Fame. Beauty. Art. Dining. Shopping. Jot down a short list of our top proclivities and you’re well on your way to drafting a resume for Westside Los Angeles. Not only does this small sliver of paradise claim a potent concentration of L.A.’s finest, it also basks in the spotlight of much of the world. Naturally, money can’t buy better brand ambassadors than Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
But even all the Hollywood stars tucked up in the hills can’t outshine the incredible ensemble of restaurants, boutiques, galleries, music venues and nightclubs that make this place so much fun to experience. Add a clutch of premium hotels that range from classic to quaint to state-of-the-art and you have more than enough ingredients to whip up a memorable and wholly original meeting. And of course, nothing needs to be said about the weather.
“West Los Angeles has always been one of the most sought-after areas for groups and meetings,” says Michael Krouse, CHME, CMP, senior vice president of sales for LA Inc., The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau. “[It] is rich with the greatest concentration of luxury hotels in the city.”
Though understanding the various city boundaries within Greater L.A. may require a degree in cartography, Westside L.A. can be loosely defined as everything between downtown L.A. and the coast to the west. Most notably, this encompasses Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey. In fact, three years ago these cities banded together to form the L.A. Westside Tourism Partnership, which illustrates how interconnected and small (walkable) the area really is. The Westside also includes Malibu, Century City, Venice, Westwood, Bel-Air and Culver City, arming planners with an immense range of options within a relatively small slice of Southern California.
While you will certainly have little trouble generating excitement for a meeting in the Westside, settling on a venue and an itinerary may require more than a few coin tosses.
Beverly Hills
Whether your frame of reference is The Beverly Hillbillies or Beverly Hills, 90210, it is easy to conjure up distinct images of this famous enclave. With some of the largest and most opulent residences in the world, it comes as little surprise that only 35,000 lucky people call this place home. Beverly Hills is much more fun for visitors, however—the world-renowned stores on Rodeo Drive alone can tease credit cards from purses better than a gang of pied pipers, while dinner in one of the many top-notch restaurants often includes a complimentary celebrity sighting.
Such exciting and luxurious distractions proved ideal for Julie Hendren, president of JHA Marketing, who recently handled a product launch for a European luxury automobile company.
“Beverly Hills is a marvelous place for an event like this,” she says. “For Europeans especially it presents a wonderful picture of L.A. And its proximity to LAX [airport] is deceiving because its beauty makes you think you are in another city.”
Hendren filled close to 50 rooms at the Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills, A Four Seasons Hotel, one of several luxury properties that have accommodated countless high-end meetings. One such hotel that has recently created a lot of buzz is the new Montage Beverly Hills, which opened in November at the ideal juncture of Canon and Beverly drives.
An excellent venue for off-site meetings is the historic Greystone Mansion and Park, which has numerous options for buyouts and private events.
But don’t let the city’s high standards be intimidating. As Kathryn Smits, executive director of the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau, says, “There’s a perception that Beverly Hills will be more formal, but attendees always remark on how friendly everyone is.”
Smits also says planners shouldn’t be jittery when it comes to budgets.
“We actually have a lot of hotels at different price points,” she says.
West Hollywood
When it comes to pure entertainment, only the Las Vegas Strip can compete with the phenomenon that is West Hollywood. With a backbone of such iconic roads as Sunset, Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue, this city is where the famous and the fortunate come to play.
During the day, the Avenues of Art & Design (Robertson, Beverly and Melrose) provide endless eye candy, with a whopping 30 art galleries, countless boutiques and fascinating antique stores. At night, legendary clubs such as The Viper Room and House of Blues come to life to amplify some of the best talent around, at the heart of the nation’s music industry. And in the pauses in between all of this fun, West Hollywood refuels its guests via an incredible dining scene.
“We have over 150 restaurants,” says Bill Hynes, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the West Hollywood Marketing and Visitors Bureau. “But there are always new restaurants, and they are always changing.”
The playground that is this city has been more than ideal for Bob Bisla, COO and managing director of A&R Worldwide, a music industry consulting and marketing company based in Beverly Hills. For the past five years, Bisla has held an annual four-day music, media and technology conference for about 750 executives, the majority of whom come from outside the U.S. With such a high-caliber guest list, Bisla finds that West Hollywood has the quality of hotels and restaurants he needs, while also possessing a universal draw.
“It’s the ability to attract the right clientele,” he says. “The well-documented history, the familiarity, the great climate—it’s that mass appeal.”
The Pacific Design Center, with more than 120 showrooms dedicated to some of the most cutting-edge interior design in the world, is itself a stunning building, courtesy of world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli. With numerous venue options, a theater and two Wolfgang Puck restaurants, it’s a popular choice for events and receptions. Lastly, two hotels getting major attention are the brand-new Andaz (the first of the new Hyatt brand to open in the U.S.) and The London West Hollywood, which received a $40 million facelift last year.
West Los Angeles
Not to be confused with the greater “Westside,” West Los Angeles is a smorgasbord of eclectic cities and communities, including Century City, Culver City, Venice, Westwood and Bel-Air, each with distinct characteristics.
Westwood, for example, is largely defined by the world-class University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Bel-Air is a tony neighborhood tucked up into the hills, whereas Venice is all about its beaches, canals and popular boardwalk.
Culver City has made a name for itself in the Los Angeles art scene, while Century City is a major business center with strong ties to the film, music and television industries. One popular venue is the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, with 726 newly renovated guest rooms and more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space. Its trendy X Bar regularly helps broker some of the biggest entertainment industry deals in the country.
Other top meetings-friendly hotels in the area include Hotel Palomar in Westwood, Luxe Hotel Sunset Boulevard Bel-Air and the secluded Hotel Bel-Air, which is well suited to incentives or retreats.
Marina del Rey
If your group is feeling nautical, you can’t do much better than Marina del Rey, a huge watery playground for yachts and small boats just south of Venice. With 19 marinas and a capacity for 5,300 boats, it’s one of the biggest in the country, and there exists near-limitless options for taking your group to sea, whether for sailing, deep-sea fishing or a luxurious dinner cruise. Surprisingly, land lubbers will find many options for meetings as well, from a Ritz-Carlton to numerous mid-range properties.
Santa Monica
Long a darling of Los Angeles, Santa Monica is in many respects a perfect seaside city—beautiful beaches and a relaxing waterfront complemented by a thriving arts scene and plentiful upscale hotels and restaurants. Spend a few hours here and it can be difficult to remember you are at the edge of a buzzing metropolis, with both downtown L.A. and LAX less than a dozen miles away.
“I enjoy planning with Santa Monica venues because it is a short distance from LAX for traveling attendees, it gives you the best of the L.A. beaches-and-resort-feel with the most venue choices compared to other L.A.-area beaches,” says Shannon Keany, CMP, president of Keany Events in Huntington Beach. “Yet, you are still able to be close to L.A. without the downtown hustle and bustle.”
In addition to the convenient location, the city’s creative and artsy community helps spice up meeting itineraries.
“The opportunity for distinctive team-building and post-meeting activities is certainly considered one of the best attributes for programs in Santa Monica,” says Alison Best, vice president of sales and services for the Santa Monica CVB.
In recent years, Santa Monica has experienced strong growth in its high-end hotel product, which is understandable, considering its highly desirable amenities.
“Our focus has become more targeted to incentives and small corporate meetings,” Best says.
Malibu
While certainly the most remote of L.A.’s communities, Malibu should be on every planner’s short list for smaller meetings—and not just for its beauty and tranquil isolation. Of the thousands of miles of roads that crisscross L.A., none are more pleasant and beautiful than the 12 languid miles up the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Malibu.
Venues like Calamigos Ranch and The Villa Graziadio Executive Center are popular gathering spots.
Much like Beverly Hills, this small city is significantly inhabited by celebrities, but it feels like it could be hundreds of miles away from L.A. When you require that focused, high-end meeting, there are few places more ideal than Malibu.
For More Info
Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau 310.248.1015 www.beverlyhillsbehere.com
Century City COC 310.553.2222 www.centurycitycc.com
L.A. Inc., The Los Angeles CVB 213.624.7300 www.discoverlosangeles.com
L.A. Westside Tourism Partnership www.westla.com
Malibu COC 310.456.9025 www.malibu.org
Marina del Rey CVB 310.306.9900 www.visitmarinadelrey.com
Santa Monica CVB 310.319.6263 www.santamonicameetings.com
West Hollywood Marketing and Visitors Bureau 310.289.2525 www.visitwesthollywood.com
