JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort

My friend and I were enjoying a relaxing day by the pool, taking advantage of the beautiful weather and ordering food and drinks from the bar. However, our experience quickly turned concerning when the bartender directed us to get water from an outdoor dispenser station.

When we went to use it, we noticed visible black mold inside the dispenser. This is a serious health hazard. We immediately brought it to the attention of multiple staff members, but our concerns were dismissed without urgency or acknowledgment.

It wasn’t until we reported it to the front desk that someone finally came over to inspect it. Even then, there was no apology or sense of accountability.

What’s especially alarming is that the dispenser was already halfway empty, meaning numerous guests may have unknowingly consumed contaminated water. This is a major failure in basic health and safety standards—particularly for a food and beverage operation.

This situation is unacceptable and deeply concerning

I stayed at the JW Marriott for a family vacation to Disneyland. The hotel was very comfortable, the sheets were high quality, and I had a great night’s sleep. The location was good about a 15-minute walk to Disneyland but very close to the Disneyland shuttle stop, which made getting around easy. It’s also directly connected to a shopping plaza with plenty of options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would definitely stay here again.

Love this hotel

Our four-night family stay at the JW Marriott Anaheim could have been so much better than it was. We stayed in a premium theme park view room with two beds.

Pros:
- Nicely renovated room that wasn't big, but fine given we were mostly in Disneyland.
- Our second room was very clean.
- Good view out to the parks in the distance. Unfortunately the fireworks were cancelled the two nights we were in the room, so I can't comment on the view of them.
- The hotel common areas are spacious, attractive, and stylish.
- Most of the staff were friendly and helpful.
- Good-sized well-appointed pool area.

Cons:
- Avoid the premium rooms on the 9th floor, or at least room 937. We had the executive lounge directly above us, and the scraping of chairs was awful. I rang the front desk when there was still scraping at 1am. We moved rooms to a lower floor the next morning. No recognition of what we experienced was given until I specifically requested some sort of compensation. We noticed more dust in 937 compared to the room we moved to, so maybe they don't usually put people in 937 unless the hotel is full.
- There was only one staff member in the reception at peak check-in time, which meant for a slow process. At some other times there were two or three staff.
- When I asked about the rooftop bar (Parkestry) at check-in, we were advised that it was closed. Long story short, we would have stayed at the Westin instead had we known. There was nothing on the website to indicate it was closed, and you couldn't even go up to view the fireworks. The person we initially spoke to at check-in, when our room wasn't ready, showed no interest or care about my concern regarding the bar being closed. Later at check-in the gentleman kindly explained that it was closed as part of the transition of the hotel from Marriott to another chain.
- At peaks times, it was impossible to get a guest services or room service person on the phone.
- The pool is shaded in the afternoon. That may be fine in mid-summer, but made for a much less fun experience in April. We were not sure if the pool was even heated at all at first.
- Mixed experience with staff. Some were amazing and other had negative attitudes from the outset.
- The buffet breakfast was fairly good, but for the price, I would expect some high quality cheese, pastries, and greater variety of food. More on par with international hotels.
- Need more hooks/towel rails in the bathroom.

We stayed 5 nights as a family of four visiting Disneyland Resort, and overall had a positive experience with some areas worth noting.

What we loved: The location is unbeatable — walkable to Disneyland Resort and perfect for early rope drop mornings. The double queen room was well-suited for a family of four with generous storage, desk space, a complimentary empty mini-fridge (great for storing your own snacks and drinks), and fast complimentary WiFi. The fitness center is well-equipped and well-maintained, and we never waited long for elevators. A special shoutout to the 1st floor café — the staff there were remarkably friendly and efficient, which made a real difference on those rushed mornings heading out to the parks.

What could be better: Valet parking is pricey, and I was disappointed that my EV wasn't charged after two full days despite requesting it at drop-off. It wasn't until I followed up and tipped generously that it actually happened — this should be more reliable. Housekeeping was adequate but fell short of what I'd expect at this level. Coffee bar supplies (paper cups, stirrers) were never replenished during our entire stay without us calling to request them, and we often had to ask for basic things like extra towels for a family of four. On one occasion our room still hadn't been serviced at 4:30PM. Even with tipping, there was no sense of going above and beyond — just the minimum.

The hotel's physical setup is genuinely excellent for families. With some improvements to service consistency, this could easily be a five-star stay.

Ok, so my nephews wedding took place here yesterday (Saturday 4th April) and what a farce! They were promised the earth by a salesperson who sold them the dream wedding package, only to be let down on so many levels.
What should have been the perfect start to their married life ended up being a nightmare that just went from bad to worse.
They spent their first night together on a COUCH as there was no bed in the room????
And when they asked for blankets they were ignored several times.
Absolutely awful behaviour from a hotel which prides itself on customer service.
They were told repeatedly they would have the venue to themselves, one event would be held at any one time so our wedding party would have complete freedom and the undivided attention of the wedding co-ordinator team. This was an outright lie as there were other events happening at the same time.
The hotel itself looks amazing and we were really looking forward to celebrating their special day with them, we just feel let down that the promises made fell flat and we feel the hotel owes the newlyweds a huge apology.

My daughter wanted to celebrate her 18th birthday with a 3-day parkhopper visit to the parks. We booked through the Costco Travel site and selected the JW Marriott as our hotel choice. And we could not have been happier! Upon arrival, we dropped the car off with the valet staff. Check-in was easy and fast, and we were assigned a room on the 3rd floor. At the time of check-in, the hotel also offered their daily 4 pm cocktail hour where hotel guests can get a glass of (inexpensive) sparkling wine or a mimosa. Super nice touch, though!
Our room was equipped with 2 queen beds with nice cotton linens. The bathroom had a glass door walk-in shower and a big (but very slippery) bathtub. The lighting was ok, but we missed the 5x makeup mirror.
The room had a small coffee bar with Starbucks coffee pods. Two 16-ounce bottles of water are provided per day for the coffee maker. One gets about 2 cups of coffee per water bottle. Housekeeping comes in daily without having to make that extra request, and they are even available in the evening. They also happily replenish the water and the coffee pods if needed in the afternoons.
Under the coffee bar was a small mini fridge. It would not hold much, but we could put a number of water bottles in it to cool down during the night in preparation for the next day in the parks. We could fit about 8 bottles of those 16 ounce Costco water bottles. In addition, we had a cooler with us to store some snacks and protein. A few doors down the hall was an ice maker which provided plenty of fresh ice for the cooler.
Upon request, the staff will proved a microwave for the room as the rooms don’t come with one equipped.
There is a family-friendly rooftop bar on the 10th floor. We didn’t stay there as we wanted to spend one night at the park until closing and experiencing the fireworks with the accompanying music and show. But if the late night at Disney is not an option, one can wonderfully relax at the fire pit booths with a glass of wine and see the fireworks from that rooftop bar. It has a minion dollar view!
Our booking came with a $50 food and beverage credit per day, which I totally forgot about until the third day before we would check out the next day. I asked about the credit, and the hotel helped us out a little and permitted us to use the credit on the day of check-out. That was much appreciated.
The hotel offers a breakfast buffet, which we did not take advantage of and therefore cannot speak to it. All we know is that it is $44 per person. We went to the parks so early in the morning that we didn’t have time for breakfast anyway. On check-out day, however, we visited the small Starbuck-like cafe on the first floor and got some Greek yoghurt cups and Canadian bacon sandwiches before we went to the park on Day 3 at a later morning hour. By day 3, we both were pretty much Disney’d out ;)
A word about access to the parks: There is a shuttle service offered off Katella, right across from the Cheesecake Factory, which is next to the hotel. The Toy Story line 20 shuttles people back and forth all day. Busses are leaving about every 10 minutes during off-times. But that said, the direct walks through the Gardenwalk to the entrance of either park is about a 15-minute walk with 2 traffic crossing lights taking a few extra minutes. It is less than a mile walking distance, but that can seem far, especially after having walked 25,000 steps throughout the day in the park. The shuttle, however, has very long lines during peak hours, and one can easily stand in line for 30 or more minutes, just to get onto a shuttle. The walk from the hotel to the shuttle or vice versa, while it may seem close by, is also about a half mile, and that is due to the fact that they ask people to go to the far end of the huge parking lot. You may save a few steps taking the shuttle, but you add at least an additional 30 minutes or more to get from A to B or vice versa. If you are able to walk all the way, I would recommend doing that.
I’d like to give a shout-out to two special staff members who made my and my daughter’s days special. When we returned after a long day 1 in the parks, we rolled up the escalator, and even though we didn’t look very fancy with our Mouse ears and being so exhausted, Sean from bell/valet saw us coming up and came towards me, asking if he could be of any kind if assistance. I was not sure how the parking situation would work out upon check-out on day 3, and if I would have to check out, settle my bill, retrieve my car, load it, and then find parking at one of the other Disney parking lots. Mind you, valet parking per night with all fees is $81 per night. Sean was so sweet to let me know that we were able to leave our car there even after checkout. That was a relief! And then there was Mannie who acknowledged that there was still a little girl in this almost adult teenager and gifted her a birthday balloon and plush Minnie. That was so incredible sweet. Thank you both so very much!

My family and I stayed two nights at the JW Marriott Anaheim in March 2026. We could not have been happier with our decision to stay at this property. It was a nearly-perfect stay for our family as we celebrated birthdays and Disneyland activities.
The room was ready upon arrival following our east coast-to-west coast flight. The JW is only 15 minutes from SNA airport. We passed on a possible upgrade to get into an earlier room. The destination fee was explained at check-in (more on that later) and the property amenities were also explained. We utilized the garage parking at the Garden Walk next door in lieu of the valet service, which was a different of about $45 per day. The valet team did assist with luggage and they were quite friendly and helpful as we unloaded our vehicle prior to garage parking.
Our room had excellent views of Disneyland with two beds, a tub, a shower, and other modern amenities. Additionally, the staff promptly provided a full-sized crib for our youngest traveler. Housekeeping visited the room each day (afternoon, normally) and did a good job keeping water bottles and towels refreshed.
The executive lounge was a really nice space in this hotel. High in the building, the views were exceptional and the snacks/food offerings were perfect for mid-day and mid-evening snacks. We also visited the restaurant's full breakfast buffet each day and found the food quite good. The offering varied during our stay with some staples consistent day-to-day (fresh fruit, omelets, salmon, etc.).
The pool area was a nice escape from the theme parks and the food served adjacent to the pool was quite tasty. Even though it took a few moments for service to arrive for lunch, our food/beverage experience at the pool was great despite a slight delay in start.
One block from the hotel is the "Toy Story" parking lot. This lot - approximately 10 minutes from the hotel - is a great start/stop point for accessing Disneyland via the shuttle service. It is free to use. The local transit agency does serve nearby locations as well.
For those in need of a rental car, several companies are within walking distance of the property. Sixt and Hertz are two within a block.
The only part of the stay that was not perfect is a minimal item but an area for improvement given how all other aspects of the experience were exceptional. The destination fee of $40 includes internet access for all guests, a value of $17.95 according to the documentation. As a Marriott Elite guest, this benefit is provided to me at all properties with internet service. When I inquired about an alternate benefit in lieu of the free internet, I was met with blank stares. I even followed-up with the property after the stay and was told in an email that "I do not know a policy that offers any trading of perks within the destination fees". The Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions outline the need for an alternate benefit, so I'm assuming the staff just did not know. Additional food/beverage credit or a slight reduction in the destination fee would be possible alternate benefits as many other properties in the Bonvoy program have elected.
Would I stay at this property again? Absolutely - without question. And I hope to do so again soon.

My 10 person family used the JW while visiting Disneyland 25 Feb-1 Mar and the service was outstanding. Cynthia and Joy were some of the most dedicated, professional and truly caring customer service reps I have ever encountered in my more than 2300 nights and 23 years using Marriott hotels. The executive lounge, valet, room service, concierge service were all remarkable. They truly treat an Ambassador like royalty and it was much appreciated.

I should start by saying that I always seek out Marriott hotels, largely because I appreciate the cleanliness, consistency and customer centricity of the brand.
This was my first time staying at this hotel, although I have been to Anaheim many times over the years and know the area well.

Location (perfect for Disney) - 10 minute pleasant walk to Disney. An hour from LAX. Walk to Cheesecake Factory, Bubba Gumps, and Garden Walk Mall (largely eatery).

Room (great) - I was located on the 8th floor so it was quiet from the hustle and bustle of night time noise. I had a twin room which was perfectly laid out, spacious and typical of a classy Marriott room. My room overlooked the pool side of the hotel (not firework viewing side).

Breakfast (poor) - I had breakfast included in my package. It was definitely the worst breakfast I’ve had at a Marriott. For the price, I wouldn’t bother - there’s lots of places within a stones throw. I also had to wait one morning for around 25 minutes for a table… this was odd, as I could see plenty of empty tables (maybe short of staff). Not good if you get there for brekkie at 7am to ensure you can get your family to Disney for opening at 8.

Staff - Some were exceptional, friendly, informed and helpful. A few not (I don’t need to call them out as I have zero doubt the management are aware of who they are… they probably need to expedite their move to a non-customer facing role...

Add ons: you have to pay around $47/day tax to the hotel (standard in US). They allow for a $20/day allowance to use included in that. There’s a small Starbucks in lobby you can buy a couple of drinks with each day (to make the hotel tax feel a little less. Be warned though… closes at lunchtime!
Internet is costly $18/day… although I got it free, I was horrified at price and there’s many no internet spots around hotel.
Post checkout: late check-out is a terrifying $100/hour. When I asked about use of a courtesy room post checkout as our flight was at midnight, the reception staff member laughed at me and said “no, you can’t shower here; but we’ll store your luggage”. We sat around pool and used the poolside shower and changed in toilet… not ideal but better than poke in eye with a sharp stick - I didn’t ask permission…

Some easy wins for the management to improve the customer-centricity of this hotel.

Would I stay again? Possibly, with NO breakfast, purchase of a data roaming pack, and extra night for late night flight.

Staff was excellent especially bellman and valet.

I was traveling for business and my company housed me at the JW Marriott for three weeks. I am eager to report that this hotel made my time away from my family easier to endure. My car door was opened each time I arrived, and I was consistently greeted with a friendly smile and a "welcome back." The bartenders and restaurant servers made an effort to remember my name, room number, and my favorite drink. They were each so friendly, offered meaningful conversation when they could, and had excellent and warm customer service. The food and the drinks were top notch - and I would recommend anything on the menu. Especially the fish tacos and the pizza. The housekeepers went above and beyond each day- ensuring that my belongings were thoughtfully placed, my room was immaculate, and left sweet and encouraging messages. The proximity to the restaurants nearby, the garden walk, and Disneyland is a perk for this location and I enjoyed the walk to DT Disney on my days off. I have never stayed at a hotel for this long before but I am so grateful to the JW for making this experience truly a home away from home. If I am ever back at Disneyland- I will be booking my stay at the JW.