The very first Disney park ever built, Disneyland is still massively popular today. With millions of visitors per year, the area surrounding the theme park is rife with hotels. Fortunately for travelers, many of the major hotel chains have a footprint in Anaheim, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Choice and IHG. This means you have plenty of options when it comes to where you’re staying.
Let’s take a look at the best Disneyland hotels you can book on points and where to stay at Disneyland.
If you’re a Bonvoy loyalist, you’ll have a wide variety of Marriott hotels near Disneyland to choose from. These range from the luxurious JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort, starting at 50,000 points per night, to the more affordable Delta Hotels Anaheim Garden Grove, starting at 20,000 points per night.
Our favorite option, however, mixes both.
The Fairfield Anaheim Resort is located across the street from Disneyland and costs as little as 30,000 points per night.
Marriott points are easy to come by, as both American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards® are transfer partners. You can transfer your points over to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio with Chase Ultimate Rewards® and at a 1:1 ratio with American Express Membership Rewards.
Otherwise, Marriott has a handful of co-branded credit cards that offer some fairly generous welcome bonuses. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, for example, comes with this welcome bonus: Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
There are several Hilton hotels near Disneyland, with standard room rewards ranging from 40,000 to 50,000 points per night. These are mostly midrange hotels, like the Hilton Anaheim and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort. Both of these options sit at 50,000 points per night, but your best bet for a Hilton hotel near Disneyland is the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Anaheim Resort - Convention Center.
As a Disneyland Resort Good Neighbor Hotel, it’s located less than a mile from Disneyland. You can redeem your Hilton points for a one-bedroom suite that’ll sleep 6 for as little as 45,000 points per night.
Like Marriott, Hilton has several different credit cards that offer generous welcome bonuses. These include the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, which will give you bonus points after completing a minimum spend goal: Earn 170,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
If you have AmEx points you can transfer those points to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio.
A fan favorite for its excellent elite status benefits, there are three Hyatt hotels near Disneyland. Of the three, the Hyatt House at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center is the closest. However, the Hyatt Regency Orange County is both cheaper and offers standard suite upgrades from 20,000 points per night.
Standard room redemptions are 12,000 points a night and can drop to off-peak rates of 9,000 points when Hyatt launches its dynamic award chart. Although it doesn’t offer a free shuttle, you can still take a ride to the park for just $6 round-trip.
Hyatt has a consumer credit card and a business version. Both give you the ability to earn Hyatt points with your purchases, along with other perks, like an annual free night certificate. You can also transfer over Chase points to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio.
A highly underrated program, there are over 30 Choice Hotels properties near Disneyland in the Anaheim area, with five located within two miles of Disneyland Resort. With Choice, you’ll find properties ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 points per night, depending on the time of year.
One of its newest, the Cambria Hotel Anaheim Resort, had its grand opening in January 2020. Along with a 30,000 square foot water park, the hotel features a putting green and an outdoor movie wall. The best part about the hotel? You can redeem your points here for a suite — and it won’t cost extra.
A one-bedroom suite that sleeps six will cost as little as 20,000 points per night:
What makes this especially enticing is that Choice was recently added as a Citi ThankYou points transfer partner at a 1:2 ratio for both Citi Prestige® Card and Citi Premier® Card holders. This means each Citi point you transfer will become two Choice points.
Let’s reiterate this: You can stay in a one-bedroom suite at a new hotel less than two miles from Disneyland, with a waterpark, for 10,000 Citi points per night. This makes Cambria Hotel Anaheim Resort one of the best places to stay at Disneyland.
Choice has also partnered with AmEx, which means you can transfer over AmEx points at a 1:1 ratio. This is a decent option, but isn’t nearly as lucrative as Citi’s partnership.
Like other hotel chains, there are plenty of IHG hotels near Disneyland. IHG has a wildly varying dynamic award chart based on demand, which can make it a bit difficult to plan hotel stays.
However, a decent option for just about everyone is the Staybridge Suites Anaheim At the Park. Redemptions range from about 20,000 to 45,000 points per night, but with this rate, you can net yourself a one-bedroom suite complete with a kitchen and living room:
The hotel is pet friendly and includes complimentary breakfast — if you haven’t already cooked it in your room.
The IHG® One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers the following welcome bonus: Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Even better, cardholders are entitled to their fourth night free on award stays. You can also opt to transfer in your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to IHG at a 1:1 ratio.
Though many points hobbyists will focus their points redemptions on hotel stays, there are plenty of other ways to spend smart in California.
Dive into these additional resources to get more advice on traveling to Disneyland for cheap:
How to travel to Los Angeles on points and miles
6 hotels within walking distance to Disneyland you can book with points
How to purchase theme park tickets with points
How I did a $4,000 Disney trip for $1,600
These are just some of the best Disneyland hotels for your next award stay.
Redeeming points for hotels is simple, even if tourist-favorite Disneyland Resort. With options from every major hotel chain, you can opt for luxurious lodgings — even suites — at reasonable rates. Whether you’re a Hyatt loyalist or a Citi point enthusiast, you can book a stay with ease and enjoy your Disney vacation.
The information related to the Citi Prestige® Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.