Happy Birthday Disneyland Hotel

October 5th, 1955 the Disneyland Hotel opens with 7 rooms while an 8th was used as the original office. Happy 54th birthday Disneyland Hotel!

Watch our website for some important announcements and updates:
http://www.magicalhotel.com

1988 Restaurant Brochure

Front cover of a Disneyland Hotel restaurant brochure from 1988, the year Wrather and Disney worked out the details to sell the Hotel.

Neon Cactus sure brings back some memories

Some of the many restaurants at the Disneyland Hotel

Early 60's Monorail Yellow

Monorail Yellow leaving the Disneyland Hotel station. I guess the guy in the second car didn't hear the message to keep your arms and legs inside. I used to love looking out my Garden Room at the Monorail going by. The distinctive sound of the Monorail horn was strangely not an annoyance. We would come back mid-day and take a relaxing break in our air-conditioned room or maybe head over to the Monorail Cafe for a burger and shake. This was probably the only place in the world I didn't mind to shop. Of course the Olympic Size pool was also very nice to cool off in. The Hotel was so fun in its original configuration and I sure do miss it. This photo is part of Bill Cotter's collection and I thank him for allowing me to use it.

Warning!!! - "Please keep your arms and legs inside the Monorail car at all times"

Hotel Tram

The Disneyland Hotel tram arriving to pick up guests. Again from Bill Cotter's won derful collection of photos available on Ebay.

Richfield became Arco and the station at the Hotel changed accordingly (middle right).

Marina at the Disneyland Hotel

Does anybody have any idea what that flying saucer looking device is on the right middle of this photograph?

Tower Annex 1965 and 1966

Today's posting features groundbreak photos from the Tower Annex project in 1965 as well as the completed building with Hotel owner Jack Wrather & Hotel exec Frank Bret. The project would cost $5.5 million and would include the Plaza Building complex. The Hotel now had over 600 rooms and suites.


The Tower Annex Building - Jack Wrather and Hotel General Manager Frank Bret pose with the new Tower Annex building in the background.

The Disneyland Band plus unidentified speaker at the 1965 Disneyland Hotel groundbreaking for the Tower Annex project.

Jack Wrather addresses the gathering at the 1965 groundbreaking ceremony for the Disneyland Hotel Tower Annex project.

Marina Tower Construction

Very early on in the Marina Tower Construction

1969 photo of the Marina Tower Construction

1977 Groundbreaking

Groundbreak Festivities of the final tower at the Disneyland Hotel

The Bonita Tower Groundbreak Ceremony

Disneyland Hotel Postcards

Tonight I posted some Disneyland Hotel postcards on the blog. My friend has a site dedicated to Disneyland and Disneyland Hotel postcards http://www.disneylandpostcards.com/hotels.html this link will take you to the Hotel section.

I'll post more of these soon.

http://www.magicalhotel.com for our official website and for our book.

1957 Vintage Footage From The Disneyland Hotel

Tonight, I am displaying some great still shots from some 16 mm film footage of the Disneyland Hotel from 1957 which I recently had converted to DVD. I now have over 100 (at least) new images from this footage and these are shots from rare areas not usually seen. This footage was professionally shot and features images of the first lobby, the shops area (includng the interiors of a couple of shops), the gardens, the Hotel signs, the Gourmet Restaurant, the Tram loading zone, the playground, the putting green and some great interior room shots. As if that weren't enough, you can follow the events of a beautiful, statuesque blonde as she drives up to the Hotel then tours the grounds. She resembles Marilyn Monroe but I do not know who she is. Hope you like these shots. You can check my website for a picture of her and below. I believe this footage was to be used for a TV commercial but I can't be sure.

Watch my website because I just may make this DVD available http://www.magicalhotel.com as well as many of the images from the footage.

Disneyland Bonus Pics from 1957