Pixar Place Hotel is only a few months old but is absolutely beautiful! . It opened in January 2024 and was originally the Paradise Pier Hotel. .
The hotel is full of art and sketches of some of your favorite Pixar characters. There are hidden Mickeys in the ceiling lights and hidden Pixar characters added to the floors .. so look up and down as you venture through on your way to the parks . There is also an “Up” inspired elevator .. so cool!
Sitting nook
The Pixar Place Hotel is also one of the more affordable Disneyland Hotels so what’s not to like? Beautiful, fun and affordable! Oh and it has its own secret entrance into California Adventure..yay!!
Let us know if you have stayed here and your thoughts! Did you love the remodel into Pixar theme or miss the Paradise one?
Our stay at McMenamins in Tacoma was quite the adventure . Think Adult scavenger hunt mixed with college bar scene , throw on some steampunk decor and a history museum and that would give you some insight to what we experienced .
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First a bit of the history …
The building itself is a 1916 Elks Temple that was designed by É. Frère Champney, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and has since been restored . There are 7 floors packed with history including a hidden 5th floor . There are 5 bars ,The Tasting Room & brewery, The Spanish Bar and Ballroom,Doc’s ,The Old Hangout, McMenamins Pub and a secret Speakeasy bar if you can find it called ,The Vault.
The 45 guest rooms are named after a person or group of people that had some connection to the building or to the Tacoma area.
The diversity of the rooms is amazing. There is so much history in just the names.
We stayed in the Lea McMillan room 204 . In the room, there is posted his history with the Elks Lodge. We learned he loved handball and would sneak into the Lodge with his friends to play . He then served in the military and when he returned in 1961 He applied to be a member so he could play handball but leaving out his Native heritage. At that time , People of color were not allowed to join. That was corrected in 1976 . He may have been the first member of color to be a member of the Elks Lodge. So fascinating !
There is also a hidden hallway with graffiti that was originally in the building when it was bought and restored .
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There is so much visually to take in as you explore the hotel. You can’t possibly see every detail the first time.
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It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
