New Westin Anaheim Resort Mini Review

[pharmama]

Stayed at the brand new Westin Anaheim Resort this past Sun-Tues (6/6-6/8) and passing along my mini-review. Since we did not utilize most of the resort facilities (pool, restaurants etc.) I don't really feel qualified to call it a full review though I'll include my usual excessive detail on what we did experience

Property/Arrival/Parking
I thought the hotel was right at the corner of Katella and Disneyland Dr but it's actually one small lot to the east of the corner (said lot is currently empty). Also worth noting that you cannot turn left into the property if you are heading west on Katella but U-Turns are permissible at the Katella and Disneyland Dr. intersection so it's easy enough to do that. We arrived around 8:30pm via car and, after making the u-turn, followed another car into a driveway that is at the west end of the property rather than going to the main entrance. I wanted to self-park and was hoping this drive would lead to parking which it did. I did see that there is also a driveway from the main entrance circle towards the parking garage as well. Parking is in a large, multi story (6 floors I think) garage behind the hotel. The garage is detached from the hotel so if you did go straight to the garage in the rain you would be crossing a small drive (that's only for hotel vehicles so it's small and not busy) between the garage and the hotel in the rain. There is an entrance into the lobby from the garage side. The hotel and grounds are beautiful.
Valet and self parking are both $35/day (I just prefer to self-park) and they DO let you leave your car the whole day on checkout. I specifically asked if this was ok. She did tell me I would need to scan my validated parking ticket instead of my room key to exit in the evening on checkout day but otherwise it was fine. This did work exactly as promised on departure. I am not sure if they will revise the all day policy in the future. As this was the first week the hotel was open they were not at all busy- I think there were 5 other cars on the whole level I parked on-but the garage is also pretty big. Of note, they clearly do not want you park there if you're not a guest as it's $16/hr with a $200/24hr max for non-guests. I'm sure there is a validation process for a few hours if you are going to eat at one of the restaurants there though (such as Fleming's).


Lobby/Check-in
I did not take any photos of the lobby but it was lovely and, unsurprisingly, very clean. Although I am a Marriott Bonvoy member I hadn't bothered to check in on the app so we just went to the front desk as there was no line. I had booked the most basic 2-queen room with no view and she informed me that they had upgraded me to a room with a juliet balcony. I did overhear another guest next to me talking about her "Legacy Passholder Special" with a reduced rate and included breakfast. I asked about this since we would qualify and she told me they were not currently offering that special but had in the past and might again in the future so keep an eye out for that. Overall check-in was quick and easy and we were off to our room on the 5th floor. The hotel does offer digital keys through the Bonvoy app in addition to physical card keys if you want them.

Room- 2 Queen Standard View with Juliet Balcony
The room was beautiful and very spacious. Photos first then comments.
Entry area

Entry Closet

Closet Open

Beverage Station with Beverage Fridge below (this is one of those fridges that doesn't get super cold and doesn't have any adjustable controls or anything. We found it cold enough for the water we put in there though):


The Room:

 

[pharmama]

The Bathroom:



Small Touches:
Lots of outlets between the two beds- loved this.

Calming sleep balm (I'm allergic to lavender so I didn't actually open this but it was a nice touch- looked like it was a little essential oil vial)

Adorable reading lights on the outsides of the bed with a "book nook" (or phone nook... but no plugs on this side, at least not in the headboard)


The "balcony". There was a sliding door that opened in the left third of the windows but you couldn't really go outside as its just a few inches to the railing. But nice to be able to open the slider for fresh air and check outside temp/weather before leaving the room. True to booking, our room had no view other than directly at the parking garage. By total chance, the room they gave us looked straight at our parked car, actually.


I'm 99% sure we were the first people to ever stay in this room. Kinda neat.

Room was really gorgeous and very spacious- it did not feel cramped at all even with the table and two chairs as well as the chaise lounge by the windows. This hotel does have the Heavenly beds and they were, indeed, Heavenly. Also really loved the Heavenly bath towels which were larger and fluffier than your usual hotel towel. Shower was also very nice with both a rain type showerhead and a handheld (with controls to switch between the two). This is a little weird but DD16 and I both commented on how plush and nice the carpet was. Hope it wears well! We're long past stroller stage but I do think there would be room to park one in the entrance area so that would be convenient for sure.

It is worth noting a couple of things- the closet area was kind of neat but also kind of annoying if you don't want to unpack. Neither side was large enough to put our bag in and there was no luggage stand. We didn't really want to unpack into the drawers so I ended up with my suitcase on the floor by the beverage station and DD used the chaise lounge. The bathroom door is a sliding "barn door" style which I know some folks are not fans of. I can say this was the nicest one I've encountered in a hotel though. It actually closes quite securely (even had a lock) and with a nice soft close feature where it would gently close the last few inches and not smash your fingers. I am not usually super worried about this kind of thing but if I still had small kids the slider would have made me nervous. It did have 2 locks on it but they were both quite low on the door- one of them was right at toddler height and the other by the handle. I'm used to seeing one lock much higher up for child safety.

Our only real complaint had to do with the thermostat. The room (and hall corridor, though not the lobby) were quite warm. The room was 75 when we arrived. It took a good 20 minutes to get it cooled down to a comfortable temperature. It did stay that way through the night but when were not in the room all day Monday, it reset to 73+ and was again quite warm when we returned. This time we tried opening the slider to cool it off a bit faster as it was only about 60 outside but they are smart enough to have the room HVAC turn off when the slider is open. Still, the fresh air helped cool things off a bit and then when we shut the slider the HVAC kicked back on. I understand resetting when no one is in the room but I think they need to make the reset point a bit lower.

Walk to the Park
The horror show that is the Harbor entrance right now was actually one of our deciding factors in trying this hotel. We walked up Disneyland Dr, crossed over by the PPH and entered via the temp and security check at the west end of DTD. We felt like we were cheating. We literally walked straight through temp check and only had to wait a few minutes at security with only a few parties ahead of us both days. This will undoubtedly pick up when PPH (and then DLH) reopen and capacity increases but it was far from the nightmare on the other side of the esplanade (keep in mind we were there on days 4 and 5 of Avengers Campus being open). We left our room at 7:55am and were in DTD by 8:11am. Stopped at Starbucks West which was not very busy (did walkup day 1, then mobile order day 2 which was even faster) and easy access to the parks from there. The walk back at the end of the day was long but not as bad as I was afraid it would feel.

All in all I would definitely stay at this hotel again, though it will depend some on what their rates look like long term. It's definitely the nicest hotel I've stayed at off property in the area though I have not tried the new JW Marriott. But I think I'd rather the walk from the Westin (and using the DTD entrance) than the JW.

Let me know if you have any questions. Sorry I can't report on the pool, restaurants or other amenities!

 

[Belia]

Is it just me or is the table and 2 chairs in a pretty awkward location? Looks like its in the middle of the walkway. I kept wanting to push it into the corner!

Anyway, thanks for sharing- can't wait to read more!

 

[pharmama]

Is it just me or is the table and 2 chairs in a pretty awkward location? Looks like its in the middle of the walkway. I kept wanting to push it into the corner!

Yeah, it is a little in the walkway but didn't feel as bad as it looks in the photos, if that makes sense.

 

[nth]

Thank you so much for this review! We are Marriott Bonvoy members also and always use points for our Disneyland stays. I have been trying to decide between the new JW, the Courtyard Theme Park, and maybe even the older Marriott by the convention center for our upcoming trip at the end of July. It will just be my husband, my 13 year old daughter, and me, so we don’t need a huge room. I was not interested in the Westin because the walk seemed like a pain, but your review is making me think I need to check it out again. Thanks for taking the time to post pictures too. Very helpful!

 

[nicole88s]

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to do such a thorough review. I appreciate it so much! It looks like such a nice hotel. I love seeing pictures from actual people vs the hotel site.

I have both the JW and the Westin booked for my dates in December with the refundable rate and the JW is $100 cheaper, so I may do that one, but I really want to stay at the Westin too.

Interesting tip about walking around the back way!

Btw, there is an offer for legacy holders on their site if you go to the Westin page. I'll post it below if anyone else is interested. Too bad they wouldn't give it to you when you checked in.



Disneyland Legacy Passholder Package

Need to Know

Up to 15% off Flexible Rate
50% off Self Parking
Promotional Code: QWH What's this?
Valid Stay Dates: June 2, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Description

Special Savings for Disneyland Resort Legacy Passholders

The Westin Anaheim Resort is pleased to offer special savings just for Disneyland Resort Legacy Passholders: experience more magic with up to 15% off room rates and a 50% savings on self-parking for one vehicle.

 

[pharmama]

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to do such a thorough review. I appreciate it so much! It looks like such a nice hotel. I love seeing pictures from actual people vs the hotel site.

I have both the JW and the Westin booked for my dates in December with the refundable rate and the JW is $100 cheaper, so I may do that one, but I really want to stay at the Westin too.

Interesting tip about walking around the back way!

Btw, there is an offer for legacy holders on their site if you go to the Westin page. I'll post it below if anyone else is interested. Too bad they wouldn't give it to you when you checked in.



Disneyland Legacy Passholder Package

Need to Know

Up to 15% off Flexible Rate
50% off Self Parking
Promotional Code: QWH What's this?
Valid Stay Dates: June 2, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Description

Special Savings for Disneyland Resort Legacy Passholders

The Westin Anaheim Resort is pleased to offer special savings just for Disneyland Resort Legacy Passholders: experience more magic with up to 15% off room rates and a 50% savings on self-parking for one vehicle.

Hmmm.. interesting. I should have gone and checked while we were there instead of taking her word. That’s a little annoying. The other person checking in seemed to have a variation on the current special as I heard her mention included breakfast rather than the parking discount. But I’d have rather had the parking discount anyway!

 

[DLgal]

Thanks for the review! So, did the AC actually get cold enough? We all sleep super hot and need it to get down to at least 68 to sleep well. Did you go that low?

 

[Nonsuch]

Of note, they clearly do not want you park there if you're not a guest as it's $16/hr with a $200/24hr max for non-guests. I'm sure there is a validation process for a few hours if you are going to eat at one of the restaurants there though (such as Fleming's).

Fleming's validates for 2 hours (which may not enough time for a fine dining steakhouse dinner)

 

[pharmama]

Thanks for the review! So, did the AC actually get cold enough? We all sleep super hot and need it to get down to at least 68 to sleep well. Did you go that low?

We set it to 65 (because we were trying to get it to cool off quickly) and it did make it down to about 67 by the time we fell asleep and we were comfortable overnight.

 

[ADLFAN]

The Bathroom:
View attachment 581280
View attachment 581281

Small Touches:
Lots of outlets between the two beds- loved this.
View attachment 581282
Calming sleep balm (I'm allergic to lavender so I didn't actually open this but it was a nice touch- looked like it was a little essential oil vial)
View attachment 581283
Adorable reading lights on the outsides of the bed with a "book nook" (or phone nook... but no plugs on this side, at least not in the headboard)
View attachment 581286
View attachment 581284
The "balcony". There was a sliding door that opened in the left third of the windows but you couldn't really go outside as its just a few inches to the railing. But nice to be able to open the slider for fresh air and check outside temp/weather before leaving the room. True to booking, our room had no view other than directly at the parking garage. By total chance, the room they gave us looked straight at our parked car, actually.
View attachment 581287

I'm 99% sure we were the first people to ever stay in this room. Kinda neat.

Room was really gorgeous and very spacious- it did not feel cramped at all even with the table and two chairs as well as the chaise lounge by the windows. This hotel does have the Heavenly beds and they were, indeed, Heavenly. Also really loved the Heavenly bath towels which were larger and fluffier than your usual hotel towel. Shower was also very nice with both a rain type showerhead and a handheld (with controls to switch between the two). This is a little weird but DD16 and I both commented on how plush and nice the carpet was. Hope it wears well! We're long past stroller stage but I do think there would be room to park one in the entrance area so that would be convenient for sure.

It is worth noting a couple of things- the closet area was kind of neat but also kind of annoying if you don't want to unpack. Neither side was large enough to put our bag in and there was no luggage stand. We didn't really want to unpack into the drawers so I ended up with my suitcase on the floor by the beverage station and DD used the chaise lounge. The bathroom door is a sliding "barn door" style which I know some folks are not fans of. I can say this was the nicest one I've encountered in a hotel though. It actually closes quite securely (even had a lock) and with a nice soft close feature where it would gently close the last few inches and not smash your fingers. I am not usually super worried about this kind of thing but if I still had small kids the slider would have made me nervous. It did have 2 locks on it but they were both quite low on the door- one of them was right at toddler height and the other by the handle. I'm used to seeing one lock much higher up for child safety.

Our only real complaint had to do with the thermostat. The room (and hall corridor, though not the lobby) were quite warm. The room was 75 when we arrived. It took a good 20 minutes to get it cooled down to a comfortable temperature. It did stay that way through the night but when were not in the room all day Monday, it reset to 73+ and was again quite warm when we returned. This time we tried opening the slider to cool it off a bit faster as it was only about 60 outside but they are smart enough to have the room HVAC turn off when the slider is open. Still, the fresh air helped cool things off a bit and then when we shut the slider the HVAC kicked back on. I understand resetting when no one is in the room but I think they need to make the reset point a bit lower.

Walk to the Park
The horror show that is the Harbor entrance right now was actually one of our deciding factors in trying this hotel. We walked up Disneyland Dr, crossed over by the PPH and entered via the temp and security check at the west end of DTD. We felt like we were cheating. We literally walked straight through temp check and only had to wait a few minutes at security with only a few parties ahead of us both days. This will undoubtedly pick up when PPH (and then DLH) reopen and capacity increases but it was far from the nightmare on the other side of the esplanade (keep in mind we were there on days 4 and 5 of Avengers Campus being open). We left our room at 7:55am and were in DTD by 8:11am. Stopped at Starbucks West which was not very busy (did walkup day 1, then mobile order day 2 which was even faster) and easy access to the parks from there. The walk back at the end of the day was long but not as bad as I was afraid it would feel.

All in all I would definitely stay at this hotel again, though it will depend some on what their rates look like long term. It's definitely the nicest hotel I've stayed at off property in the area though I have not tried the new JW Marriott. But I think I'd rather the walk from the Westin (and using the DTD entrance) than the JW.

Let me know if you have any questions. Sorry I can't report on the pool, restaurants or other amenities!

What time were you able to pick up your mobile order from the Starbucks West in Downtown Disney? I have been stalking places for breakfast and their hours say they're not open until 9 AM.

Thanks for the awesome detailed review!

 

[Malcon10t]

What time were you able to pick up your mobile order from the Starbucks West in Downtown Disney? I have been stalking places for breakfast and their hours say they're not open until 9 AM.

Thanks for the awesome detailed review!

Not the op, but last weekend, the SB by WOD was open at 8, but no mobile order til 9. Line was fast, and the barista at the door stated that at 9am, the mobile orders would overwhelm them and could take 20-25 mins to get orders. He said it was faster to join the line.

 

[pharmama]

What time were you able to pick up your mobile order from the Starbucks West in Downtown Disney? I have been stalking places for breakfast and their hours say they're not open until 9 AM.

Thanks for the awesome detailed review!

It (Starbucks West) opened at 8am both days we were there. Placed our mobile order Tuesday as we were leaving the hotel around 8:15am and it was ready when we got there.
We did walk up at around the same time Monday and it took about 15 minutes.
The Starbucks app does show that location opening at 8am. Where did you see 9am?

 

[lulubelle]

Thank you for the detailed post. I want to try this hotel using points, it really looks beautiful and the rooms spacious!

 

[Malcon10t]

It opened at 8am both days we were there. Placed our mobile order Tuesday as we were leaving the hotel around 8:15am and it was ready when we got there.
We did walk up at around the same time Monday and it took about 15 minutes.
The Starbucks app does show that location opening at 8am. Where did you see 9am?

I need to correct myself. We were there at 745a, and they said mobile ordering would start at 8am and could take 30 mins to get a mobile order. We ordered inside. We were looking at getting in the park early as we have BG 14. While I was waiting for our party, it clicked 8am and I ordered breakfast from Pym's.

 

[AndrewC]

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to do such a thorough review. I appreciate it so much! It looks like such a nice hotel. I love seeing pictures from actual people vs the hotel site.

I have both the JW and the Westin booked for my dates in December with the refundable rate and the JW is $100 cheaper, so I may do that one, but I really want to stay at the Westin too.

Interesting tip about walking around the back way!

Btw, there is an offer for legacy holders on their site if you go to the Westin page. I'll post it below if anyone else is interested. Too bad they wouldn't give it to you when you checked in.



Disneyland Legacy Passholder Package

Need to Know

Up to 15% off Flexible Rate
50% off Self Parking
Promotional Code: QWH What's this?
Valid Stay Dates: June 2, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Description

Special Savings for Disneyland Resort Legacy Passholders

The Westin Anaheim Resort is pleased to offer special savings just for Disneyland Resort Legacy Passholders: experience more magic with up to 15% off room rates and a 50% savings on self-parking for one vehicle.

Interesting that the rate is listed as Disney cast members rate… it mentions ID required too…

 

[evilmommie]

Forgot to post a comment after reading your review last week. Great info and the new Westin looks awesome. Thanks for your info!

 

[Sakura1017]

Are there signs when you leave Westin if your trying to get to Disneyland by walking through DTD. I only only went to Disneyland once and stayed on property. So I'm debating if I I should stay with Westin or Hilton since I want to do both Disneyland and going to events at the Anaheim convention center.

 

[pharmama]

Are there signs when you leave Westin if your trying to get to Disneyland by walking through DTD. I only only went to Disneyland once and stayed on property. So I'm debating if I I should stay with Westin or Hilton since I want to do both Disneyland and going to events at the Anaheim convention center.

The Westin would definitely be a great location for going to the Convention Center and the parks. There aren't a ton of signs by the Westin directing you to DTD but it's very easy- the Westin is basically right at the corner of Katella and Disneyland Dr and you just need to cross Katella and head up DL Disneyland Dr. You will need to basically walk to the PPH hotel which is easy to see so you can always just head that direction. Once you get to the PPH there are signs guiding you to security which is by the DLH. There will be lots of other people following the same route, especially once you reach PPH.

 

[pokee99]

I'm glad I got to read this review! I booked the Westin, since I'm a Bonvoy member, and can get perks and earn points. It was also the same price (or less!) than the budget hotels on Harbor!!!

I've been to DL 6 times over the past couple of decades, and always stayed and entered via Harbor, because I didn't realize you could get in from the west side of you weren't staying at the DLH or PPH!!!

I was debating about switching to a Harbor hotel, but now I'm excited to stay here! We won't have a ton of time at the hotel besides sleeping and resting, but it will be nice to check out, anyway!

Qs:

Is it easy to watch the fireworks on the roof at the lounge- and do they allow kids? I have a 16 year old, and we arrive on a Saturday and will likely be quite tired and may want to watch from the hotel.

Has anyone with gold/plat been successful with a late checkout? We'd prefer not to pack in the early am and stow our bags, but rather come back to the hotel after lunch to freshen up and head out.