Westin Anaheim Resort Highlights
Our family just completed a five-night stay at the Westin Anaheim Resort in conjunction with our first-ever Disneyland family vacation. Given that we infrequently take family trips of this length, we hoped for an overwhelmingly positive experience. Of course, I try to manage my own expectations, but I let that go a bit on this trip due to the adjacent Disney magic. I’m happy to say the Westin Anaheim Resort generally met or exceeded them throughout our stay.
Our Westin Anaheim Resort Experience
Check-In
After our SNA arrival and a Blacklane ride (thanks, Citi Strata Elite) through not-terrible-for-Southern-California traffic, we showed up at the Westin just prior to the official 4 pm check-in time. The front desk was humming along quite efficiently for how many people were there. The queue was considerable but moved quickly. Kudos to management for strongly staffing the front desk; upon our arrival, I counted six reps assisting separate guests.
After a couple minutes of waiting, an agent warmly greeted us. We had booked this stay from my wife’s Marriott Bonvoy account for 249k points, including the fifth night free benefit. We asked about upgrade availability due to her Platinum status, which we periodically buy with the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. The rep offered a minor upgrade – a two queen room the agent described as slightly larger with an improved view. It wasn’t available at the time of check-in, and the agent estimated a one-hour wait. But with Westin Club access and evening hors d’oeuvres about to start, we easily accepted.
Room
I’ll return to the Westin Club in a bit. Right about one hour later, our room was ready. Our third floor room in the west wing overlooked the outdoor pool and surrounding landscape, easily superior to a parking structure view. But the room itself felt more akin to the standard two queen we booked, maybe a bit larger.
That said, we were satisfied enough with the space, including a large bathroom with that familiar Westin shower setup. The room sported plenty of storage space, with a closet stacked with drawers, shelves, and areas to hang items. This Westin tested my preference for closets and wardrobes with doors. Since the storage space was so big, the doors almost blocked the entire walkway between the bathroom and bedroom areas.
The two queens were ample, albeit a bit firmer than the “heavenly” I recall for Westin beds. The room wasn’t short of brightness, thanks to the lighting, white color scheme, and expansive windows. Across from the bed closest to the windows sate a functional table and pair of chairs handy for eating and working. The lounger in the corner became more of a drop zone for stuff rather than a place to sit.
I’d assess this room as just above satisfactory for a resort of this caliber. Ours was perfectly fine, but not a primary reason we’d return. Meanwhile, this Westin offers something more substantial which easily convinced us to return.
Westin Club
The Westin Anaheim Resort Club is one of my favorite domestic hotel lounges in recent memory. Bonvoy Platinum members and above have complimentary access to this club. The only other that I recall meeting this standard is the spanking-new JW Marriott Reston Station, which offers a larger, more striking space. But I think the Westin Anaheim Club takes the dining edge.
Breakfast was a surprisingly complete experience by lounge standards, with quality scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, yogurt, a strong bread selection, cold meats, cheese, and a variety of cereals. But maybe what wowed me most was the attractive, fresh fruit on offer – pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and melon. In terms of coffee, the club’s actually-working machine delivers the usual options, but I focused on a couple cappuccinos each morning. I hardly got around to the available Starbucks drip coffee; the wife had it more than I did, a sign it was fine enough.
Evening hors d’oeuvres was a satisfying offering as well, not as outstanding as breakfast but still solid. Beyond charcuterie, my little ones enjoyed the hummus and raw vegetable options. Each night included a variation of warm items one might find in the Costco freezer section – pot stickers, empanadas, egg rolls, etc. The standout for me were the beef sliders with cheese, caramelized onions, and special sauce – these were definitely made in-house. A lounge attendant offered complimentary house red and white wines, as well. Based on the club’s offering and our decadent consumption at the parks, this reception ended up being the perfect light dinner for us on four of our five nights.
Starting at 9 pm nightly, the Westin Club hosts remarkable outdoor viewing of Disneyland’s evening fireworks. The club serves hot popcorn, s’mores cups, and sparkling wine before the show. Plus, fresh cookies and other small sweets were available throughout the day along with a variety of cold beverages (La Croix and Pepsi products).
So complete was this lounge experience that we didn’t think once about visiting the Westin’s other food and beverage outlets.
Service
We received warm, attentive service from all workers throughout our Westin Anaheim Resort stay. The front desk is unflappable, with housekeeping prompt and generally complete. On one occasion, we noticed the refillable bottles of shampoo and body wash were missing. I called the service express number from the hotel phone to request them, and a worker delivered new ones within 20 minutes or so.
But back to the Westin Club – perhaps the most impeccable service came from the lounge’s staff. Property management clearly cares about the quality of this amenity, where I always saw two to three workers during the main service hours. We were routinely greeted by name, even receiving handshakes on a few occasions upon our entry – efforts I still value. Workers proactively offered assistance without seeming pushy. World Cup coverage was on the club’s big screen throughout our stay. Everything clicked.
Conclusion
This certainly wasn’t all. We enjoyed the relaxing heated resort pool, where I incidentally dorked out to the booming classic rock and 80’s music with my little ones. Fortunately, singing every word of Golden Earring’s Twilight Zone didn’t distract their fun. Oh, and by the way, there is no resort fee at this property. Enjoy that while it lasts. We checked out of this hotel without charging anything being charged to our folio for the entire stay. I can’t remember the last time that happened to us at a Marriott Bonvoy property of this caliber.
All this, and I haven’t even mentioned what may be the property’s most attractive feature for certain Disney fans. When it comes to points hotels, the Westin Anaheim Resort probably offers the closest location to the Disneyland parks.
The Westin Anaheim Resort pulls off something I rarely fall for. I want to prioritize more vacations to the area and visits here based on this first experience. Keep it up!
Have you stayed at the Westin Anaheim Resort? How was your experience?
You found my go-to Marriott for my monthly Mickey trips. I’m glad you enjoyed your stay. William is one of the concierges in the Club Lounge. Always greets by name and with a smile.
That’s the guy, Jack!