From Long Beach up through the South Bay area and into Santa Monica, groups will find some of the most attractive options for waterfront meetings. L.A. is not L.A. without its numerous beaches, and especially now that it’s August, the sun is beaming bright. Miles upon miles of sand and ocean can play a role in any group experience, with or without flip-flops. The mighty Pacific awaits.
Long Beach
Long Beach is already one of the aquatic capitals of the U.S., and the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is essentially a short walk from the ocean. However, the classic Long Beach spot for groups is undoubtedly the Queen Mary, the historic retired ocean liner. The vessel overlooks the waterfront and can accommodate nearly any type or scale of event. Many of the meeting rooms are located along the Promenade Deck overlooking the water or the skyline, and there are many options for combination indoor and outdoor corporate events. Currently on display on the Queen Mary is the exhibit Diana: Legacy of a Princess, a multimillion-dollar collection of 2,000 items related to the Windsor family. The collection took 30 years to assemble.
“As part of that, they’ve also opened The Queen’s Tea Room, which is a brand-new restaurant that’s attached to the Diana exhibit,” says Bob Maguglin, director of public relations at the Long Beach CVB and previously a Queen Mary employee for decades. “So they do high tea and lunch, and the windows look out toward Queensway Bay and the skyline.”
Exhibit and tea service combination packages are available for groups, forming an excellent addition to the ship’s already lucrative selection of meeting options. All in all, the ship offers more than 80,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space in 14 Art Deco salons. Conference rooms range in size from 522 square feet all the way to the 70,000-square-foot Queen Mary Dome, boasting 130-foot ceilings. PageBreak
South Bay Beaches
Located right on The Strand, a 26-mile coastal path, and directly overlooking beach volleyball courts, The Beach House Hermosa Beach offers 96 oversized oceanview suites. Popular for corporate retreats, board meetings and training sessions, the property also features a patio cafe overlooking the ocean, plus several spaces for cocktail receptions, all integrated into the oceanfront experience. According to Marje Bennetts, the hotel’s spokeswoman, the property positions business travelers in a spot where they no longer need to use their vehicle.
“Groups are blown away because they’re right in the middle of a premier Southern California experience,” Bennetts says. “The guests are refreshed, there are [great] areas to exercise and they never have to leave in a car. It’s such a relaxed feeling. People don’t necessarily wear suits in Hermosa Beach. And it brings about creative thinking.”
In more upscale Manhattan Beach, The Strand House restaurant presents dramatic views of the sand and the water replete with complex flavors by Master Chef Neal Fraser. With its pristine setting, the restaurant offers several group configurations, including VIP areas, reception spaces and even complete buyouts. Beach ceremonies can also be arranged with the restaurant’s sister property, the nearby Shade Hotel, which offers event facilities such as a skydeck overlooking the ocean. Sunset gatherings are popular.
Redondo Beach’s laid-back waterfront atmosphere is complemented by inviting group-friendly properties and activities.
The relaxing Portofino Hotel & Marina offers a luxurious yet quaint vibe. Several spaces with ocean views are available, including a freestanding meeting pavilion with more than 8,000 square feet of space, ballrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and other various meeting and banquet rooms.
The 54-room Shade Redondo Beach is set to open on the waterfront in 2014 as a green hotel, featuring solar hot-water panels, in-floor radiant heat and natural ventilation taking advantage of the sea breezes. The property will feature conference space for up to 60 people, event space for up to 150 people and a rooftop Skydeck pool area.
Meanwhile, the iconic Redondo Pier recently commenced a multiyear, phased renewal program. The facade of the landing was completed last year.
For whale watching in Redondo Beach, Voyager Excursions offers definitive experiences for groups looking for an aquatic pre- or post-function experience. PageBreak
Santa Monica
In Santa Monica, a boutique luxury accommodation located right on Ocean Avenue, Hotel Shangri-La, includes an open-air rooftop bar and function space with sweeping 180-degree views of the mighty Pacific. Groups also have access to a courtyard, poolside cabanas and a penthouse with an outdoor terrace. The Santa Monica Pier is a short walk down the road.
“Our Penthouse Suite, a private event space, is incredibly unique and not like other cookie-cutter beige meeting spaces,” says Jessica Steinman, events director at the property. “It is filled with large windows that look out to the beach and ocean and all of Santa Monica. It has its own rooftop that can be used as a breakout space, dining space, or just to enjoy the incredible panoramic views.”
Just down the beach, the Annenberg Community Beach House, the former high society party spot where Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst threw lavish affairs right on the sand, affords groups a gorgeous place just to walk through and tour, let alone stage an event. Stunning architecture, a restored pool, outdoor decks, verandas and a courtyard are all part of the facility, as is the original renovated guesthouse, built in 1929. A collaboration between the state of California, the city of Santa Monica and the private sector, the Annenberg has a high percentage of repeat corporate business, according to Elizabeth Dugan, events services sales and marketing coordinator at the venue.
“We do a lot of corporate meetings for three days in a row, and for the last day, they’re here 12 hours because they’re having a big dinner here at the same time,” Dugan says. “That’s highly unusual. It’s not a hotel ballroom. You get a view of the ocean and you can walk here from the hotels.”PageBreak
Marina del Rey
Without straying too far from LAX, Marina del Rey exemplifies waterside activity, primarily because it is the waterside. It’s one of the largest man-made marinas in the world.
Several yacht companies offer configurations and custom-designed charter cruises specifically for events and groups. FantaSea Yachts & Yacht Club, for instance, features a fleet of three yachts, all of which are legendary venues for waterborne business meetings or anyone who wants to experience SoCal on the water. Hornblower Cruises and Events offers dining cruises, champagne brunches and customized group charters.
When it comes to accommodations, The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey is perhaps the epitome of waterfront luxury in Marina del Rey. The property features L.A.’s only waterside pool and caters to business groups and functions.
Just down the marina is Shanghai Red’s Restaurant, a celebrated venue for private waterside dining.
Gary Singh has reveled in the sun and sand from Long Beach to Santa Monica, and transmitted his experiences for numerous trade and consumer magazines.
