Review: Viv Hotel Anaheim Near Disneyland Resort
The Viv Hotel Anaheim, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott is a new AAA Four Diamond hotel near Disneyland Resort. This review features room photos, thoughts on amenities, and pros & cons of booking at this hotel versus its competitors. NOTE: The Viv Hotel Anaheim, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel was previously the Radisson Blu Anaheim.
Let’s start the review with some basics. Typically, one of the most important considerations for our readers when evaluating hotels near Disneyland is location. The Viv Hotel Anaheim is a little over a mile from Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, which might make it a deal-breaker for those wanting something with proximity to the parks.
More critically, the the Viv Hotel Anaheim is a difficult walk to Disneyland and DCA because it’s adjacent to the I-5 freeway. When heading to Disneyland, you have to cross the I-5 on and off ramps. There are pedestrian traffic signals here, but we’ve heard from readers in the past that this is a big downside when traveling with kids. With a wealth of other options in the area, we would not recommend this hotel to those who want to walk to the parks.
Speaking of the Viv Hotel Anaheim’s location adjacent to I-5, it’s a major highway running through Orange County, which right away should raise concerns about noise. We never had any trouble sleeping nor have I noticed the sounds of the freeway at this hotel, but light sleepers might want to request an interior room, away from the highway.
On the plus side, the Viv Hotel Anaheim has a great location for those venturing beyond Disneyland. This is a centralized location for accessing Los Angeles, Newport and Laguna Beaches, and other cities in Southern California. (We’ve stayed at and reviewed more than 50 hotels in Anaheim; refer to our Disneyland Area Hotels Reviews & Rankings for how this ranks as compared to the competition and options that might be better for you.)
The Viv Hotel Anaheim is one of many hotels built during the area’s construction boom, that has lasted over a decade. The landscape has changed dramatically during that time, with it dozens of new hotels, billions of dollars expanding Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, infrastructure investments, revitalization projects, and more.
This is one of the more notable additions to that changed landscape, figuratively and literally. In the latter sense, it’s one of the tallest hotels in Anaheim, visible from various areas of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. (That’s it to the right of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout!)
In the figurative sense, it’s one of only 5 hotels in Anaheim to be awarded the prestigious AAA Four Diamond award. The others are the Westin Anaheim Resort, JW Marriott Anaheim Resort, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and Disneyland Hotel.
Honestly, the Viv Hotel Anaheim is not in the same league as any of those. This is not necessarily a knock, but it’s simply not a luxury hotel on par with those properties. Nor is it priced like one! Most nights, the Viv Hotel Anaheim will be significantly cheaper than those other 4 hotels.
Whereas the other non-Disney AAA Four Diamond hotels have a target audience of executives and corporate leaders, the Viv Hotel Anaheim is clearly a more family-friendly hotel.
It lacks the high-end sophistication and polish, eschewing that for a mix of trendy and durable designs.
Even though it’s not a luxury resort on par with the Westin or JW Marriott, the Viv has a style that works well, and feels fitting for a hotel near Disneyland.
It’s a unique mixture of hipness, pop culture, and quality that makes the Viv Hotel Anaheim appealing to a wide variety of guests.
Turning to the expected amenities, the Viv Hotel Anaheim has a range of dining options. For something fast in the morning or late nights after the parks, there’s the quick service Blu Market Place serving Lavazza coffee, snacks, fresh salads, and deli sandwiches.
BluSky Bar & Restaurant is located on the 12th floor, serving up Spanish-style dishes and beautiful views of Disney California Adventure and (to a lesser extent) Disneyland. Despite the hotel being almost empty during the day, this bar filled up at night with people dropping in for a nightcap during our stay.
The main restaurant is FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar, which serves shareable dishes that embrace each season and highlight the freshest local and regional California produce, meat, and fish from variety of Southern California farms. The restaurant also features a sampling of local beers and wines from California, Oregon, and France.
FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar also has a poolside bar and drink service, meaning you can order dinner from the comfort of a chaise lounge or a cabana.
Obviously, the poolside bar means that there’s a pool.
The pool itself is unremarkable, which is consistent with other hotels in the area. Perhaps there’s an Anaheim ordinance of which I’m unaware that pool areas at hotels in the city must be a disappointment. (I’m joking–there are a handful of hotels with more ambitious pool areas.) Despite the modest pool size, the seating area down here is actually nice–albeit built for a pool about triple this size.
For more sophisticated atmosphere, there’s also a rooftop pool for adults. This is a spectacular spot for sun bathing and big views of the Southern California skyline…if you can catch it when it’s not packed. Unfortunately, it’s also similarly small (and would’ve been very awkward for me to photograph, given the size that there were people in it–so just imagine a small square pool being pictured here).
Like other new hotels near Disneyland, the fitness center is quite nice here. There’s a range of nice, high-end equipment and it doesn’t have the same problem with size v. crowds as the pools.
Like many hotels near Disneyland, prices at the Viv Hotel Anaheim range widely depending upon the season. For peak summer dates, we’ve seen it around $275 per night.
If you’re considering the Viv Hotel Anaheim as part of a Disneyland vacation, you can book a hotel + ticket vacation package via Get Away Today to save more money. In addition to the package discount, some hotels have ‘4th night free’ promos. In addition to their normal discounts and special packages, you can save an extra $10 by using code TOURIST at checkout.
The Viv Hotel Anaheim, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott has a variety of standard guest room options and suites. There are also several different view tiers, including standard and fireworks views.
For our stay, we booked the 2 Queens, 2 Twin Bunk Bed room. Despite being only 385 square feet, this room will accommodate 6 adults. Featuring bunk beds and two queen beds, this standard room utilizes its small space surprisingly well. In front of the beds there’s a lounge chair, desk, storage drawers, a mini-fridge, 55″ television, and coffee maker.
We really liked this guest room, both in terms of comfort and aesthetics. The bedding is top notch, with a plush pillowtop mattress and head-absorbing pillows. The padded headboard is also conducive to lounging, which is nice since there’s no sofa.
The decor is fun. While modern and relatively minimalist, there are plenty of details to convey quality, plus splashes of color in an otherwise clean-but-elevated aesthetic. There are little touches everywhere, from headboards to light fixtures that give the rooms personality beyond what you’d find in standard Anaheim hotels.
With that said, this is very obviously not on par with other AAA Four Diamond hotels.
The desk chairs are cheap and uncomfortable, the design is relatively spartan as compared to luxury resorts, and a lot of ways the hotel is on the more basic side. Don’t get us wrong–this is a great room relative to most hotels in Anaheim. It’s just not top 5 material.
From our perspective, the unique offering at the Viv Hotel Anaheim is its variety of rooms with bunk beds. To be sure, there are plenty of other hotels in Anaheim that offer this, but it’s less common than regular rooms or even family suites.
These bunk beds are large enough to sleep an adult, and reasonably comfortable for what they are. The mattresses are a bit on the thin side, but not unreasonably so. After a long day in the parks, you’ll have no trouble whatsoever getting a good night’s sleep.
Still, sleeping 6 adults in one of these rooms is probably pushing it.
The rooms are basically the size of a standard hotel room in Anaheim–slightly larger than the norm. There’s only so far smart use of space can go to help accommodate more people. I’d say the realistic max is probably 4 adults. Two adults and 3 kids might also find this comfortable.
The bathroom features a shower and bathtub combo.
The vanity is large, lighting abundant, and finishings are nice. Plenty of counter space and storage below the sink.
It’s very much what you’d expect from a newer mid-tier hotel in Anaheim.
With that said, the shower/tub, sink, and toilet are all in the same room. That’s not necessarily uncommon, but not conducive to 6 adults (or even 4) all getting ready simultaneously…unless they are very familiar with one another.
Ultimately, there’s a lot to like about the the Viv Hotel Anaheim, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott. With that said, it’s not for everyone–but no hotel is. We focused a lot on its AAA Four Diamond status, and that’s because the type of traveler concerned with that accolade likely will not be satisfied with this hotel. These are not luxury accommodations, and even the full service restaurant and rooftop bar don’t change that. If this is a AAA Four Diamond hotel, so too are at least a dozen others in Anaheim.
On the other hand, if you’re a family looking for larger accommodations with elevated style and better amenities than the norm, the Viv Hotel Anaheim could be an attractive option. That’s particularly true if you’re only doing a couple of days at Disneyland (and don’t plan on walking to the parks) and want a hotel in Anaheim as a centrally-located home base for excursions to Los Angeles, Pasadena, Laguna/Newport/Huntington Beach, or elsewhere in Southern California.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you stayed at the Viv Hotel Anaheim, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott? What did you think of the hotel? Highlights and/or lowlights? Doe the accommodations look appealing to you, or is this not to your tastes, preferences, or needs? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I chose Viv Hotel for its modern appearance and presumed amenities, hoping for a step up from my recent stays at Alamo Inn and Sonesta. Unfortunately, my experience was far from satisfactory.
Despite the $25 resort fee, which I assumed covered parking, I was hit with an additional $38 daily parking charge. The total of $62 in fees per day would have been acceptable if the hotel lived up to its promising facade.
The reality, however, was disappointing. The ice machines were inconsistent, located only on every other floor, and sometimes they worked, sometimes not. No vending machines were available. The resort fee included coupons for the restaurants, but the restrictive timing was inconvenient for those, like me, who didn’t intend to spend much time at the hotel.
As an annual passholder visiting Disneyland, I didn’t choose this hotel for a leisurely stay. The absence of complimentary breakfast was disappointing, and the imposed resort fee didn’t align with my preferences. The parking charges, especially for a location relatively distant from Disneyland, felt exorbitant.
The shower situation added to the dissatisfaction. The lack of safety features, such as slippery stops or bars, made it feel unprofessional and potentially hazardous.
Despite its appealing exterior, Viv Hotel turned out to be a disappointment. The pretty and new appearance didn’t match the subpar amenities and unexpected fees. I won’t be returning, as the experience fell short of expectations, leaving me feeling like I paid for a facade rather than a genuinely enjoyable stay.
The rooftop restaurant is on the higher end side and trendy. I would not take your family up there unless your kids are older or are used to places like that. It is very good though and if you can get in, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re going as a couple, definitely book a night for dinner there.
FYI this property is leaving the Radisson Blu brand and is joining Marriott Bonvoy under the new name The Viv, under their Tribute Portfolio brand (which is one of their boutique hotel collections).
We stayed at the Radisson Blu with our 4 kids (3 under 10 and a baby) in March for our first Disneyland and Southern California trip and actually really loved it! It is a walk to Disneyland, about 15 minutes pushing a double stroller and hustling, but thats one thing we actually liked. We like to both open and close the parks with our kids and don’t usually go back to the room for naps or breaks so when im not in the parks i dont want to feel the crowds and congestion that comes with the area closer to the parks. As far as the room we found the double queen room with the bunkbeds a prefect fit for our family and the space to move around in the room was great as well. It was so spacious that even when we put the rented City Select Double stroller in the room there was still plenty of room. The bathroom was a great size and was well stocked. My kids loved that we could see the parks from our hotel room window and there was nothing like looking out to see the glow of the parks after dark! My kids enjoyed the pool area and also liked the water splash pad area to play in. We got breakfast at the inhouse restaurant twice and had a great meal both times and the service was great. All the employees we came into contact with were super friendly and we never had any issues. Over all we really enjoyed our time and found it to be a good fit for our family. Hope this helps!
You must have been sprinting at Olympian speed and not stopping at intersections to get there in 15 minutes. It is much, much further than that. I am quite fit and my friend and I walked super fast and it took about 28 minutes on average so you are obviously exaggerating. You have to stop at 3-4 intersections that take quite awhile to get through.
We had 4 kids so there is no way we were going at Olympian speed……but I did time our walks, which includes following road rules and waiting for walk signals and checking for cast members as they exit the cast member parking area, and we averaged 16 minutes in and 18 minutes back and that would be from the Disneyland sign to the hotel front door. But everyone moves at a different pace and make no mistake this is not a quick stroll back to your hotel room by any means! Again hope this helps!
You might both be right, depending on when you both went and what directions you followed. Google Maps is still forcing you to avoid “the 4” ramps by going out of the way North *and* crossing Anaheim Blvd twice! There are now lights on the exit ramps which should save you 4-8 minutes over the old route depending on how unlucky you were catching the crosswalks.
(Thanks to Tom for mentioning the lights on the I-4 ramps. I missed it on my first read through, but caught it before I posted my comment. Makes the walk long but not nearly the half hour I see when I ask Google to walk me from a hotel to DL IHOP.)
My wife and I went a few months ago. We were running late one morning and we RAN from the hotel to try to get to the entrance as fast as possible. We’re both tennis players and in great shape if that matters. We move at a faster pace than 95% of people. We left around 7:20 and didn’t get there until about 7:40. We did not go any crazy route crossing Anaheim Blvd twice or anything. Are you timing from the hotel to the general area where foot traffic starts or from the hotel to security? We went across at the ramps as suggested here. To make it to security in 16 minutes with a stroller and 4 kids seems lightning fast, but props to you guys! You must have been moving fast, made every crosswalk and sprinkled some fairy dust on those kids! When we walked at our regular pace it was definitely closer to 30 minutes for us. It was also very bust when we were there and the crosswalks all took FOREVER.
Again everyone moves at a different pace, regardless of your activity level in daily life, so a great rule of thumb if your looking into the hotel would be to see what you average when you walk a mile in general as the hotel is about a mile and a half from the parks. And we timed from when we walked out of the front doors of the hotel until we walked under the Disneyland entrance sign before security as that is where we would hit the crowds of people and it became difficult to actually move and not stand in a general crowd and shuffle!
It appears to me that the style of the hotel doesn’t extend to the rooms, which are just not AAA. I’m not sure that it “looks cheap” so much as it just “doesn’t look nice.” The Four Points might be a better choice for people willing to stay near & walk across the 5, with it’s nicer rooms, similiar or better amenities, shorter distance to the parks, and possibly cheaper pricing (based on a few random dates).
We stayed at the Radisson Blu and it was not a good experience. Take this review as you will, just an honest review from a couple who goes to Disneyland 1-2 times a month.
The Pros:
The hotel is brand new and looks very nice inside. There are several Disney/Star Wars themed sculptures and paintings around the hotel along with some of the furniture. The rooms look very nice and modern, although cheaply done. The view from at least one side of the hotel is great. The pools are both very nice, with one exception (see below). You can watch the fireworks from the rooftop pool which is pretty great.
The Cons:
When I made the reservation we were assured a room with a bathtub. When we showed up they told us that was not possible, then said “well wait maybe we can make that happen.” They wanted over $100 more a night for that room. Wasn’t that big of a deal to us, my wife just wanted one to enjoy a bath after the parks. We get to our room and it looks super modern and nice with a cool view from the very tall windows. The problem is everything is very cheaply done. There was also a gigantic bloody booger on the wall next to the bed. Then we try to find somewhere to eat dinner as they said they had a great restaurant. It was “fully booked” although there were tables open everywhere. We ask if there is any other food we can get in the hotel or close by, or maybe order some food to go and the girl at the hostess stand says “no, you should have made a reservation, there is nothing in the hotel or nearby at this time.” It was about 7pm. She was not wrong. The hotel is in a terrible location and there is nothing close by. It would be great if they informed guests of the need for reservations to get any food at the hotel. We ended up driving to a restaurant a few miles away and enjoyed ourselves. When we finally got back we went up to the adult pool to enjoy a swim before bed. The highway noise from the adult pool is pretty intense. It is very, very loud. There were about 5-10 locals completely smashed and jumping in the pool fully clothed. They started harassing my wife and I, and other hotel guests. We finally get back down to the room and shower and lay in bed. The beds are about the same as a Motel 6 bed. Very uncomfortable, you can feel the springs in the mattress. We did not sleep well at all. The walk to Disneyland is really far. I would say around 30 minutes (and we walk fairly quick). You also have to walk under the I-5 and it feels quite sketchy after dark.
I would highly recommend other hotels over this one.
Fantastic and appreciated review Tom!
As a heads up, Radisson Blu pops up a lot as a Hotwire Hot Deal for around (and sometimes under) $150/night before taxes and other fees. It’s one of the listings that includes an actual room photo and the distinct style is easy to spot.
We are also staying at BW Park Place Inn end of August based in large part to its coveted status as “Tom’s #1 Disneyland area hotel”. Also connected on a Hail Mary and got 3 nights at the Grand Cal DVC side for the end of the trip. Got our resale contract points for Boardwalk on June 1st and by June 18th I had a night in a 1 bedroom and then moving to two nights in a Studio. I have no idea how I got this lucky.
We check into the Best Western Park Place in just under two weeks. When I saw this review come through, my heart sank for a second as I envisioned a new Bricker #1 hotel near Disneyland. Walkability was our #1 priority, so I was much relieved to read the review.
Always a great job with the write up and photos. I’m very thankful for all your Disneyland content – it’s been great reading.