DVC Adds The Villas at Disneyland Hotel

Disneyland Resort has finally opened its second Disney Vacation Club property. I’m happy to report that The Villas at Disneyland Hotel officially opened on September 28th. 

Disneyland live-streamed the event and released several promotional videos. Here’s what you need to know about the new Villas at Disneyland Hotel!

Let’s Talk about the Basics at the Villas at Disneyland Hotel

In late 2019, the Disney Vacation Club announced a new expansion tower at Disneyland Hotel. A few months later, the Orange County Register posted additional details about the project. Sadly, that happened in January 2020, and we all know what happened that March.

Presumably, the plans for The Villas at Disneyland Hotel (TVaDH) have changed countless times due to external factors. As a reminder, all that chaos came after Disney feuded with the Anaheim City Council and canceled a Downtown Disney DVC expansion. So, DVC members have gone through a lot to reach this moment.

Thankfully, the new hotel is undeniably worth the wait. Guests have gushed about the gorgeous facility and its incredible amenities. In particular, people have raved about the rooms. 

TVaDH hosts 344 rooms. Most of them come in the form of 250+ Studios. However, Disney also offers about 20 One-Bedroom Villas, 20 Two-Bedroom Villas, and two Grand Villas. Fans of the Tower Studios at Disney’s Riviera Resort are in luck as well. At the Disneyland Hotel expansion tower, you can book one of the Studio Duos, smaller rooms that require fewer DVC Points.

DVC’s 16th official resort is 12 stories tall and dramatically expands the number of booking options at Disneyland Resort. Previously, our only choice had been The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which has the smallest inventory in the DVC library. 

Disney Unveils Its New Rooms

While the 12-minute opening ceremony was light on new information, Disney thoughtfully posted some YouTube videos. These clips demonstrate the new hotel rooms. Here’s your first look at a TVaDH Deluxe Studio:

These Studios sleep four and come with two distinct bedding options. A queen bed is standard, but you’ll also find a cleverly hidden in-wall pulldown queen bed. An HDTV includes the interactive features we’ve come to love at DVC properties like the Riviera. 

You’ll also note that the rooms feature themes that connect them to certain animated films. This hotel includes rooms based on The Jungle Book, The Princess and the Frog, and Sleeping Beauty, among others. 

Let’s Look at the Rooms 

Every room comes standard with USB-A and USB-C connections, which Apple-proofs your devices. You’ll find these connections on both sides of the headboard, along with a power outlet. So, both people in bed can charge/power their devices while sleeping. Now that so many of us work from home, that’s an essential amenity.

A distinctive console kitchenette comes standard as well. Meanwhile, storage fans will love the high beds. Some guests can slide their luggage under the bed, making the room feel less cluttered. Such iterative changes may seem small, but they can enhance your in-room experience greatly.

Disney has also revealed the Duo Studios. You can watch a video here:

These smaller rooms sleep two guests and have the same fold-down queen beds as the Deluxe Studios. Disney has themed these rooms to Jungle Book, which means you’ll find Baloo everywhere! 

As with the Tower Studio at the Riviera, the Duo Studio will prove divisive among DVC members. Even Disney would admit that it’s not targeting everyone with this room type. These rooms are ideal for traveling singles and couples who don’t plan to spend much time in their room. If a couple tries it, the experience doubles as a relationship test. 

By the way, both room types come with two booking options: Standard and Preferred. Obviously, you’ll spend more DVC Points for Preferred, but the splendid view of Disneyland Resort may justify the cost. 

Disney Emphasizes Color 

In livestreaming the opening ceremony, Disney displayed the new logo at TVaDH. Four different colors comprise the corners of this logo. Meanwhile, Disney asked a street artist to create this masterpiece:

The idea here is simple. The new expansion tower differentiates itself from its most famous sibling, the Disneyland Hotel, by emphasizing a splash of colors. Guests spent opening day exploring the hotel and uncovering more examples of this decorative touch. 

You can’t help but notice the décor in the hotel lobby. Solid-colored lounge chairs reside on a circle of multi-colored splendor. These chairs point toward a mural that seemingly comes straight from a Crayola box. You can read more about the mural here. Also, as you can see, that’s not a flat wall!

In the hotel rooms and bathrooms, soothing, almost hypnotic paintings establish a calm tone. But design aesthetics like yellow couches ensure that you’ll find bright colors everywhere, even in your hotel room. 

You’ll especially notice and appreciate the colors in places like Discovery Den and the Palette Pool. The ceiling tiles and flooring in these public spaces double as rainbows. 

In short, when you visit the new DVC facility, you can’t help but think of Mary Blair. Her art style has inspired much of the look and style at this resort. Somehow, that makes the entire experience a bit more magical. Check out this overall resort tour and see the amazing aesthetics:

We will obviously cover the new villas more in the coming weeks and months. DVC members should remember that this is just the start, too! We’ll also gain new inventory at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Cabins. 

PS: There’s a Steamboat Willie splash/play area at the pool. Every 20 minutes, it releases steam!

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