I got GCH this morning - deciding between that and the westin - help please

[tink89]

I meant that the Westin gym is better than the one at the Grand Californian while the Grand Californian pool is better than the one at the Westin. Not that the other hotel doesn't have that facility at all.

The Westin gym has hyperice machines for massage and is in general a bit nicer. I know the Westin has refrigerated towels but can't remember if the Grand Californian one does or not.

got it. I am not a gym while on vacation person but apparently DD and the DH are so I'm not sure what exactly they had in there lol
I do think the pool being so small was also a reason we prefer GCH. DD mostly goes to Disneyland for the parks and to get in the pool

 

[starlite_]

What a weird response.

Plaids are VIP tours. Around $600 per hour with 6 hour minimum.

Cool, I wasn't aware of that slang. I thought you mean ppl bought dif patterned shirts for their visits. Which is why I didn't understand your comment.

 

[irlandaise]

Cool, I wasn't aware of that slang. I thought you mean ppl bought dif patterned shirts for their visits. Which is why I didn't understand your comment.

Yes, that would be very confusing if you hadn't heard it before!

Here is the DL VIP tour page. You can see the CM is wearing a plaid vest.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/vip-tour-services/

 

[DisneylandFan22]

No chilled towels, but they have a chilled filtered water dispenser and free full sized Kind nut bars you can help yourself to.

When we were there at the beginning of October they had chilled towels in the refrigerator with full size Dasani water bottles.

 

[DLgal]

When we were there at the beginning of October they had chilled towels in the refrigerator with full size Dasani water bottles.

Ah..must have missed those (or they weren't there in July).

 

[RedVines2001]

I may have missed it but I'm curious which hotel the OP ended up picking.

I just got back from Veterans Day weekend and finally stayed at the Westin. Went a month ago for Halloween and stayed at VGC. It's nice to finally be able to compare the two.

The Westin was a beautiful property. The rooms were way nicer than the Grand and I agree with another poster that the rooms are very quiet.

We ate at the rooftop bar first night and had breakfast at lobby restaurant the second. We had dessert and a drink at Hearthstone lounge the first night and dinner at Napa Rose Lounge the second. The food at the Westin and service was prompt. In contrast, we waited 40 minutes for a slice of cheesecake at the Hearthstone Lounge and 35 minutes between our appetizer and our entrée at Napa Rose.

I've stayed at the Grand three times since Covid now and, like a lot of others, can say that it is not what it used to be. I've had issues with housekeeping and just a general lack of staffing at the hotel. In contrast, the Westin seemed like it was fully staffed; I passed by at least three house keepers both days on my way to the elevator. I'm not buying excuses about short staffing from Disney as the Westin clearly doesn't have a problem with it.

The Grand used to be an experience; now it's just a hotel like Starlite said. And if I'm picking between hotels, the biggest thing need to decide is whether the Grand's proximity is worth it for me for that trip. My last trip was no kids so the extra wasn't that big of a deal so I'm glad I went and tried the Westin.

 

[Iceman93]

My stay at the Grand last month was so lackluster that I can't in good conscience recommend anyone stay there until Disney gets their guest service mindset back. I haven't stayed at the Westin but have heard nothing but good things, so I'd say to save your money and do a little extra walking.

I have to amend my earlier advice now that I stayed at the Westin. It was as bad as my stay at the Grand, so I can't recommend it either! I don't want to get into all the little problems that added up to an unacceptable stay, but the worst one was the nonexistent soundproofing on the sliding glass door of our park-view room, leading to huge amounts of traffic noise from Katella Blvd all day and night. So now I won't stay on-property until they elevate things, nor will I (likely ever) stay at the Westin again. Argh!

 

[Aurora0427]

I have to amend my earlier advice now that I stayed at the Westin. It was as bad as my stay at the Grand, so I can't recommend it either! I don't want to get into all the little problems that added up to an unacceptable stay, but the worst one was the nonexistent soundproofing on the sliding glass door of our park-view room, leading to huge amounts of traffic noise from Katella Blvd all day and night. So now I won't stay on-property until they elevate things, nor will I (likely ever) stay at the Westin again. Argh!

I’ve heard the Westin is loud. What a bummer!

 

[crystal1313]

I have to amend my earlier advice now that I stayed at the Westin. It was as bad as my stay at the Grand, so I can't recommend it either! I don't want to get into all the little problems that added up to an unacceptable stay, but the worst one was the nonexistent soundproofing on the sliding glass door of our park-view room, leading to huge amounts of traffic noise from Katella Blvd all day and night. So now I won't stay on-property until they elevate things, nor will I (likely ever) stay at the Westin again. Argh!

Major bummer!! We had a room on the back of the hotel without a balcony. It was one of our quieter stays in the surrounding area. (Although we could hear some noise from the convention center) Major bummer about the park view rooms, as we wanted to try those at some point. Thanks for the heads up.

Can I ask what the other little issues were? We had an issue at the coffee shop there. (You can pm me if that is easier)

 

[AstroBlasters]

I have to amend my earlier advice now that I stayed at the Westin. It was as bad as my stay at the Grand, so I can't recommend it either! I don't want to get into all the little problems that added up to an unacceptable stay, but the worst one was the nonexistent soundproofing on the sliding glass door of our park-view room, leading to huge amounts of traffic noise from Katella Blvd all day and night. So now I won't stay on-property until they elevate things, nor will I (likely ever) stay at the Westin again. Argh!

I hate to say this, but if you don’t like the Grand Californian or the brand new Westin then it sounds like you probably won’t be happy anywhere near Disneyland.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

I’ve heard the Westin is loud. What a bummer!

We recently stayed in a suite overlooking the driveway entrance and DCA and found it to be very quiet. And that was with an entire wall of glass bc of the balcony slider. But we also sleep with a sound machine wherever we go. We had a wonderful Westin experience and will definitely be back.

 

[DLgal]

I have to amend my earlier advice now that I stayed at the Westin. It was as bad as my stay at the Grand, so I can't recommend it either! I don't want to get into all the little problems that added up to an unacceptable stay, but the worst one was the nonexistent soundproofing on the sliding glass door of our park-view room, leading to huge amounts of traffic noise from Katella Blvd all day and night. So now I won't stay on-property until they elevate things, nor will I (likely ever) stay at the Westin again. Argh!

Always travel with earplugs. Hotels have no guarantee of quiet, ever. The loudest hotel I've ever stayed at was also the fanciest, most expensive one.

 

[Iceman93]

I hate to say this, but if you don’t like the Grand Californian or the brand new Westin then it sounds like you probably won’t be happy anywhere near Disneyland.

Not true--our stays at the JW Marriott have been spectacular. And we've also had tons of good stays at the convention center Marriott, but they removed the pool tables from the two presidential suites which were the big draw there for my girls.

 

[Iceman93]

Can I ask what the other little issues were? We had an issue at the coffee shop there. (You can pm me if that is easier)

I guess it started even pre-stay. They had upgraded me to the park view room, and I chatted in the app that I was interested in a complimentary or paid upgrade to a suite. They wrote back to say they made note of my Ambassador Elite status (for those who don't know, the levels in the Marriott loyalty program are member, silver, gold, platinum, titanium, and Ambassador which requires 100 nights and over $20k in spending per year) and would do their best to upgrade me on arrival. All room categories including suites were still showing availability, but at arrival the rather snippy front desk clerk said they only do one category upgrades no matter what level someone is and the only way to get a suite is to pay full price for one. Ohhhh kay.

The TV screen that is supposed to have your name on it had someone else's name; fearing one of those "someone else gets a key to your room" situations I again chatted in the app and they told me not to worry about it because the TVs sometimes take awhile to update (which it never did during the course of the stay). This also led to me to think there might be problems with room charges or points earning, but that didn't turn out to be the case.

We had a nice dinner at Fleming's and charged it to the room, but didn't earn Marriott points for it because it is considered an outside vendor (this would have been nice to know in advance).

The second night the HVAC wasn't working in our room--no matter what I set it to, the fan simply wouldn't come on. So I chatted in the app again and they assured me engineering would reset the unit remotely. We settled into bed but 30 minutes later there was a knock at the door--engineering actually had to come into the room to diagnose the problem, THEN 30 more minutes later they did in fact reset it remotely. But even at the "max fan" setting, which I was hoping would generate some white noise to help mask all the other sounds, it was pretty anemic.

So we packed up close to midnight and just drove home. We weren't going to get much sleep anyway, which is the most basic function of a hotel--to provide a safe and comfortable place to sleep. And we know not to stay at the Westin again.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I guess it started even pre-stay. They had upgraded me to the park view room, and I chatted in the app that I was interested in a complimentary or paid upgrade to a suite. They wrote back to say they made note of my Ambassador Elite status (for those who don't know, the levels in the Marriott loyalty program are member, silver, gold, platinum, titanium, and Ambassador which requires 100 nights and over $20k in spending per year) and would do their best to upgrade me on arrival. All room categories including suites were still showing availability, but at arrival the rather snippy front desk clerk said they only do one category upgrades no matter what level someone is and the only way to get a suite is to pay full price for one. Ohhhh kay.

The TV screen that is supposed to have your name on it had someone else's name; fearing one of those "someone else gets a key to your room" situations I again chatted in the app and they told me not to worry about it because the TVs sometimes take awhile to update (which it never did during the course of the stay). This also led to me to think there might be problems with room charges or points earning, but that didn't turn out to be the case.

We had a nice dinner at Fleming's and charged it to the room, but didn't earn Marriott points for it because it is considered an outside vendor (this would have been nice to know in advance).

The second night the HVAC wasn't working in our room--no matter what I set it to, the fan simply wouldn't come on. So I chatted in the app again and they assured me engineering would reset the unit remotely. We settled into bed but 30 minutes later there was a knock at the door--engineering actually had to come into the room to diagnose the problem, THEN 30 more minutes later they did in fact reset it remotely. But even at the "max fan" setting, which I was hoping would generate some white noise to help mask all the other sounds, it was pretty anemic.

So we packed up close to midnight and just drove home. We weren't going to get much sleep anyway, which is the most basic function of a hotel--to provide a safe and comfortable place to sleep. And we know not to stay at the Westin again.

As a Marriott Titanium, I find that the Convention Center Marriott gives the most free upgrades and the JW Marriott is the stingiest. The lack of an elite check in line at the Westin when the Convention Center Marriott has one is signal of what to expect as far as elite treatment goes. The Westin has good suites if you're willing to use your Suite Night Awards though.

The evening spread in the lounge at the Westin is way better than the spread at any of the other Marriott properties nearby and I find everything from the rooms to the gym to be just a little bit nicer than at the JW Marriott.

I haven't had any major issues with the Westin so it's my favorite hotel in the Disneyland area. The JW Marriott wasn't even willing to do 4PM check out for me so I find them to be way too stingy with elites. The resort fee there is annoying too. But I know the JW Marriott gives macaroons to some guests as an additional welcome gift so perhaps you got more things there as an ambassador than I did as a titanium?

 

[kristensideaoffun]

Always travel with earplugs. Hotels have no guarantee of quiet, ever. The loudest hotel I've ever stayed at was also the fanciest, most expensive one.

For real. I once stayed in a pretty noisy room at the Hotel Del. Most hotels will give you ear plugs if you request them.

 

[Pluto468]

I've been thinking of trying the Westin someday but the walk seems kind of far. Maybe I'm wrong about that...?

 

[Iceman93]

I've been thinking of trying the Westin someday but the walk seems kind of far. Maybe I'm wrong about that...?

The walk was really pretty close, so don't let that dissuade you.

 

[crystal1313]

I've been thinking of trying the Westin someday but the walk seems kind of far. Maybe I'm wrong about that...?

The walk isn’t too bad! Especially in the evening because you can exit through the grand Californian. It was much faster than we anticipated!

 

[Pluto468]

The walk was really pretty close, so don't let that dissuade you

The walk isn’t too bad! Especially in the evening because you can exit through the grand Californian. It was much faster than we anticipated!

Thanks! I must be confusing it with somewhere else, because I thought it would be 20-30 minutes. Guess I better take a look at the map