As Anaheim continues to grow—nine new hotels will open between 2014 and 2016—the city’s convention and visitors bureau decided to rebrand itself as Visit Anaheim, a name that encourages groups to do just that: visit the Southern California destination.
“Visit Anaheim is a name that travel enthusiasts and conventioneers can easily find and understand,” says Jay Burress, president and CEO of Visit Anaheim. “It evokes a sense of discovery and clearly communicates that we have an incredible, awe-inspiring destination that people should come see for themselves.”
The destination marketing organization spent 20 years as the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau—quite the mouthful for planners and visiting groups to say. After a year of brand exploration, consumer meetings and travel trade research, the organization found that its broad consumer and business travel audience didn’t clearly understand what the destination had to offer. As a result, Anaheim’s new brand theme, The Power of Awe, plays off the destination’s highlights—from Disneyland to the palm tree-lined landscape to the Angels baseball team. Its logo also includes these aspects with the palm tree and the Disney dot over the “i.”
Along with the fresh brand, Anaheim welcomes nine new properties that will bring more than 1,500 guest rooms and suites to the Anaheim Resort District. There are currently 20,000 guest rooms in the Anaheim Resort District, which will increase to a total of more than 21,500 guest rooms as the nine hotels continue to roll out through 2016. More than half of those rooms will be located within a mile of the convention center.
In 2014, the Hyatt brand returned to the area with the opening of the 178-room Hyatt Place at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center, located within walking distance of both the Anaheim Convention Center and Disneyland Resort Parks. Two SpringHill Suites by Marriott properties (one with 172 rooms and one with 120 rooms) also opened in 2014. With tentative openings scheduled for 2015 and 2016, six more hotels will soon be added to the Anaheim hotel package:
- Courtyard Marriott Anaheim Hotel & Waterpark opens July 16 with 221 guest rooms and a 20,000-sf waterpark.
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Anaheim Resort Area opens in August 2015 with 96 guest rooms.
- Homewood Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort – Convention Center will open in September 2015 with 215 guest rooms.
- Hyatt House at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center will open December 2015 with 262 guest rooms.
- The Residence Inn will open in Summer 2016 with 274 guest rooms.
- Great Wolf Lodge Southern California will also open in 2016, with the signature Great Wolf Lodge water park and 30,000 sf of meeting space.
“Nearly $200 million is currently being invested by major hotel brands into Anaheim Resort District in hotel development and renovations. This is a testament to our appeal in the marketplace,” says Burress. “Anaheim continues to evolve as a distinctive and inviting location, and our latest hotel development will help keep our destination fresh and competitive in the leisure and convention market.”
