4-Star JW Marriott Hotel now planned for GardenWalk

[TP2000]

Anaheim GardenWalk has been the punchline to many jokes since the mall opened in 2008 and promptly fell flat on its face. The mall is currently about 80% vacant, and only the restaurants on the Katella Avenue side continue to thrive. There have been two empty lots on each corner of the mall that were planned for big hotels that never got off the ground.

But that just changed with the announcement that a luxury hotel developer has filed plans with the Anaheim Planning Commission to take advantage of tax breaks and build a 4-Star luxury hotel on one of GardenWalk's two hotel plots. The tax breaks only apply if a hotel builds to, and maintains, the established 4-Star standards as set forth by AAA (and made famous by the old Mobil Guide).

A 466 room JW Marriott, Marriott's traditional luxury brand, is slated to be built on the hotel plot closest to Katella, next to the Cheesecake Factory building.

Here's the proposed hotel looking south on Clementine towards Katella Avenue, and the Cheesecake Factory would be at the end of the sidewalk in this rendering.

More info can be found at the OC Register. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/anaheim-680062-hotel-city.html

 

[TP2000]

There are only 11 existing hotels in Orange County that qualify as 4-Star properties, so this is quite a coup for Anaheim. Two of those 11 hotels are already in Anaheim; the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian Hotel. The other nine 4-Star properties are located in beach towns in Orange County.

It was assumed that to get a 4-Star rating you had to either be on the beach, or connected to Disneyland. Which is why it was bold of Anaheim to attempt to lure a 4-Star property to GardenWalk since it's two blocks from Disneyland and nowhere near the beach. But the tax breaks, plus the healthy growth in both Disneyland crowds and the huge Anaheim Convention Center, seem to have done the trick. Finally.

There are five 5-Star hotels in Orange County, but Disney could never hope to attain that lofty customer service standard even if they built a hotel inside Sleeping Beauty Castle. The five hotels earning the 5-Star rating are all on the beach, and all very swanky and worthy of those high standards: Islands Hotel Newport Beach, Montage Laguna Beach, Pelican Hill Resort, Ritz-Carlton Dana Point, and St. Regis Dana Point.

Many big cities in America only have one 5-Star hotel, and some big cities have none and can only muster up one or two 4-Star hotels. The entire state of Texas only has two (2) 5-Star hotels (both in Houston) and a smattering of 4-Star hotels (mostly golf resorts). The bumper stickers tell us not to mess with Texas, but you may not want to stay in their hotels either.

So for Orange County, California to have so many 5-Star properties and a dozen 4-Star properties speaks to the affluence of SoCal and the strength of the local community here. That said, it truly is a coup for GardenWalk to get a brand new hotel that will be built with the goal of achieving and maintaining a 4-Star status.

 

[TP2000]

I'm mainly a Hilton HHonors guy myself, but I've stayed in a JW Marriott a few times. For those unfamiliar with their brand, they usually have a swanky-yet-modern vibe in their public spaces and a similarly modern yet very high quality feel in their rooms. Modern-classics are used for furniture and fittings, but they tend to go with a colorful palette so it doesn't feel overly stuffy or staid.

It's not as in-your-face hip as a W Hotel, but it's upbeat and stylish. They aim for younger corporate travelers mainly, and I imagine they will position themselves as a convention hotel while skimming off some Disneyland business for upscale families.

Here's the lobby and rooms of the JW Marriott in downtown Los Angeles at the LA Live complex near the convention center.

 

[lazyboy97o]

There are only 11 existing hotels in Orange County that qualify as 4-Star properties, so this is quite a coup for Anaheim. Two of those 11 hotels are already in Anaheim; the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian Hotel. The other nine 4-Star properties are located in beach towns in Orange County.

It was assumed that to get a 4-Star rating you had to either be on the beach, or connected to Disneyland. Which is why it was bold of Anaheim to attempt to lure a 4-Star property to GardenWalk since it's two blocks from Disneyland and nowhere near the beach. But the tax breaks, plus the healthy growth in both Disneyland crowds and the huge Anaheim Convention Center, seem to have done the trick. Finally.

There are five 5-Star hotels in Orange County, but Disney could never hope to attain that lofty customer service standard even if they built a hotel inside Sleeping Beauty Castle. The five hotels earning the 5-Star rating are all on the beach, and all very swanky and worthy of those high standards: Islands Hotel Newport Beach, Montage Laguna Beach, Pelican Hill Resort, Ritz-Carlton Dana Point, and St. Regis Dana Point.

Many big cities in America only have one 5-Star hotel, and some big cities none and can only muster up one or two 4-Star hotels. Central Florida has no 5-Star hotels. The entire state of Texas only has two (2) 5-Star hotels (both in Houston) and a smattering of 4-Star hotels (mostly golf resorts). The bumper stickers tell us not to mess with Texas, but you may not want to stay in their hotels either.

So for Orange County, California to have so many 5-Star properties and a dozen 4-Star properties speaks to the affluence of SoCal and the strength of the local community here. That said, it truly is a coup for GardenWalk to get a brand new hotel that will be built with the goal of achieving and maintaining a 4-Star status.

Whose rating system are you using?

 

[TP2000]

Whose rating system are you using?

It's not me that's using it, it's the City Council. The tax break agreement drawn up by the Anaheim City Council are using the AAA guide. Which they actually call "diamonds" in their AAA nomenclature, but the rest of the industry refers to as "stars".

The tax breaks are good for 20 years, but are contingent on the hotel qualifying as a 4-Star property upon opening. And then every year they need to maintain the 4-Star rating by AAA to continue getting the tax break from the city for the following year.

 

[TP2000]

Central Florida just got its first 5-Star (diamond) hotel property this year. The new Four Seasons Orlando qualified in June as a 5-Star property!

 

[lazyboy97o]

Central Florida just got its first 5-Star (diamond) hotel property this year. The new Four Seasons Orlando qualified in June as a 5-Star property!

That is why I was confused as to whose rating system you were referencing. Odd though that Walt Disney World has never seemed determined to match their Five Diamond Restaurant (something even the Disneyland Resort does not have) with a similarly rated hotel.

 

[TP2000]

That is why I was confused as to whose rating system you were referencing. Odd though that Walt Disney World has never seemed determined to match their Five Diamond Restaurant (something even the Disneyland Resort does not have) with a similarly rated hotel.

I've only eaten at Victoria&Albert's once, many years ago, but I like that they have stuck with it and maintained the standard there.

I don't think Disney has the guts, or the resources, or the ability to achieve a 5-Star rating for any of their hotels in America. There are five 5-Star hotels within a 30 minute drive of Disneyland, but the modern Disney Company just doesn't have the desire nor the ability to achieve that standard.

Disney would have to radically rebuild their training department and processes, much less their corporate culture, to even begin that climb to a 5-Star rating.

Quite frankly, their 4-Star ratings they get for the Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian are shaky at best. They get a pass because they are connected to Disney theme parks as the ultimate amenity. But when you interact with their front desk staff, their valet parking team, the ladies working the gift shop, or their restaurant/bar staff it can often be like any decent Airport Sheraton in the country. The CM's in those expensive hotels often perform at a 2 or 3 star level, unfortunately.

But look out the window! I can see the Matterhorn and the fireworks! 4-Stars!

 

[Stevek]

Interesting development. It almost demands that something be done with Gardenwalk now with a 5 star resort next door. I really wish Disney would buy the property and make it a DTD East.

 

[Figments Friend]

Oh sweet......
How can i resist the temptation to stay at a hotel that has my initials fronting it...!

Makes it seem like i own the place.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I don't think Disney has the guts, or the resources, or the ability to achieve a 5-Star rating for any of their hotels in America.

They certainly have no problem charging 5-star prices for their rooms.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

House of Blues will have some company! 466 rooms is a pretty decent sized hotel, and I have to assume that have sizable meeting and event facilities are part of the plans to help fill the rooms. With that price point and service level in Anaheim the sales team is going to need something to compete. Makes me wonder how they can take the risk of being so far removed from Disney AND the convention center while anchored to a dead mall within walking distance of a major freeway.

Speaking of the mall how much you want to bet this new hotel will do little to help drive traffic to the few shops and stores that are left?

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Interesting development. It almost demands that something be done with Gardenwalk now with a 5 star resort next door. I really wish Disney would buy the property and make it a DTD East.

It would need to close for a couple of years and go through a complete metamorphosis to be on the same level as DTD and feel like it was connected to Disneyland Resort. I visited Gardenwalk for the first time in January and I was shocked at how poorly designed the place was and how remote it felt from DLR.

 

[Phroobar]

The place reminds of a 70's version of an abandoned futuristic city from some scifi movie. It would be a great place to have an outdoor zombie walk / haunted maze.

 

[Stevek]

It would need to close for a couple of years and go through a complete metamorphosis to be on the same level as DTD and feel like it was connected to Disneyland Resort. I visited Gardenwalk for the first time in January and I was shocked at how poorly designed the place was and how remote it felt from DLR.

We've been there a few times, either at the bowling alley or one of the restaurants and completely agree. I think if Disney were to come in and "Disney-fy" it that would help but the overall design is bad. Put all the restaurants at the front and the only real draw to pull you in is the theaters...which you can just park in the parking structure to access and bypass everything else.

 

[Dead2009]

I thought the JW in this stood for Jurassic World. I'm disappointed in myself.

 

[TP2000]

Put all the restaurants at the front and the only real draw to pull you in is the theaters...which you can just park in the parking structure to access and bypass everything else.

The theaters closed last month. The House of Blues is moving into that space from Downtown Disney, but it won't be open until next year.

With the theaters closed, the mall must be incredibly dead now.

 

[Stevek]

The theaters closed last month. The House of Blues is moving into that space from Downtown Disney, but it won't be open until next year.

With the theaters closed, the mall must be incredibly dead now.

Wow, had no clue they closed. Last time I was there was in December for an event at the bowling alley...which is pretty nice by the way. Maybe that will pull some folks back that way and increase traffic a bit.

 

[TP2000]

Wow, had no clue they closed. Last time I was there was in December for an event at the bowling alley...which is pretty nice by the way. Maybe that will pull some folks back that way and increase traffic a bit.

House of Blues is expanding its space with this move, from 25,000 square feet in Downtown Disney to 45,000 square feet at GardenWalk. The House of Blues on the Sunset Strip has closed (block torn down to become condos) and they have said they may no longer have a West LA presence, which would make the Anaheim GardenWalk location the only metro LA location.

Once it's up and running at GardenWalk in early 2016 I'm sure it will boost the mall. But until then, there's a few restaurants up on the second level that will have a very slow fall/winter until House of Blues opens. I wouldn't be surprised to see Johnny Rocket's and the last few food court places up there shut down this fall. I can't imagine why anyone would go up there now that the movie theater is closed.

This is how abandoned that end of the mall looked earlier this year when the movie theaters were still in operation.

Now that the theaters are closed with no replacement for six months, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a pack of coyotes has moved in.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

It can't be any more dead than that picture.