The Magic Returns to the “Happiest Place on Earth”

Eileen Bosworth | January 30, 2023

By Eileen Bosworth, Kirsten Z. Smiley When Disneyland Resort, Anaheim’s crown jewel, was forced to close in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, area hotels faced some of the greatest demand losses in the nation. The park system welcomed back its local fanbase in 2021 with the introduction of a new reservation system. Once Disney attendees were more familiar with the park’s new reservation system, which requires advance planning and makes it more difficult to book same-day tickets, leisure demand rebounded, spurring double-digit ADR growth in 2021 and 2022. However, the Anaheim-Santa Ana hotel market has not caught up to pre...