Los Angeles is a bonafide megacity covering nearly 500 square miles, as famous for traffic jams as for its glamour and superstars.
The beach cities of the South Bay and the posh communities of the Westside put the best of L.A. at attendees’ feet as soon as they step off the plane at LAX. Combining accessibility with a wide range of experiences from cozy surfing and boating towns to the nonstop glitz of Beverly Hills, this slice of the SoCal serves up tastes of the best of everything L.A. has to offer.
“One of the main draws of booking meetings in the South Bay and on the Westside is their location,” says Michael K. Krouse, senior vice president of sales and client services at LA Inc., The Los Angeles CVB. “Being close to the beach is a huge asset, and the hotels are also in close proximity to Los Angeles International Airport, which makes it incredibly convenient. The hotel product in the area offers a range of options from the hidden majesty of the Westside to some of L.A.’s most unique communities like San Pedro. From hip and luxurious to quiet and charming, the area has it all.”
Life is lived largely outside in the beach cities of LA’s South Bay. Beach volleyball, surfing and body boarding are favorite pastimes for visitors and residents alike. The Strand, a paved path that runs along the beach for 22 miles from Santa Monica to Redondo Beach, is a magnet for joggers, rollerbladers and tourists alike, and in many areas is a popular place to dine, have a cocktail and enjoy the perfect weather and ocean views.
Long Beach
Almost a contradiction in terms, Long Beach is a large city where everything attendees need or want is within easy walking distance. With an impressive portfolio of hotels and venues, exciting attractions and unbeatable accessibility, it’s easy to see why it’s remained at the top of so many planners’ lists.
“Our location is central in Southern California,” says Steve Goodling, president and CEO of the Long Beach CVB. “Located between Orange and L.A. Counties, we have 20 million people within a three-hour radius. We’re also an urban waterfront location with a walkable downtown—Walkscore.com noted us as one of the country’s top 10 most walkable cities—and 100 restaurants in an eight-block radius. Our easy access to air makes us competitive, too.”
Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is the largest venue in town, with more than 300,000 square feet of meeting space. Larger meetings hotels include Hyatt Regency Long Beach, Westin Long Beach, Renaissance Long Beach Hotel, Hilton Long Beach and Courtyard by Marriott Long Beach Downtown.
The Queen Mary, a historic ocean liner, popular attraction and 319-room hotel, has recently upgraded its accommodations, restaurants and 80,000 square feet of meeting space. The one-of-a-kind Art Deco landmark also offers discounts for group sales.
Other top attractions include the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach Museum of Art, the Museum of Latin American Art and nearby Catalina Island.
For groups that want to spend their free time in the sun, it’s easy to rent everything from jet skis to kayaks and wind surfing equipment. When the sun goes down, a nightlife scene filled with every kind of cuisine, music and entertainment kicks into high gear.
Long Beach has continued to enjoy meetings bookings to full capacity even during the fiscal scrape of recent years. Goodling puts this down to the CVB’s emphasis on providing value for money and willingness to deal.
“In this environment, everything is absolutely negotiable,” he explained. “Everyone’s needs are so specific. We’re competing with some major destinations, and once planners see the benefits of Long Beach, they’re turned around on any previous decisions.”
Manhattan Beach
The exclusive seaside city of Manhattan Beach, widely considered to be one of L.A.’s most desirable addresses, makes a chichi location for small meetings.
“Manhattan Beach is a great place to have a meeting or small conference,” says Helen Duncan, president and CEO of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce. “A variety of venues, wonderful weather, beautiful beaches, and amazing shopping and dining experiences make our community a wonderful destination. You will get the feeling of a small town with all the comforts of the best of the best to enjoy. Just 15 minutes from LAX makes Manhattan Beach the place for your next meeting.”
Manhattan Beach Marriott boasts one of the largest meeting spaces in town, with a total of 25,000 square feet. The boutique Belamar Hotel offers luxurious space for as many as 200. Shade Hotel can welcome groups as large as 180.
Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab & Aquarium, located at the end of Manhattan Beach Pier, is available for parties and one-hour educational presentations for groups of 15 or more. Visitors can view a living reef tank, a 3,500-gallon shark tank and many more exhibits.
Hermosa Beach
The small oceanside city of Hermosa Beach is just 15 by 40 blocks. Its beach is considered one of the best in the country, true to its name, and it’s also home to several parks.
The Beach House Hotel is the city’s only meeting venue, and it can welcome groups as large as 100. The property, which has been recently updated with new flat-screen TVs, gas fireplaces and lobby furnishings, offers 96 loft suites.
“People like the beach--even when it is for work,” says Kevin McCarthy, general manager. “The Beach House has the spectacular Hermosa Beach location, steps to the sand or The Strand for group team-building activities like volleyball, biking or walking, and steps to a multitude of restaurants and music destinations for after the workday or a lunch outside the hotel.”
Redondo Beach
A beach meeting on the cheap? It’s more feasible than you think.
“We see Redondo Beach as one of the most attractive small market meeting venues in Southern California, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is economics; it is an appealing meeting destination offering strong value for the conference dollar,” says Ashley Atkins, marketing manager at the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. “Redondo Beach is one of the most affordable meeting destinations in L.A. County. Our facilities provide top-notch service without an excessive price tag.”
Convenience is also key, and Redondo Beach’s location, just seven miles from LAX, gives attendees full command of all that Los Angeles has to offer.
“Conferees get settled into beach destination accommodations within minutes of collecting their luggage, and it’s an attractive regional base of operations for L.A. visitors,” Atkins says.
Larger meeting venues include the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach & Marina Hotel, with 25,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club, with more than 8,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Redondo Beach Historic Library, built in 1930, can host as many as 350 with lovely views of the pier.
The 1,457-seat Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center lends an artistic and sophisticated air to events.
One of Redondo Beach’s most popular venues for parties of all sorts, Seaside Lagoon is an enclosed beach with 10 areas for smaller groups or a total maximum capacity for larger groups of more than 300.
Marina del Rey
Meetings can set sail in Marina del Rey—quite literally. The small town is home to a large boating community with many options available for private charters. With 1,000 guest rooms ranging from budget to luxury and a location 10 minutes north of LAX, there is plenty to interest planners on land and on sea.
“As the most convenient on-the-water destination from the airport, meeting planners have a wide variety of options for venues with water views, whether on land or on the water,” says Beverly Moore, director of the Marina del Rey CVB. “And it’s one of the only locations in Los Angeles where team-building activities and retreats can take place on the water, i.e. from corporate sailing regatta programs and rowing competitions to supervised kayaking.”
Meetings hotels include the Marina del Rey Marriott, with 18,000 square feet of meeting space; The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, with 15,000 square feet of meeting space; and Marina del Rey Hotel, with more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
There’s no excuse not to get groups out on the water in Marina del Rey. Hornblower Cruises & Events offers a fleet of four vessels that can accommodate parties from 50 to 575 with special cruises such as a calypso theme or a luau. The South Seas theme is taken to a new level on the Tiki Mermaid, a 75-person party boat.
For a hands-on boating experience, Blue Water Sailing offers team-building sailing courses as well as private charters.
Through the end of the year, the CVB is offering a special promotion. Any planner booking and holding a meeting of 50 room nights or more by Dec. 31, 2010, in one of six Marina del Rey hotels will receive a free HD Flip Video camera. Contact the CVB for details.
Beverly Hills
In the Westside, Beverly Hills wafts a heady perfume of fame and privilege over any event. The zip code alone wields a cachet that never goes out of style. Centrally located in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills actually offers a surprising array of price points and meeting venues, along with easy accessibility to other parts of the city.
“Beverly Hills is unique in that it is one of the most famous cities in the world, yet it maintains a community-oriented feel,” says Kathy Smits, executive director at the Beverly Hills CVB. “Located within a 5.7-square-mile radius is a city with four five-star hotels, more than 2,100 deluxe guest rooms and 150,000-plus square feet of combined meeting space. All this adds up to one fantastic destination that is filled with acclaimed personalities and memorable service.”
Larger meeting hotels in the area include Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, The Beverly Hills Hotel and Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.
For an interesting off-site meeting locale, one idea is to leverage the city’s reputation as a shopping mecca and plan an exclusive, behind-the-scenes event at an iconic Beverly Hills emporium. Chanel offers a private room with a terrace overlooking Rodeo Drive for VIP events, and The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills has a secret tasting room for 12.
For the future, Smits sees an increasing focus on sustainability and cuisine.
“The city is investing in green technology and safety systems that will serve residents and visitors for years to come,” Smits says. “We’re seeing a greater interest in gourmet foods, versus the standard fare that has been typical of corporate meetings. Planners are selecting Beverly Hills restaurants and hotels for their emphasis on sustainable cuisine and legendary chefs.”
Santa Monica
Small enough to be eminently walkable but packed with options for dining and entertainment, Santa Monica will spoil attendees for choice. The city is increasing its focus on eco-friendly measures; be sure to take a ride on its solar-powered Ferris wheel.
“Planners appreciate Santa Monica as a destination for their meetings and events for many reasons,” says Misti Kerns, president and CEO of Santa Monica CVB. “The proximity to LAX is attractive, only eight miles from the city. With over 340 days of sunshine per year and the perfect oceanfront setting, Santa Monica offers a wide range of options to choose from when it comes to planning meetings. The proximity of Santa Monica hotels to venues within and outside of the city, as well as over 400 world-class restaurants, four shopping districts and a vast array of activities, are all within 8.3 walkable square miles.”
Meetings-friendly hotels include Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, Le Merigot, a J.W. Marriott Hotel and Spa and Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.
One exciting new attraction is Santa Monica Place, set to reopen this fall after a $155 million renovation. The property comprises a beachside outdoor mall anchored by Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom and a rooftop dining level with event space.
Another, the new Museum of Flying, is scheduled to open in late 2010 at Santa Monica Airport. The museum will focus on the contributions of the Douglas Aircraft Company and will also house the California Aviation Hall of Fame.
Speaking of flight, Barker Hangar at the airport is a unique and capacious venue capable of hosting 2,500 people.
The Trapeze School of New York, located on Santa Monica Pier, invites event rentals as well as team-building adventures wherein groups can learn trapeze skills and sword fighting.
Century City
The skyscrapers of Century City, one of L.A.’s most vertical neighborhoods, mark a veritable hive of film industry activity. Once a 20th Century Fox backlot, the area is now home to prestigious entertainment law firms and talent agencies as well as the largest meetings hotel on the Westside.
The landmark Hyatt Regency Century Plaza boasts more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space and has hosted many star-bedecked gala awards ceremonies.
Meanwhile, InterContinental Los Angeles Century City has 12,000 square feet of meeting space.
Kelly Crumrin is a frequent contributor to Meetings West.
