Formerly operated by the Tokyu Group (opening in 1984 under the name Emerald of Anaheim), the hotel was purchased by Disney in December 1995, for a reported US$36 million, and renamed the Disneyland Pacific Hotel. As part of the 1998–2001 expansion of the resort, it was re-branded as Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel.

Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure was the park's original "seaside amusement park" themed land when it opened in 2001. Its design was initially inspired by classic California boardwalks like the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the Santa Monica Pier, featuring brightly colored stucco and a "modern" carnival aesthetic. However, many guests found the original 2001 version to be lacking in traditional "Disney" charm. In 2018, a major reimagining transformed a significant portion of it into Pixar Pier, themed after Pixar franchises like The Incredibles and Toy Story. The remaining section became Paradise Gardens Park. Iconic rides like California Screamin' were re-themed into the Incredicoaster, and the Sun Wheel became the Pixar Pal-A-Round. Essentially, what was once a generic boardwalk is now an immersive, character-driven tribute to Pixar’s storytelling and Victorian-era seaside architecture.