The Viv Hotel, Anaheim, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

At other hotels, I often hear plenty of noise from neighboring rooms, but here it was nearly silent. I even wondered if anyone else was on our floor. The parking garage was simple to get in and out of, and the shuttle to the parks picked us up right outside the hotel. We go to Disneyland about once a year and have never repeated a hotel, but after staying at The Viv, I can’t imagine finding a better one. The staff gave us great service from check-in to check-out, and our room was comfortable. The whole property was clean and well maintained. We didn’t get to try the pool, though it looked beautiful. I went up to the rooftop briefly for a drink one night, and it was gorgeous. I’m impressed with The Viv and already looking forward to another stay.

The room’s engineered wood floor was pretty beat up, and the outside of the window facing the pool was quite dirty. Water pressure at the sink was weak, apparently because of a very restrictive aerator. Those were minor annoyances that didn’t ruin our convention stay. I’d recommend this hotel to business travelers or families visiting Disneyland. We walked to both the convention center and Disneyland several times. For two adults, the walk was fine, though some of the crosswalks were tricky. We stayed a couple of nights, and despite my initial doubts after reading reviews, nothing went wrong. My Marriott Gold Elite status was recognized right away at the front desk. Our room was ready when we arrived, self-parking was easy, and the elevators were quick. The room was surprisingly large and comfortable, the bed was clean, and the air conditioning worked fairly well. Wi-Fi was fast and easy to connect to. There was a large wardrobe with a safe, plus a mini fridge with cold, full-sized bottles of water as a Marriott Gold benefit. One morning we got breakfast from the market downstairs. The prices were about what you’d expect in a convention and amusement park city. The food and coffee were good, with plenty of snacks and both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. We didn’t try the other restaurants or bars, but they were always busy.

At checkout, I was told I’d be charged the full amount separately, more than $300 in fees for four nights, and that my original $250 deposit would disappear right away. Five days later, the new charge had posted and the original deposit was still there, leaving me with $550 in charges for the stay. I can’t tell whether this was corporate malice or incompetence, but I’m warning people to stay away. After all the fees, this hotel isn’t worth the final cost. The staff were polite and attentive, which I appreciated, but the rooms were bare. Ours had broken bathroom fixtures and stained bed skirts. At check-in they told me about the $250 incidentals deposit, which seemed normal. Since I was also paying for parking and the $25 daily resort fee, I asked if those would come out of it. They assured me that after the deposit I’d only pay any overages.

The front desk staff were very friendly and attentive, but I don’t think I’d stay here again after adding up the fees, cleanliness problems, and distance from Disney. We faced hidden fees plus resort and parking charges that mounted quickly, and the water pressure wasn’t great. Our bathroom had stray hairs and hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly. At the restaurant, the menus had dried-on food and sauce all over them. We waited a few minutes without anyone helping, then left. Expedia listed it as a 15-minute walk to Disney, which definitely wasn’t right.