of a shared building with home2suites, from what I understand. I’d absolutely stay there, without my sensory kids. It should be quite close to Panera, McDonald’s too.

I’ve never stayed at Fairfield, because of open hall. But rich acquaintances have and seemed fine there. That was a decade ago.

also, I’ve never felt unsafe at any motel on harbor.

Part of the problem with The Hilton Garden Inn is that even though it's right behind the Fairfield, you can't cut through where the rear of the building borders the Fairfield because it's blocked off. You have to walk all the way around the block down Manchester. Sure, it only adds 5 mins each way, but it adds up. That makes it roughly the same walk as most of the hotels on the corner of Harbor at Katella.

But... it's cheaper than the Fairfield, is a new hotel with comfy beds and microwaves and Keurig machines in the room, has indoor corridors and will undoubtedly be quieter.

Ugh, I hate decisions like this!

 

[pokee99]

Eeek….I hate to tell you this but the Fairfield is loud. We’ve stayed there a handful of times and it’s the biggest drawback to me. The outdoor corridors are concrete and anyone walking by causes a lot of noise. I’m not particularly noise sensitive but I’ve definitely noticed it here. I do a white noise app on my phone and it works for me, but I’m not that sensitive to noise.

last visit we stayed at The Hotel Indigo and we were placed in a room facing the street, just above street level and that kept me up even with the white noise app. Maybe I’m more noise sensitive than I realize

Oh yeah, that's my worst nightmare for hotels. This is looking to be a bad choice. It's just such a great location! The Hilton Garden Inn is looking better and better each day!

 

[felice]

It's quite a bit further away than most of the hotels mentioned here, so the walk can be long (but is doable) but we didn't have too many issues with noise overnight at the Staybridge Suites on S Manchester. One time when we stayed there we had a crying baby in the room next to us but the family weren't there for long. Corridors are indoors and even though the hotel is close to the 5 you don't hear much, if any, noise from the highway. I believe they have double or triple glazing on the windows, but I'm not sure, admittedly.

Growing up, I used to spend quite a bit of time during school holiday periods at various hotels within the Canary Islands and some other European countries over the years; the experience at the Staybridge was a great improvement on all of those. Loud discos on the ground floor, which were still loud even if you were on the 7th or 8th floor of the same hotel could be quite the problem. Sometimes also there was an issue with local animal wildlife being quite noisy too at times, such as crickets, when they sit in a hedge en masse, rubbing their legs - that can be quite loud but a natural noise that you can't really do too much about !

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

My DW has bought a "white noise" machine from Amazon. The website not the river, just to be clear. We use it frequently and I would recommend that you purchase one of these devices and use it each night. It isn't a 100% cure to eliminate outside noise, but it does help reduce noise.

 

[shosh1530]

My DW has bought a "white noise" machine from Amazon. The website not the river, just to be clear. We use it frequently and I would recommend that you purchase one of these devices and use it each night. It isn't a 100% cure to eliminate outside noise, but it does help reduce noise.

I never travel without my white noise machine and ear plugs! And often add a second point of white noise by running an app on my phone (to cut out some in-room noise with two occasional snorers in the family).

No experience staying at any of the Harbor hotels. We had mostly quiet night at our recent GCH stay, which crazily was cheaper than some of the prices I'm seeing here (must be a time of year thing). But taking notes as I'm sure our next trip will be stay somewhere on Harbor or nearby and I'm a super light sleeper as well.

 

[SFMommy]

We have stayed at the Fairfield Inn and found it to be very loud with the concrete outdoor corridors.

Our last stay (July 2021) we tried the Residence Inn by Marriott on the corner of Harbor/Katella. The walk was a tiny bit longer than I would have liked, but we loved the hotel itself. It feels very new and clean. The staff were always so friendly and nice.

And our room was very quiet. I had called ahead to ask for a quiet location (I hate hearing elevator "bings" all night). When we checked in, the front desk staff member noted that I requested a quiet room. She showed me the location of our room on a map, told me it would be quiet and asked if that was OK with me. It is a real hotel with indoor corridors. All of the rooms are suites with full kitchens. We got groceries and it was nice to have breakfast in our room every day and sometimes dinner in our room at night.

I think they offer a full breakfast every morning. But we were heading to the parks very early and due to Covid (Delta outbreak at the time) we preferred to eat in our room as we got ready. There is a Blaze Pizza 1/2 a block away (that we ordered from and picked up twice for dinner). There is also a Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Walgreens and CVS all downstairs from the hotel. I think the restaurants in the Gardenwalk are also fairly close.

If you don't mind a slightly longer walk, I would recommend the Residence Inn. But it is still very walkable compared to some of the other "true hotels" that are further away.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Cal-Pie]

Ironically, the noisiest night I've ever spent on Harbor was at a hotel with indoor corridors, Hojo building 6. We had a room at the end of the building, closest to Harbor and the road noise was unbearable. I think it's because cars are accelerating to go up the hill and over the freeway bridge. It was terrible. My quietest Harbor night was at Tropicana, on the 3rd floor, I really could barely hear any road noise at all. I think Desert Inn and BW Anaheim are noisy because the buildings form a horseshoe around Denny's, and all the noise bounces from wall to wall. I'm trying BWPPI for the 1st time in October. I'm sure with white noise from the bathroom fan and air conditioner it will be fine. The trade off for a longer walk and a quieter room is just not worth to me. Every step at the end of the night feels like ten!

 

[Mceee]

I'm also a fairly light sleeper, and I've experienced hotel/motel noise many times. When we chose the wrong stateroom on a cruise (above a loud bar), I went to the front desk and complained. They couldn't move us to another stateroom, but they offered us ear plugs. Problem solved. So, I *always* have earplugs with me, and no longer deal with sleepless nights.

 

[DontSpamMe]

I've had nothing but noise problems with the hotels around Disneyland. This includes all the Best Westerns. All the hotels with the room doors facing outside are absolutely horrible. I've started staying further away and requesting quiet rooms. There are definitely downsides to staying a little outside the Disney bubble but getting a little better rest pays off when you are doing a few hard days at Disneyland. I've had decent luck getting quiet rooms at the Hyatt OC Garden Grove.

 

[ColoradoLime]

Wow woke up this morning to all these responses! I need to read through it all.

 

[DLgal]

I am a an insanely light sleeper and would not be okay at any motel style hotel, ever.

In addition, many of the ones on Harbor are EXTREMELY close to the freeway so you will hear that constant noise all night as well. The freeways are always busy here.

I would recommend looking into the new Westin on Katella. It's a proper hotel, prices are reasonable, and its QUIET. Also, a pretty easy walk to the Downtown Disney entrance near the Disneyland Hotel.

 

[PirateBrigade]

Noise generator here -- we stayed at BWPPI in ~2016 with a two year old. Night terror = crying at like 11pm/midnight.

Security came pounding at the door, I thought it was Anaheim PD or something, so I opened the door. Was the security guard telling me to keep it down. Resulted in more crying. I just shrugged and was like, well what do you want me to do, use a pillow or something? We're working on it.

More crying, security came back, I ended up just shouting through the door to stop pounding on our door unless they were Anaheim PD. I can get loud, so this was the equivalent of me driving slower on the freeway if you're tail-gating me in the right lane.

Anyway, once kid graduated from crying at night, we moved up to the nicer hotels. We've got a new baby, so when they're 2 and we go to DL, we'll probably stay at a Harbor hotel

 

[ColoradoLime]

Thanks for all the feedback, still undecided for sure.

Any thoughts on Paradise Pier in terms of noise? I've seen some mixed reviews on here just on the hotel in general.

 

[DLgal]

Thanks for all the feedback, still undecided for sure.

Any thoughts on Paradise Pier in terms of noise? I've seen some mixed reviews on here just on the hotel in general.

Noise wise, it's fine. Price wise, you might as well flush your money down the toilet. You don't get your money's worth at ALL at that hotel.