Up North
• The 660-room Grand Hyatt San Francisco finished a $70 million renovation in August with the unveiling of a 4,817-square-foot event space on the 36th floor.
• The 489-room Oakland Marriott City Center recently upgraded its 89,000 square feet of meeting space, part of a $17 million revamp.
• The San Jose McEnery Convention Center, left, completed a $130 million renovation and expansion last month.
• The facility added 125,000 square feet of flexible ballroom and meeting space for a new total of 550,000 square feet.
Long Beach
The new Pacific Ballroom at the Long Beach Arena will open next month, offering 45,000 square feet of function space. Suspended above the area is a $1.6 million grid system equipped with state-of-the-art lighting, sound and video systems, all controlled via iPad.
The 528-room Hyatt Regency Long Beach finished phase two of a $30 million-plus renovation earlier this year. The project included refurbishing all guest rooms and some meeting space, including the redesigned 3,400-square-foot Seaview Ballroom.
The new 159-room Courtyard by Marriott Long Beach opened in April near Long Beach Airport, featuring more than 2,000 square feet of meeting space, free Wi-Fi and a restaurant.
The 216-room Courtyard by Marriott Long Beach Downtown opened a new dining spot in May, featuring Modern American cuisine. Chef Dean James Max's James Republic Restaurant has indoor and outdoor patio seating. The property also offers a total of 6,690 square feet of meeting space.
Meeting Hotels
Major properties include the 528-room Hyatt Regency Long Beach, 469-room Westin Long Beach, 398-room Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center, 374-room Renaissance Long Beach Hotel, 346-room Queen Mary Hotel, 310-room Long Beach Marriott, 216-room Residence Inn by Marriott Long Beach, 199-room Hotel Maya-a DoubleTree by Hilton, 178-room Residence Inn by Marriott Downtown, 138-room Hyatt The Pike Long Beach and 135-room Holiday Inn Downtown Long Beach.
To find and compare these and other properties, and to send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center; total meeting and exhibit space, more than 400,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 34; (562) 436-3636; longbeachcc.com
Airport Transit
Long Beach Airport, about six miles from downtown Long Beach. Transfer cost by taxi, $20
Los Angeles International Airport, about 23 miles from downtown Long Beach. Transfer cost by taxi, $65
Taxes
Long Beach city hotel room tax, 12%, plus a 3% business improvement tax; sales tax, 8.75%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue
Built to house an exclusive social organization for women, the 1924 Ebell Club features an intricately ornamented façade, a polished marble entry, teak paneling, high ceilings and lots more. The place was renovated in 2004 now offers more than 25,000 square feet of event space. (562) 436-4014; ebellclub.com
Contact
Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 452-7829; visitlongbeach.com
San Diego
The Holiday Inn San Diego Bayside finished a $13 million expansion in June. New features include a four-story tower with 57 guest rooms and a 3,400-square-foot ballroom. The property now has a total of 234 guest rooms and 4,805 square feet of meeting space.
Harrah's Rincon Casino and Resort in San Diego's East County broke ground on a $150 million expansion last October. The project includes 23,000 square feet of new meeting space, which is set to be finished this winter, and a new 402-room tower, slated for next spring. Upon completion, the property will have a grand total of 1,062 guest rooms.
Meeting Hotels
Downtown properties include the 1,625-room Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego; 1,360-room San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina; 1,190-room Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel; 511-room Omni San Diego Hotel; 450-room Westin Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego; 306-room SanDiego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter; 283-room Hilton San Diego/Gaslamp Quarter; 270-room The US Grant-A Luxury Collection Hotel San Diego, and 159-room Andaz San Diego.
To find and compare hotels, and to send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
San Diego Convention Center; exhibit space, 615,701 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 72; (619) 525-5000; visitsandiego.com
Airport Transit
San Diego International Airport, about three miles northwest of San Diego's downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $12.50; via The Flyer metropolitan bus, $2.25
Taxes
Room tax (city of San Diego), 12.5% (10.5%, plus tourism marketing fee of 2%); sales tax, 8.75%; total taxes and fees on hotel rooms, 12.5%
Contact
San Diego Tourism Authority, (619) 232-3103 or (877) 973-6338; sandiego.org