Howard Johnson Express Inn & Suites – Orange

After writing my previous review I continued to not have success receiving a refund from the hotel so I contacted my credit card company. I told them the story and they refunded the money to me the next day. So, ultimately I got what I wanted however I had to go to the source rather than being able to get it easily from the hotel.

We stayed here for 20 minutes. The outside wasn’t all that great but Room was actually way better than we imagined. But after a roach crawled across the ceiling as we layer on the bed before heading to Downtown Disney we quickly grabbed out kids and out belongings and RAN! Still waiting for $ 390 credit from the prepaid room for 3 days. Horrible experience. The response we got was oh ha we have a guy coming out for that problem.

Do yourself a favor and don’t stay here. As soon as I walked in the lobby to check in there’s a guy yelling at the front desk clerk. The front desk clerk just smirked at the customer who walked out furious.

We reserve the room last minute for a quick trip to Disney. Paid $ 80 a night for a room with a king bed and a separate room with a full bed.
When we checked in the guy at the front desk was less than pleasant and allowed us to check into our room an hour early. Our room was on the second floor and seemed to be recently remodeled. We quickly changed and headed out. Upon our return around 10 pm we found the fridge only stayed cool and never got cold and that the TV in the extra room didn’t work. My husband went to the front desk and was told the TV hasn’t worked pretty much since the remodel. They changed our room. Fridge & tv worked (only plays what is in the main room, no channel options) but room was only half finished from the remodel. We moved all of our stuff and went To go to bed only to find the mattress was TERRIBLE. We opted to change back to the previous room with the expectation that the TV and fridge would be fixed the next day. Well we were very wrong! Nothing was ever done. We stayed 3 day and not once was it even looked at.
Then upon check out I mentioned it to the guy at the front desk to which he ignored me, handed me my receipt and said you are all set. All I could think was WOW guess they really don’t care about repeat guests because I won’t be coming back to this location.
Parking was horrible and the «continental breakfast» are less than desirable frozen danish is not my idea of tastey.
Oh and we also had bugs, roaches and spiders to be exact luckily it was only 2 towards the end of our stay.
The only reason we did a 2 star and not less is because the maid service was pretty good.

Great hotel! I stayed here for a week and in that chance got to see how great the staff were. They are amazing help with local attractions. Very friendly people who care about the guests and their needs. I had my room serviced everyday, never dirty rooms. Breakfast to get your day started. The wifi connection had hiccups from time to time but overall worked great. I must say I’m happy to have stayed here. For the price, you won’t do better. They also had a manger name Ash at the property, he went above and beyond to make my stay remarkable.

This place is awful! We had to book late so we were supposed to be in a 2 bed room one night and a 1 bed room the next night, totally understandable. Upon check in, the employee working was very nice and said he had a cancellation and we could stay in the same room both nights and that he would give us a discount for the second night for the inconvenience. I watched him write EVERYTHING down on the necessary forms including the price with the discount, etc. They also had a $ 40 cash deposit due, which was not mentioned on the phone when making the reservation. I have never had to pay a security deposit for a hotel room before. Especially one that trashy.
The room was below standard. The walls were dirty, holes in the blankets and curtains, toilets CLEARLY not sanitized. There were parental locks on channels like Comedy Central, and when we called the front desk to ask for the code to unlock, he just said he didn’t know what we were talking about and he couldn’t do anything. But it was somewhere to stay and our friends were staying in the same hotel, and it had been a 26 hour drive, so we just dealt with it.
I had only paid for the first night and when checking in the employee working told me to just come back the next day to sign another credit card slip for the second night with the discounted price. I did just that. When I went in, there was a different man working and he said I would be charged a price $ 30 more because it was the weekend and he refused to honor the price I had reserved the room for the night before. I kept telling him that his employees can’t just quote prices and make reservations and then not honor them. He then threatened to take all of our stuff out of the room if I didn’t pay immediately or check out immediately. I promptly checked out, got my deposit back and said some choice words to him seeing as he has no idea what customer service or the hospitality business requires.
In addition to this, my friends that had also been staying in the hotel had rented a «suite» and had paid close to $ 300 for 2 nights which is ridiculous for that low quality of a hotel. They found a roach in one of the beds and walls were absolutely FILTHY. the view was literally a stucco wall 5 feet away of the building next to it. The 2^nd bedroom was just barely big enough to fit the bed in, it was the size of a walk in closet. The TV in the main bedroom of the suite didn’t work. And yet these people are charging 130 dollars plus tax per night.
The «continental breakfast» is a joke. The parking lot is cramped and the whole place is behind a gas station and a sushi place and is difficult to get to. When we left there were police cars in the parking lot, so obviously the area has some crime.
I would have been okay with everything if they had been accommodating and polite. This guy wouldn’t even look me in the eye when we were arguing over the ethics of the situation. Probably because he knows he’s ripping people off.
I have stayed in extremely ghetto motels that were cleaner and 50 dollars cheaper than this one. This is the first review I’ve ever written, that’s how bad this place was.
Seriously, there are lots of hotels around that area. Don’t choose this one.

I stayed at this place for vacation in spring break and let me tell you it was excellent in service the front staff were super polite and helpful. I was not on property in daytime since gone to Disneyland so I can’t say anything but at night it’s quiet enough for us to sleep so u can have their continental breakfast in the morning. Would recommend :)

Praise2Bosses & HeadQuarters:
HoJo-​OrangeEXPRESS
Thank u 4 the nice 5nite STAY & the
Front-​Desk w/​lots of Security (filming…):
A.P.
Anthony
Soloman
Maid-service&ALLclean-upBreakfast-ROOM
Audrey-​Anna
Luz
The Flat-​screen TV’s w/​Breakfast & r King Bed were very GOOD. Thx 4 SAFEty…

I likely would have given this place a one or two star review but the manager made up for the bad parts. I rented the room online without looking much into it. It was close to the place we were going and wanted to be able to walk/​take a cab there/​and back. After booking I did more research. Glad i did. I emailed the hotel the next day asking them to cancel because I didn’t want to stay somewhere with roaches and hookers running around. The manager called me right away and said he would be happy to cancel or he could also upgrade me to the revamped rooms. I decided to keep my reservation and hope for the best.
When we arrived we were greeted in a friendly manner and assured we got an upgraded room. Luckily it was on the upper floor which made me feel a bit better… but all in all i did not have any sense of safety here. At all. The room was fine enough. Cheap yet modern features and clean enough. No cockroaches found. For the price it was pretty good. I think the thing that turned me off the most was on the drive back the taxi driver said to us as we pulled in «Oh ya, I drop off druggies to this place all the time.»
oh good! =-/

May I start by saying that if I could give this place ZERO stars, I would.
COCKROACHES!!! I stayed one night & this hotel and will never do it again. I decided to take a road trip and surprise my fiancé who was working out of town and stayed at this hotel. I first noticed cockroaches by the garbage can (which was about 3 doors down from our hotel room, yuck). We even made a note to ourselves not to leave any food out to not attract any… too late. I woke up at 2am to use to restroom when I noticed them moving around in the restroom. I turned on the light to frighten them but they didn’t budge. One was burrowed in a towel and there were a few loosing moving around on the bathroom floor. The rest of the night I was AWAKE… every little tickle I felt was one & could not sleep.
I woke up in the morning and let my fiancé know of what I had seen that night. Mind you we had two children staying with us. a 7 month & 7 year old, it’s just not a condition we would want our children to stay in. My fiancé was so embarrassed that he couldn’t have his family visit him without a fiasco. ANYWAY, my daughter started noticing them on the door… then ON THE WALL… I watched one (as we were moving our stuff out of that garbage whole) go from the wall TO THE CEILING and DROP & DISSAPEAR ON THE BED. When we notified the front desk they accused us of trying to get a free upgrade. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WE HAD PHOTOS FOR PROOF.
Needles to say, we will NEVER EVER stay at this hotel. It’s absolutely disgusting. Aside from the cockroaches, the floors were sticky, the beds were uncomfortable, the NON-​SMOKING room reeked of SMOKE and a PROSTITUTE was seen walking out of one of the rooms.

I have been staying at this particular HoJo periodically for over 4 years and while it is not a completely horrible place, there are some issues. First: Not all the rooms have been updated so some rooms are kinda gross and the beds uncomfortable. So ALWAYS reserve an updated one. Never had an issue with the microwave or fridge, and the fridges are ice cold. The prices are pretty reasonable and as such you end up with some questionable people who stay there. So just watch yourself and your valuables but I have never had a problem. The staff is usually nice although there is one guy that works the desk that has always been a jerk, and I mean always. Parking can be an issue and the lot is tight. Adding to that, the people who run the place apparently feel that it is their right to park in a handicap designated space. They have no hanging placard, no handicap plate, nothing! I even watched them walk out of their private entrance to the burgundy colored van. That makes me anngry, as I aan disabled and can legally park in that space. Breakfast. Isn’t horrible either. All in all, I’m sure I will stay there again but I willl say something about the van in the handicap parking.

This place was disgusting. I booked the room then was able to get Them more business with a couple more rooms booked by friends. The pictures on the website were remodeled rooms with wood floors. When we walked into our room it was an old model and smelt like smoke. There were stains on the pillow cases and dust on almost every surface. I wouldn’t let my kids take a shower that’s how grossed out I was of the room. There were cigarette ashes on the window sill, it was a non smoking room and you think the maids would’ve cleaned better. I will never stay in a Howard Johnson hotel again!!!

I was so embarrassed! My husband and I were taking my parents to Disneyland; we stayed in the Howard Johnson next to Disney and loved it so when they were booked up we decided to come here assuming they were smaller but just as clean.
We were so wrong, the floors were dark from all the dug in dirt, the bathroom floors and walls had a gross film; nothing looked like it had been cleaned in years.
I tried to plug in my chargers, only one outlet worked in the entire room. I was up all night just swapping out the cords. When I asked the manager about it the next morning, he seemed surprised and asked if I had checked ALL the outlets, he just looked irritated and said he would need to call an electrician.
We decided to try their breakfast hoping the day would get better, I really wish I hadn’t. The bread looked stale, the pastry looked like a jelly roll and I am not sure how old the cereal was; I decided to settle with juice… Oh yea that was broken too.
And if that was not bad enough, the pool was closed the entire time we were there.
Their web site is misleading and I will think twice before I visit a Howard and Johnson again!

Located in the back of a Chevron gas station…
The check in process was easy, price was reasonable being in close proximity to Disneyland.
Parking was a bit close knit as we had to park behind Shik-​something restaurant and have our plates taken down so it wouldn’t get towed.
There’s a pool which we didn’t use or see anyone else use but it looked clean enough!
The room was decent except for the towel/​clothes dry rack which I conveniently BUMPED my head into. So be careful future patrons!
Also if you have more than 2 people you will probably need to request for more towels. :/

This place is passable. The walls are paper thin, and i can hear people fart in the next room. The beds are like slabs of stone. At least the neighborhood is decent, price is low, and the location is close to all the places I want to be. Keep yourself busy in the city, spend time here only to crash after an exhausting day, and you will be fine. If you are looking for a nice place to spend a relaxing evening away from home though, fucking forget it.

We needed a place to spend the night after an unexpected schedule change, and we found this place not too far from Disneyland.
The upkeep of the exterior is not great. The location is tucked away behind a gas station and it does not have its own dedicated entrance off the street.
The interior is ok. It’s furnishing is more akin to a cheap apartment. The lighting fixtures are run down, and the bathrooms are yellowing. The bed seemed clean so the place served its purpose just fine. But for the $ 85 I payed it was lacking. Would have been ok had it been $ 50.

Looks like my review was deleted so here I am again. This place is a total DUMP and mis-​managed. I contacted the corporate office to obtain a full refund which I received as well as a 3 free nights at a different HOJO location.
This Howard Johnson’s location discriminates against handicapped people. We asked to change rooms because the one we were given had a broken air conditioner. We were forced to take a room on the second floor. We were refused a bottom floor and since we didn’t have much time we couldn’t leave and go to another motel. The thing that gets me is the «management» lied and said they were never informed that I am handicapped. What a joke.
So if you come here BEWARE!

Clean and large bathroom area, bedroom area was also clean and cozy feeling. Old school boxed tv in use — some channels a little fuzzy — other furniture and décor was modern looking with lots of outlets. Bed slightly on the hard side but comfortable none the less. Microwave, hair dryer, coffee maker, safe, closet, and free internet were available to use in our room. We were given a few bath towels, I noticed one was stained.
I will tell you this, the honest truth about my stay here was pretty good until it was time to call it a night. We put the AC on, which blew nice cold air. However, it would stop every 4 minutes and we heard the loudest noises coming from outside. I mean LOUD LOUD noises! I even went outside, and was like WTF?
I don’t think this is «the norm», but keep in mind this hotel is located right off the freeway… could have been a street sweeper, or for all I know it could have been house cleaning upstairs. I don’t know for sure, what I do know is it was a pain in the ass.
Morning continental breakfast offered english muffins, cinnabuns, cereal, beverages and a few other goodies. First english muffin was fresh, the next was hard and stale.
For 59 bucks, I wasn’t disappointed. Seriously, what do you expect for that rate? A
5 star hotel-​motel-​holiday inn??? NO! You pay a cheap rate for a nice room. I would have rated higher if it wasn’t for the noise at night. The location was key for our stay because we were brewery hopping in the area.
I would definitely consider Howard Johnson hotels for future travel arrangements,
All the above information is not to make HJ look bad, but I am hoping they read this so they can improve certain areas for the guests.

In the area with my lady for weeklong vacation with her family.
Had to stay in Orange, CA for the night before we headed to San Diego. Her parents chose the Howard Johnson Inn because of a coupon they had in a hotel/​motel pamphlet.
Was not impressed at the place when we arrived.
Cosmetically, the exterior is nothing special and it reminded me of a swanky cheap motel.
We got a total of three rooms for the night.
My lady’s mother complained their room’s bathroom smelled like vomit. Additionally, her father complained that a table where he sat to eat breakfast was sticky.
Her aunt complained that their room was just overall dirty and disgusting. Mind you that this is a person with high standards.
Our room was, well, I was able to fall asleep. A few of the lights did not work, which made coming in at night a pain.
The bathroom did have a funky smell to it and the toilets had a weak flush to them. Bathroom door doesn’t shut. Absolutely no hot water at 9am. The bed was very firm and the pillows were just awful. There were cuts into our walls.
The mini fridge barely keeps a cool temperature. The curtains leave a visible crack. The room itself doesn’t seem too dirty, but the carpet is a little outdated and could use a good cleaning.
Overall I would say this place is fine if you’re exhausted and just need to sleep. Otherwise, I would definitely try and find something else if you have time.

The manager Jay Patel is a rude person all around … was told to go down the street to do laundry since the dryer didn’t work… they didn’t even put a sign on the laundry room nor did they notify me upon my check in here… used the washer and went to throw it in the dryer… THAT IS BROKEN … when I asked about it at the front desk … I was told to go down the street to dry it… HMMM I WISH I WAS TOLD THIS BEFORE I USED THE WASHER… I AM NEVER STAYING HERE AGAIN …