4. Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

Image: Disney

Resort: Hong Kong Disneyland (Lantau Island, Hong Kong)
Opened: 2005

Of all the Californian Victorian beach resort "Disneyland Hotels," Hong Kong's might get the most right, if only because it's actually located on Hong Kong's Discovery Bay. Nestled on the shores of the South China Sea, this palatial hotel features an elaborate hedge maze in the shape of Mickey Mouse with unbelievable seaside accents that evoke a rich, expensive European setting... an exotic world for the resort's more regional demographic.

Image: Disney

The tiny Hong Kong Disneyland is in a constant state of growth, which leaves the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel as the smallest of the resort's three (having only 400 guest rooms). Still, you might be surprised that prices at the elegant anchor hotel can dip as low as $150 per night at the resort... 

5. Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

Image: Disney / OLC

Resort: Tokyo Disney Resort (Tokyo, Japan)
Opened: 2008

Tokyo Disney Resort is certainly unique. For one thing, it’s the only Disney resort on Earth to be neither owned nor operated by the Walt Disney Company. Instead, it’s owned and operated by the Japanese-based Oriental Land Company who runs the resort somewhat like a franchisee, paying licensing and fees to Disney. It’s also unique in that the entire resort is built on a peninsula jutting out into Tokyo Bay containing “Official Hotels” like the Hilton Tokyo Bay and the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel.

In fact, though the resort opened in 1981, the first “Disney-branded” hotel was the Disney Ambassador Hotel in 2000. The next year, the iconic Hotel Miracosta opened as part of the spectacular Tokyo DisneySea.

Finally in 2008, the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel opened across from the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland. Like Disneyland Hotels in Paris and Hong Kong (and Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian), the hotel is Victorian in design,  but with opulent cobalt blue roofs and golden domes differentiating it from its sisters around the globe. Inside, the rooms are Western style, simple and quaint with patterns and colors meant to evoke World Bazaar across the way. 

Image: Disney / OLC

A grand inner courtyard on the hotel's park-facing side stands directly opposite the Tokyo Disneyland's glass-enclosed entrance, creating a symmetry that makes it hard to believe that the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel hasn't been there since day one. That means guests of the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel (paying $300 a night in standard rooms during value season) have a straight shot of entry into the second most well-attended theme park on Earth, and easy access to the Tokyo Disney Resort Line monorail that connects the resort's two parks.

6. Shanghai Disneyland Hotel

Image: Disney

Resort: Shanghai Disneyland Resort (Shanghai, China)
Opened: 2016

Shanghai Disneyland changed everything. We examined the park's groundbreaking new lands, new rides, and new classics in our In-Depth: Shanghai Disneyland walkthrough, but the takeaway is simple: the mainland Chinese park was literally designed to undo the traditions expected of Disneyland-style parks. It's only fitting, then, that it's namesake hotel does away with the expectations we've grown accustomed to of Disneyland Hotels as well. While most of the Disneyland Hotels on this list have been based in various elements of wooden Victorian beachfront resorts like Hotel del Coronado, the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel is designed in an architectural style that arose against the rigid, sharp Victorian era: art nouveau.

Image: Disney

The hotel is characterized by sweeping curves, organic metalwork, sweeping, rounded stairways, asymmetrical arches, and blown glass features. It's all meant to be flowing, open, and natural, based on the beauty of nature. Greenery abounds, lamps are stained glass and supported by swirling, ornate, vine-like metal, and carpets are made of endless natural patterns. Located across the lagoon from Shanghai Disneyland itself, the hotel's complimentary water taxis carry guests to the brand new park. 

Image: Disney

Prices at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel start just a little over $250 per night in US currency – a relative steal for the grand new hotel and the new kind of Disney Park it serves.