Howard Johnson Anaheim's 'retro cool' suite channels a defunct Disneyland attraction
As you walk through the entrance tunnel at Disneyland and step onto Main Street, U.S.A., you pass under a plaque that states, "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy."
For millions of guests every year since 1955, Disneyland evokes a sense of nostalgia. And while it certainly has the fantasy thing nailed down, "tomorrow" is a bit trickier — because it so quickly becomes, well, yesterday.
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One of the park's early attempts at predicting the future was the Monsanto House of the Future attraction that operated in Tomorrowland from 1957 to 1967.
This walk-through prototype home was meant to give visitors a glimpse into what home life could look like in the decades to come, including colorful plastic furniture, state-of-the-art appliances and a "floating" design with four cantilevered wings jutting out from a concrete pillar at the center.
The home wouldn't feel very modern by today's standards, but a popular hotel just down the street from Disneyland is reviving the home's midcentury modern design with its own retro cool suite where guests can experience yesterday's tomorrow today.
The Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground recently opened a "House of the Retro Future Suite," with design elements and decor influenced by Disneyland's Monsanto House of the Future.
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Similarities between the Howard Johnson suite and the Disneyland attraction range from thoughtful touches like an in-room turntable and records to retro furniture by Modernica and Herman Miller and era-appropriate lighting by Restoration Hardware.
Pops of Howard Johnson's signature orange and turquoise are injected throughout the suite's vibrant color scheme. At the same time, modern touches like in-room Alexa devices that allow for voice-activated lighting and thermostat controls and a touch-activated light on the bathroom mirror provide the suite with features that still feel a bit futuristic today.
While we are more than happy to stare at photos of the suite all day, if you hope to actually stay there, you may be interested in some of the more practical details. The House of the Retro Future suite has a bedroom with two queen beds, a living area with multiple seating options, a dining table and a kitchenette plus a large bathroom with a separate shower and vanity area.
The suite sleeps up to four guests and is available for two-night stays beginning Aug. 12, 2022. The cost for a two-night stay is $1,957, which was chosen based on the year (1957) the Monsanto House of the Future attraction opened at Disneyland.
Of course, it isn't only the House of the Retro Future suite that evokes the midcentury modern style that was so prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s. Howard Johnson itself came of age during this time, opening its first location in 1954 and this particular location on July 16, 1965 — almost 10 years to the day after Disneyland's own grand opening.
To this day, the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel has one foot in the present and one in its retro roots. Thanks to a recent multi-million dollar renovation, all 296 standard guest rooms and 16 suites have touches that harken back to the brand's early days with touches of that familiar orange and turquoise color scheme and furniture inspired by popular 1950s-era designers like George Nelson, Herman Miller and Eero Saarinen.
The hotel is a quick, eight-minute walk from Disneyland's front gates and also has its own on-property fun in the form of a pirate-themed water playground, a heated outdoor pool and Disneyland fireworks views.
Visit the House of the Retro Future Suite page on the hotel's website for more information on booking a reservation.
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