We recently stayed at the Marriott Anaheim for a four-day family trip to Disneyland with a group of six. Before the trip, we were genuinely concerned. We had read some recent reviews on TripAdvisor mentioning construction and other issues, and those reviews made us skeptical enough that we actually called the hotel in advance to confirm the situation. As a backup, we even booked another hotel near the Hilton just in case.
I am a Marriott Titanium member and was previously a Marriott Ambassador, so I strongly prefer staying with Marriott whenever possible. Still, based on some of the recent reviews, I was not fully confident going into this stay. That changed because of John at the Front Desk. He helped address our concerns before the stay, and because of his professionalism and reassurance, we decided to stick with the Marriott booking.
What began as a skeptical booking turned into one of the best hotel experiences we have had in the United States. This property was outstanding. I honestly do not understand some of the complaints I read before the trip. I am not saying others did not have their own bad experiences, but based on our stay, this hotel delivers service at a level that is not usual to find.
We stayed on the 18th floor, so I can only speak directly to that floor, but everything there was exactly as we would expect from a strong Marriott property. The room, the floor, and the overall condition were all very good.
As an elite member, we had access to the lounge. Our first lounge experience was brief because we arrived late, and by then only desserts were available. We brought some food with us and ate in the lounge, and the staff could not have been more accommodating. They brought us plates, cutlery, and anything else we needed without making us feel like we were imposing. They were kind, practical, and genuinely helpful. We also used the lounge for breakfast the next morning, and that experience was also very good.
On weekends, the lounge is closed, but the hotel provides breakfast vouchers for the InFuze restaurant. That turned out to be a major highlight. The weekend breakfast buffet was not just “good for a hotel.” It was genuinely excellent. The buffet was well laid out, generous, and had a strong variety of options, but what stood out most was the quality of the food. I rarely see food this good at a Marriott property in recent years.
The breakfast staff was outstanding. On the first day, we met Edith, who was excellent. On the second day, we were served by Marylou, who was absolutely top-notch. Both were kind, attentive, and very professional. Everyone knew we were using breakfast vouchers, but there was no difference whatsoever in the level of service. That is not always the case at hotels, and it stood out. The last day their F&B manager also stopped by to say hello.
In addition to breakfast vouchers, the hotel also provided appetizer vouchers for the restaurant. We used those during lunch on Friday and again for dinner after the park on Saturday. The portion sizes were a little different between the two visits, but both times they were more than enough for a reasonable meal. Once again, the restaurant staff impressed us with their hospitality and service. Victor took care of us and did an excellent job. I missed the name of female server who helped us on Friday night but she was awesome too.
We also used the gym, which was well laid out and had a strong range of equipment. Nothing felt old, worn out, or neglected. The public areas of the hotel were also comfortable, and we spent time there watching the FIFA World Cup. The overall atmosphere of the hotel was polished, active, and family-friendly without feeling chaotic.
For anyone visiting Disneyland, the location works very well. One option is to walk to the Toy Story parking area, which is about an 8–10 minute walk from the hotel. You can complete security there, then take the shuttle that drops you inside the park area, where you can walk right in. That is probably the cheapest and most efficient option if you do not want to walk all the way to Disneyland, which is roughly 1.3 miles from the hotel and about a 20–25 minute walk. However, for our family of six, we chose to use Uber each day. It was under $15 each way and dropped us very close to the park entrance.
Overall, this was easily one of the best Marriott properties we have stayed at in the U.S. The team went above and beyond without making it feel forced or transactional. The front desk, lounge team, restaurant staff, servers, cooks, and everyone we interacted with were consistently excellent.
Special thanks to John at the Front Desk, Edith, Mary Lou, Victor, and the entire restaurant and lounge team. They turned what we expected might be a questionable stay into a truly memorable family trip.
We would 100% stay here again on our next trip to Anaheim.
