The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California has three hotels, which range in style, luxury, and also age. The oldest is the Disneyland Hotel, which opened in 1955, a few months after Walt Disney unveiled his beloved new park to the world. Disneyland’s newest hotel is the Grand Californian, a luxury resort and spa that is part of the Disney Vacation Club properties and opened in 2001.
But is it actually the newest? Well, technically it is, in terms of initial construction. But if you’ve seen some shiny digs on property in the past few months, you may think a totally new building went up.
Last year, Disneyland began a complete overhaul of its second oldest hotel, Paradise Pier. The hotel was actually built in 1984, and wasn’t originally designed or owned by Disney. The Emerald of Anaheim, as it was called in the ‘80s, was built to support the 1984 Olympics. But with its close proximity to Disneyland, it’s no surprise that Disney bought it and added it to its portfolio in 1995. They gave it a beachy theme and named it Paradise Pier Hotel, which it went by until this January when it reopened with a total renovation — and Pixar rebranding!
Enter: The Pixar Place Hotel.
My family recently got to experience a stay at Pixar Place during its first summer post-makeover. And spoiler alert — it had a total glow-up! If you’re one of the many people who felt the Paradise Pier Hotel was in desperate need of some TLC, you’ll be thrilled to see what a transformation this place has had.
While this hotel has always been considered the lowest tier in terms of luxury among Disneyland’s three hotels, this renovation and rebranding has really upped its game. It has a posh, urban vibe that reminds me of many simple but swanky modern hotels in New York.
We absolutely loved our experience staying at the Pixar Place Hotel, and I’m excited to share all the details here!
Luxo’s Lobby
Entering the lobby of the newly reimagined Pixar Place Hotel is truly awe-inspiring. I didn’t feel like I was in a boring hotel with nothing but a check-in desk; I felt like I was wandering around an art museum! Pixar’s trademark desk lamp, Luxo, is bigger than life in the lobby, while artsy, colorful decor invites you to explore every inch of the inviting space.
There’s art everywhere you turn, and I love how BIG it all is! Giant, lit-up murals pulled me in and made me as emotional as a Pixar film does. The artwork and sculptures throughout the hotel (including murals in the rooms) were created especially for the hotel by Pixar Animation artists. I enjoyed seeing how all the work boasted the unique style of different artists.
One of the coolest characters in the lobby is Joe Gardner himself, who plays Disney songs on the piano and interacts with guests most evenings between 3 and 9pm. Bing Bong is also available for meet and greets during some daytime hours, but we found his appearances to be inconsistent (something I hope they improve.)
My one lobby gripe is about the elevators. They tried to get fancy with a new system that has certain cars exclusively go to certain floors, but this results in a lot of delays, especially at high-peak check-in and checkout times.
Animation Accomodations
Our room was fantastic. The theming was on point, with everything from a gorgeous mural over the beds to a real Luxo lamp on the desk! It was also comfortable and spacious, and even with a “standard view” (read: a lower price) we could see some of California Adventure from our window!
The bathroom was bright and white with touches of Pixar’s primary colors and Luxo at every turn. I didn’t care for the open-concept, horizontal shower, its weirdly-placed shower heads, or the curtain instead of a shower door, but it was the only aspect of the room I didn’t love since everything else was great.
Here’s the Store-E
I really enjoyed Pixar Place Hotel’s lobby gift shop, Store-E. It has a great selection of souvenirs, Pixar items, and general merchandise, not to mention some of the friendliest cast members. I especially loved that this store had hotel-specific souvenirs, like Pixar Place Hotel tee shirts and magnets (both of which came home with us!) Store-E even has a kiosk where you can order beautiful Pixar prints and/or frames!
Palatable Pix
Pixar Place has its fair share of eateries, and our favorite was its main dine-in restaurant Great Maple. The atmosphere is chic and cozy and the food is delicious! (I highly recommend the falafel wrap and fries!)
A few feet away in the same area of the lobby is The Sketch Pad Cafe, a quick-service, grab-n-go style coffee shop. It could use a little more variety, but my favorite thing about it is the open, spacious seating area, which we even made use of one late night while eating takeout from the pool. That brings us to the hotel’s last eatery, Small Bytes, on the rooftop. The cast members there are really nice, and it’s super convenient having a pool bar right on the rooftop. But the menu sounded better than it tasted, and it was quite overpriced.
Pixar Pool Deck
Speaking of that rooftop, we loved it! There’s a fabulous seating area to watch the fireworks, cute games for kids, a snack bar, and some super cool character fire pits. The rooftop is the perfect blend of swanky meets family-friendly, so kids and adults will both love it. The pool deck is a few steps up from the snack bar, and features a great pool, a jacuzzi, and a fun splash pad called “Nemo’s Cove.” The splash pad closes nightly at 9pm and the rest of the rooftop closes at 10pm.
Delightful Details
My favorite part about Pixar Place is its incredible theming (no pun intended.) The attention to detail in this newly themed hotel is amazing. Every touch of whimsy and each Easter egg delights guests of all ages! There are so many details you have to watch everything closely — like when the automatic doors open and Mike matches up with Sulley and Buzz matches up with Woody!
Look up, down, and all around for details in this fun hotel — even on floors where you’ll find silhouettes of famous Pixar images! Do you recognize who’s on the floor in these photos?
I can’t neglect to mention the best detail of all — the themed guest floors. Each floor of this 15-story hotel is themed to a particular Pixar movie, with paint that matches the film’s color script and an awesome mural as soon as you step off the elevator. (We stayed on the Nemo floor!) Below are some of my favorite murals:
Another fun detail to explore in the hotel is the current art exhibit on the second floor, featuring sketches and maquettes from Inside Out 2. It’s just another piece of the art-museum feel that makes this hotel so special!
Pixar Perks
The last great perk of staying at Pixar Place is its close proximity to Disney California Adventure (which may be my favorite park!) I love the ability to use our room key to access a “secret entrance” to a beautiful path that led us right into the middle of DCA!
You can enter and exit DCA right by the Seaside Souvenirs shop in the centrally-located Paradise Gardens Park area of DCA. Escaping crowds is always a perk in my book!
The re-imagining of this hotel is one of Disney’s best renovations. Its incredibly detailed theming and artistic atmosphere are not only fun but awe-inspiring, and something you won’t find at an everyday average hotel.
Pixar Place may not have a spa or a fancy restaurant or the sprawling grounds of its luxury hotel siblings, but don’t dismiss its quality since its renovation! Its stars have increased overall in my book, and if you’re traveling with kids or you’re a Pixar animation lover, you can’t beat the artistic ambiance. In fact, one could argue that the more luxurious hotels are lacking in Disney theming when compared to the new Pixar Place.
Staying at Pixar Place felt as though we were staying in an art museum, and that built-in entertainment is such a perk for guests. There’s art to explore on literally every floor of this hotel (and even on the floors) that make staying here such a fun, unique experience for guests of all ages. My son loves everything about this hotel, and I think that’s a testament to the entertainment value Disney built into its new theming.
Last but not least, the cast members at this hotel truly stood out as some of the friendliest and kindest at the entire Disneyland Resort. They made our stay even more special!
I can’t recommend the Pixar Place Hotel enough. It’s an Incredible experience that will lift you Up and fill your Soul with Joy.
I Pixar promise.
What Lara Wrote 