Papers have been filed in Orange County, CA to start work on a new 700-room luxury hotel at the Disneyland Resort. The Orange County Register was the first to report that the hotel will be situated on 10 acres where the Downtown Disney short term… Read More »Disneyland to build new luxury hotel
Yesterday morning, hundreds of Disneyland Resort cast members posed in the courtyard of the reimagined Disneyland Hotel to mark the end of the historic hotel’s multiyear renovation. Final touches to the porte-cochere and tower lobbies were added this month, following more than two years of… Read More »Disneyland Hotel’s Renovation Finally Finished
Friday, August 19 was opening day of the D23 Expo (I’m working under the assumption that you are familiar with D23) and it kicked off with a bang. Or a mouse, as the case may be. It always starts with a mouse.
While the expo was open to the general ticket-buying public, it did offer a number of perks specifically to official D23 members, such as discounted passes, special “members only” events and early admission. It pays to belong, people!
Friday’s itinerary started at 9:00 a.m. with two of the aforementioned members only events, namely the Disney Store Opening Ceremony and the Radio Disney Road Crew Dance Party.
Other events that morning included an art contest with Disney.com, vintage footage showcasing the history of the Disneyland Hotel (congrats, DH, on the new ranking!), meet and greets with artists Jim Salvati and Robert Olszewski of the Disney Store and Disney Dream, respectively, and characters from Disney Channel’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates.
Then it was time for the 2011 Disney Legends Ceremony, which was, as you might imagine, magical. However, not everyone was able to attend the ceremony, so they had to settle for other really cool things like The Wonderful Words of Disney… Behind the Page: Kingdom Keepers presentation with Ridley Pearson. I would have loved to have attended this event to discuss some of my issues with the continuity, or lack thereof, within the series, but alas, Mr. Pearson was spared my fanboy criticism, and is probably the better for it.Read More »D23 Expo Recap: Day 1
For years, the Disneyland hotel has been the black sheep of the Disney owned hotels in Anaheim. It’s age and location left it the least desirable property of the three hotels. But the culmination of upgrades made over the last 5 years have finally paid off. AAA has bestowed its coveted 2012 Four Diamond award upon the landmark Disneyland Hotel making it the second property at the Disneyland Resort to secure such a high rating.
Only four percent of the 31,000 hotel properties AAA reviews achieve this enviable distinction. In fact, in order to become a five star resort you need to have a golf course and on-site spa. These are conditions Disneyland’s hotels can never meet. So four stars is really a great score.
“This is tremendous news, especially for the 1,000 Cast Members who work at the Disneyland Hotel and create magical experiences for our guests,” said Tony Bruno, vice president resort hotels and Downtown Disney. “The award underscores our continued investment in the guest experience and all our ongoing work, which has transformed the Disneyland Resort and Anaheim into Southern California’s world-class, multiday tourist destination.”
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa also is a AAA Four Diamond award winner and is home to yet another AAA Four Diamond recipient: the popular Napa Rose restaurant.
“North America’s AAA Diamond Rating System is a long-time trusted systematic method of rating lodgings and restaurants,” said the Auto Club’s Approved Accommodations Supervisor Patricia Marenco. “Southern California’s hotels and restaurants that earn the AAA Four Diamond award maintain a very high standard of service in their hotels and restaurants in order to continue pleasing their guests.”
Earlier this summer, the Disneyland Hotel marked a milestone in the property’s major “re-imagination” project with the opening of a new courtyard, restaurant, bar, pool and water play area.
Okay. Local 11 of the Unite Here union that’s currently battling Disneyland Resort over better working conditions and health care has a new video out featuring their ironic spokesperson Mr. Micky Mouth interviewing Roseanne Barr. Apparently this was part of the campaign to get Motion… Read More »Disneyland Hotel Union and Roseanne Barr?
This is not a story that Disneyland likes to have told, but back in the late 80s and early 90s when Japan was enduring a long economic collapse, there were multiple occasions where troubled businessmen from Japan would book a trip to Disneyland, check into… Read More »Death at Disneyland Parking Garage a likely suicide
Another milestone anniversary has just been celebrated at Disneyland. The self-proclaimed “World’s Most Exciting Hotel” has just turned 55. When it opened the Disneyland Hotel was the first major hotel in Orange County. Things have changed a bit since then. Taken in 1961, the photo… Read More »Disneyland Hotel turns 55
Sounds like the battle between the Hotel and Restaurant workers of UNITE HERE and the Disneyland resort is heating up. After the company was perceived to increase their workload unreasonably, to the point of possibly injuring some employees, the hotel workers have decided they had… Read More »Disneyland Hotel Workers stage Half-day Walk-out