Disneyland Hotel earns 4 Diamonds from AAA

[WDWmazprty]

Disneyland Hotel earns 4 Diamonds from AAA
Posted on August 18, 2011 by John Frost

http://thedisneyblog.com/2011/08/18/disneyland-hotel-earns-4-diamonds-from-aaa/

For years, the Disneyland hotel has been the black sheep of the Disney owned hotels in Anaheim. It’s age and location left it the least desirable property of the three hotels. But the culmination of upgrades made over the last 5 years have finally paid off. AAA has bestowed its coveted 2012 Four Diamond award upon the landmark Disneyland Hotel making it the second property at the Disneyland Resort to secure such a high rating.

Only four percent of the 31,000 hotel properties AAA reviews achieve this enviable distinction. In fact, in order to become a five star resort you need to have a golf course and on-site spa. These are conditions Disneyland’s hotels can never meet. So four stars is really a great score.

“This is tremendous news, especially for the 1,000 Cast Members who work at the Disneyland Hotel and create magical experiences for our guests,” said Tony Bruno, vice president resort hotels and Downtown Disney. “The award underscores our continued investment in the guest experience and all our ongoing work, which has transformed the Disneyland Resort and Anaheim into Southern California’s world-class, multiday tourist destination.”

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa also is a AAA Four Diamond award winner and is home to yet another AAA Four Diamond recipient: the popular Napa Rose restaurant.

“North America’s AAA Diamond Rating System is a long-time trusted systematic method of rating lodgings and restaurants,” said the Auto Club’s Approved Accommodations Supervisor Patricia Marenco. “Southern California’s hotels and restaurants that earn the AAA Four Diamond award maintain a very high standard of service in their hotels and restaurants in order to continue pleasing their guests.”

Earlier this summer, the Disneyland Hotel marked a milestone in the property’s major “re-imagination” project with the opening of a new courtyard, restaurant, bar, pool and water play area.



“This exciting renovation extends the immersion and magic of our park experience to this classic hotel,” said Bruno. “We’ve woven important pieces of Disneyland park history into the Disneyland Hotel, particularly with the reopening of the pool and courtyard area. The Disneyland Hotel now features some one-of-a-kind enhancements as a result of the property-wide program.”

The hotel’s three guest room towers have been renamed for some of Disneyland park’s distinctive lands: the Adventure Tower, Frontier Tower and Fantasy Tower. At the entrance of each tower, large marquees will feature classic artwork of Adventureland, Frontierland and Fantasyland identifying each building.

The hotel’s beautifully remodeled guest rooms now feature exquisite Disney touches woven into the décor, including a stunning new headboard with an artistically carved representation of Disneyland park’s famous Sleeping Beauty Castle. The background on the headboards uses fiber optics to create a magical skyline with fireworks – bringing the immersive park experience into the room.

The Disneyland Hotel also features a unique collection of suites including the Mickey Mouse Penthouse, and the Pirates of the Caribbean and Fairly Tale suites. The newest additions include the Adventureland Suite, which offers guests a two-bedroom hideaway complete with a grotto in the master bathroom that simulates — through light and sound effects — a rain forest and African savanna. The Big Thunder Suite hosts up to six pioneers and immerses them in luxurious rustic accommodations inspired by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland park.

The new results at the Disneyland Hotel are a part of a larger expansion project underway throughout the Disneyland Resort. Disney California Adventure park is undergoing a multi-year expansion project that includes new experiences, attractions and nighttime spectaculars, culminating in 2012 with the opening of Cars Land. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa also underwent an expansion in 2009 that added 203 hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom villas that are part of the Disney Vacation Club, marking the club’s West Coast debut.

 

[spock]

This is actually a HUGE deal, and I wonder to what degree people quite realize the significane of it. I actually work for a four diamond resort, and it took about two years to train our employees on the specific standards. It is not an easy thing to get. There are very specific things the property has to do in order to achieve it, and the AAA inspectors are VERY picky. Congratulations to the DL Hotel!!!

 

[TP2000]

There are very specific things the property has to do in order to achieve it, and the AAA inspectors are VERY picky. Congratulations to the DL Hotel!!!

That's interesting. What types of employee behavior must be demonstrated to get a Four Diamond rating?

 

[spock]

That's interesting. What types of employee behavior must be demonstrated to get a Four Diamond rating?

Here are just a few random things:

1. If you thank the employee, they need to answer with "It's my pleasure" or something to that effect (as opposed to just "you're welcome" or "no problem").

2. If you ask for directions to something on property, they have to point to it using an open palm point, as opposed to pointing with just one finger. This one should be easy for Disney CMs since they already use the "Disney point". Also, if it is reasonable to do so, they have to offer to take you to whatever it is you just asked directions to.

3. They have to greet you whenever you pass them anywhere on property. The greeting can't simply be "Hi". It needs to be something along the lines of "good morning (afternoon, evening)".

4. When you leave they have to thank you for visiting and tell you they look forward to seeing you again.

5. Employees have to acknowledge a guest's presence within 30 seconds.

6. The closets in the hotel rooms have to have a minimum of 8 open hook wooden hangers.

7. The property must offer wi-fi (although it doesn't have to be free of charge).

8. The property must offer valet parking as an option.

Those are just a few things off the top of my head.

 

[TP2000]

Those are just a few things off the top of my head.

Fantastic! Thank you for the info.

Although, I have to be honest and say that on my last multi-day stay at the Disneyland Hotel a few years ago with some family, I don't think the service was that great and certainly not at the level of some of those examples you cited.

Perhaps in the last couple of years they have been retraining and upgrading the service standards at the Disneyland Hotel? That would be nice to know if they had, and something must have happened to get that extra diamond on their rating this year.

 

[spock]

Fantastic! Thank you for the info.

Although, I have to be honest and say that on my last multi-day stay at the Disneyland Hotel a few years ago with some family, I don't think the service was that great and certainly not at the level of some of those examples you cited.

Perhaps in the last couple of years they have been retraining and upgrading the service standards at the Disneyland Hotel? That would be nice to know if they had, and something must have happened to get that extra diamond on their rating this year.

Yeah I agree, I never have found the service at DL Hotel to be all that exceptional in the past. But yes, in order to achieve the four diamond rating they would have needed to upgrade the service and adhere to those standards. It's basically a points system. So they can slip in some areas, but make up for it in others. About half the score is based on service and the other half is based on the physical condition of the property (known in the industry as "curb appeal"). I've been to some four diamond properties where it was obvious they chose to stress the curb appeal more than the service, and others where it's been the other way around. I know DL Hotel has been doing a lot of refurbishing lately, so it's possible they achieved most of their points from the curb appeal. However, they would still need to meet minimum standards in service as well in order to get the rating. I personally haven't been there in a while, but am curious to check it out next time I'm in the area. Grand Californian has been a four diamond property for several years now. Properties get re-evaluated every year, but it's easier to maintain the rating than it is to achieve it to begin with.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Here are just a few random things:

Fascinating list! Interesting to see some of the standards that are behind the rating system.

 

[spock]

Fascinating list! Interesting to see some of the standards that are behind the rating system.

I remembered a few more...

1. When you call the front desk or any department on property, they have to answer within 3 rings or less.

2. On the phone, they have to offer additional assistance before they hang up.

3. Any time you interact with an employee (CM) and they have an opportunity to use your name, they have to use it. Also, unless you say it's okay to use your first name, they have to call you by your last name.

4. When you first drive up in your car, they have to open the car door for you and any passengers.

5. They have to offer to unload your luggage for you.

6. The driveway of the entrance to the hotel has to be at least two car widths wide.

7. Somebody automatically takes your luggage to your room for you (unless you specifically say you prefer to take it up yourself).

8. When you first get to your room, an employee shows you where everything is. They also have to offer to fill your ice bucket for you.

9. Hotel has to have room service available and at least one upscale restaurant on property.

10. Hotel has to have a concierge desk.

Five Diamond rating is even more difficult to achieve, as you might imagine. Disney does not have any Five Diamond hotels in California or Florida. AAA also rates restaurants and the rating system for those is even more difficult. It's based on three criteria: Food quality, service and decor. There is only one Four Diamond restaurant in all of Anaheim. It is the Napa Rose. None of Disney's restaurants in Florida are Four Diamond, but they do have one Five Diamond restaurant (Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian).