The hotel dedicated to all things Pixar is here! In January 2024, this official Disneyland Resort Hotel changed from Paradise Pier Hotel to Pixar Place Hotel, and we love these dynamic and inspiring accommodations. We are recently back for an awesome stay, and here are five reasons why we love Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort:
Immersion in the Pixar Process
From larger-than-life concept sketches to meticulous maquettes, each step of the Pixar creative process is present at the Pixar Place Hotel. We love, quite literally, stepping into the artistic process with the creative minds of Pixar Animation Studios. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, you can still visit the inspiring artwork in the dynamic and giggle-worthy lobby, but the guests rooms themselves hold some truly gorgeous original pieces.
The Pixar Shorts Court
Each game in the colorful Pixar Shorts Court references a Pixar short film (this hotel is truly a treasure trove for Pixar fans). These simple games in a charming setting are a great way to unwind after a thrilling day at the parks. Our family spent a lot of time here on a relaxed hotel-only day. Beyond the game area, there is also ample seating including some clustered around fire fixtures themed to some “hot headed” Pixar characters. All of these elements are located on the third floor deck around the pool.
The Totally Righteous Pool Area
Imagineers took a (third floor) rooftop and transformed it into Nemo and Marlin’s reef. There’s a Finding Nemo themed splash pad, a hot tub, a swimming pool and an awesome swirling water slide. We especially love that the water slide is accessible to most any independent kiddo because of a shallow landing area and very vigilant lifeguards. Our kids loved that Crush himself shouted encouragement as they “surfed” the waves of this giggle-worthy slide at Pixar Place Hotel.
The location!
This hotel is part of the Disneyland Resort and an official Disneyland Resort Hotel. Though it may not be the closest hotel to the parks, it has a special “side entrance” into Disney California Adventure Park just for hotel guests. Hotel cast members also pointed us to a route through Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa which made for a pleasant walk to Disneyland Park.
The amazing location also means that some guest rooms overlook Disney California Adventure Park with views of World of Color, and guests are welcome to watch the Disneyland Park fireworks from the pool deck. The soundtracks for both are provided over hotel speakers and from in-room televisions. There is something about watching (and hearing) a nighttime spectacular in your jammies that is like a dream come true.
The wonderful and enthusiastic cast members of Pixar Place Hotel seem to love it too!
The cast members at Pixar Place Hotel truly seem to take pride in this newly transformed hotel: they consistently go “to infinity and beyond” for guests. Two unexpected cast members can occasionally be found here: Bing Bong from Inside Out greets guests in the atrium (or by the Shorts Court) and Joe Gardner from Soul plays jazz piano just off the lobby. The friendly, helpful and kind people here are the absolute best part of this special place.
Remember, if are cast member goes “to infinity and beyond” for you, be sure to submit a cast compliment through the Disneyland app.
Thank you for reading; we loved our stay at Pixar Place Hotel, and we loved sharing the reasons why.
We love Pixar Place Hotel and have written A LOT about it. For more on our experiences, check-out A Deep Dive Into the Pixar Place Hotel Pool, 5 Reasons We Love the Pixar Place Hotel Guest Rooms, and especially 5 Reasons We Will Return to the Pixar Shorts Court!
We hope you get a chance to find your own favorite parts of this playful hotel. For more about the hotels of Disneyland Resort, we offer this comparison chart and this advice on selecting the best one for you, and for your whole Disneyland planning experience, we have this step-by-step guide.