Last August, the Disneyland Resort embarked on a multi-million dollar renovation of the Disneyland Hotel guest rooms, a project that is expected to be completed in stages through 2012. About 160 of the refurbished rooms have reopened in the Magic Tower, and I recently had the opportunity to tour one of the finished rooms.
The focal point of the new decor is a carved wooden headboard featuring Sleeping Beauty Castle. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The focal point of each room is a carved wooden headboard featuring Sleeping Beauty Castle. Gone is the glow-in-the-dark wallpaper border from the old decor scheme; instead, a musical "good night kiss" (courtesy of fiber optics embedded in the headboard) offers a brief fireworks display at the touch of a special Tinker Bell switch on the nightstand lamp. (View the MousePlanet video below for a 360° tour of the room, and to see this effect.) The refurbished rooms have a new linen package, with triple sheeted beds (instead of a comforter or duvet, the blanket is placed between two sheets), accent scarf and additional pillows.
Most rooms can sleep up to five people, and guests who have previously sailed on the Disney Cruise Line may recognize the sofa bed, which quickly converts from couch to twin bed. Depending on the room layout, rooms may instead have a convertible chair bed, or a wall-mounted fold-down bed. The most noticeable difference in the room is in the exterior window. The sliding glass doors and faux-balcony are gone, replaced with a floor-to-ceiling double-paned window tinted with a heat-deflecting blue coating. The new windows are said to make the rooms more energy efficient, and also block more outside noise.
Triple-sheeted beds feature accent scarf and more pillows. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
Black and white artwork lends a classic accent to the redecorated rooms. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
This couch easily converts to a twin bed. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
Disneyland Hotel Manager Rona Kay told me that the remodel began by demolishing the existing rooms down to bare studs. Along with the cosmetic enhancements, the electrical wiring, plumbing and heating and cooling systems of each room were also upgraded. Because the Disneyland Hotel caters both to vacationing families but also to business travelers and conventioneers, the rooms have to do double duty as vacation homes and remote offices. Parents will enjoy the flat screen television (concierge-level rooms include a DVD player and access to a library of Disney movies) and in-room mini refrigerator. Business travelers will appreciate wireless Internet access, a desk with built-in power strip and an in-room safe large enough to hold a laptop computer. Rooms also have a coffee maker, ironing board and iron.
The refurbished rooms are equipped for business or vacation, with flat-screen televisions and wireless Internet. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
Each room has a small refrigerator and coffee maker. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
Business travelers will greatly appreciate the in-desk power strip, so helpful when you need to power and charge multiple devices. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
The bathrooms contain the only decor element retained from the older hotel rooms - the Mickey Mitt wall lamps. The bathroom counter was replaced with a bench unit with storage shelf, and each room is stocked with a full size hair dryer. Sink and shower fixtures incorporate cut-out Mickey silhouettes, and even the shower tile has a subtle Mickey design. The bathrooms also have a separate toilet room, with low-flow toilets.
The Mickey Mitt lamps are the only nod to the original hotel decor. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
Bathrooms include low-flow shower heads and toilets. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
Start your Disney day by looking for Hidden Mickeys in your shower. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
The common areas of each hotel are also being refurbished, with new carpeting, wall coverings and light fixtures in the hallways. Work continues in rooms on the North half of the Dreams Tower, which is expected to be completed by summer. There is a substantial "buffer" area between the refurbished section and the construction site, so guests staying in the new rooms should not experience any construction-related issues, though the hotel occasionally closes the entire tower for short (2- and 3- day) stretches when noisy work needs to be performed. The Disneyland Hotel will accept requests for rooms in the refurbished section when the tower is open, but can not guarantee a specific room assignment. If you have a chance to stay in one of the new rooms, please post a review on our Reader Reviews section (link).
The redecorated hallways feature new wall coverings and light fixtures. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
The in-room carpeting gets a little more colorful in the hallways. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
The elevator landings feature this new carpet design. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
(Send an email to Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix)
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix (@MousePlanetAVP) is an original MousePlanet staffer and manages to find time for all of this while running two retail stores, MouseShoppe and CharmingShoppe.
