July has been an exceptionally busy month for us this year as in addition to our annual trip to San Diego for Comic-Con; we had to prior trips the preceding weeks to cover the D23 Expo and a family event the week prior. Naturally the logistics of being on the road three times in 2 1/2 weeks required a bit of work with scheduling but it comes with the territory. Even though we had a reservation at another locale in another city, we opted to pay more to stay closer and figured that the high ratings for the Holiday Inn Irvine Spectrum might be a better option for us. After our drive over from Phoenix we opted to stop at Downtown Disney to dine before heading to the hotel to rest before a busy couple of days covering the D23 Expo.
Since the original plan was to check in first and then go to dinner, I opted to call the hotel and let them know that we would be checking in later. The phone rang frequently without being picked up and after numerous attempts I was told the lines were busy and please hold. Several minutes of holding later still do not get an answer, and repeated calls got the same result. After about an hour and change I was able to reach somebody was very nice and told me would be an issue in that they would see me as soon as we get there. Not 30 min. later while dining, I get a call from someone saying you’re the manager of the hotel and that our reservation through Expedia had a credit card that could not be confirmed. This seemed a bit odd to me since we did not booked through Expedia but it appeared that the car they had on hand was an older an expired card. I told the person that I had spoken with someone earlier and he said that everything was fine and that I would take care of things when we check in. After a pause it was basically implied that I needed to update the card now in order to hold the reservation. Although annoying I did this as simply put, we were too tired after a long drive and a busy evening to argue over such matters. The drive to the hotel was fairly easy as it was about 15 to 20 min. down the road from the park and offered ample parking. The lobby was extremely clean and modern and our check in was extremely prompt but none of the earlier difficulties that we had experienced.
We opted to park in the garage and noticed the dining and entertainment options that were listed on the wall as we rode up to our floor. Our room was very clean and inviting and made for a very enjoyable rest complete with coffee maker and flat screen television. Breakfast was not included in our stay but considering the rate was approximately $150 per night, it did seem like this was something that should’ve been included as it is standard at many hotels priced less that we have stayed at. The hotel does offer a full range of services aside from dining their drinks, entertainment, snacks, exercise, and other recreational options available. After an extremely busy day covering the convention and Downtown Disney, we were more than content to go back to our clean and comfortable room and rest prior to continuing our coverage and heading home the next day. Our checkout was very easy and accurate and we definitely had a pleasant enough stay once we got through the initial difficulties. While I have many good things to say about the hotel staff, is the location that really sets us apart as it has easy access to I-5 which may travel to and from Anaheim as well as the other areas on our stay exceptionally easy.
