A true feast for the senses, Greater Los Angeles has much to offer visiting attendees. And while experiences will vary depending on where and when your group meets, the shortlist might include everything from the sound of crashing ocean waves to the taste of any number of global cuisines.
What goes unsaid is that hospitality pros in Los Angeles have a keen sixth sense when it comes to hosting meetings, something that comes from decades of experience and hundreds of successfully executed events. They often know just what a visiting group needs before its planners even ask for it.
Downtown Los Angeles: Sounds of the City
From car horns to whirring helicopters, Downtown Los Angeles has its own urban song. In recent years, a crescendo of development has added so many things to see and do that attendees never need to leave this part of town. The flagship venue for large events is the gold LEED-certified Los Angeles Convention Center, which has 720,000 square feet of exhibit space and almost 150,000 square feet of space for meetings. Numerous associations and organizations have picked it time and again for their annual conferences; one such group that has been attracted to the center is the Optical Society, which enjoyed record attendance at its convention earlier this year and is booked to return in 2017.
Groups keen on venues designed with the best in acoustics merit a meeting at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The concert hall is part of the Music Center, a complex of performing arts venues that also includes the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Ahmanson Theater and the Mark Taper Forum. Other large venues downtown include Staples Center and the Shrine Auditorium.
One of the biggest changes to the downtown meetings scene in recent years has been the development of the 4 million-square-foot L.A. Live event and entertainment site. Its major facilities are the Microsoft Theater (formerly the Nokia Theatre); Club Nokia; and the outdoor Microsoft Square (formerly called Nokia Plaza). At the Grammy Museum, planners can arrange events at its 8,100-square-foot Target Terrace, 200-seat theater, gallery or classroom spaces. Another venue is the Event Deck, with 106,000 square feet of space. The L.A. Live campus is home to two major meeting hotels: the Ritz-Carlton and the connected JW Marriott, which is adding 755 guest rooms and additional meeting space in another high-rise building. The property is expected to open in 2018 with 1,756 total guest rooms and more than 200,000 square feet of event space.
The 182-room Ace Hotel opened last year with a rooftop pool and bar and several event spaces: a 1,600-seat theater with a 2,300-square-foot lobby, two banquet rooms and the Chapter restaurant. The year-old, $172 million Residence Inn & Courtyard by Marriott complex near the convention center is home to a 219-room Residence Inn, a 174-room Courtyard and seven shared meeting rooms. And the classic Millennium Biltmore, which opened in 1923, began a refurbishment program of its guest rooms earlier this year. Just down the street is Chaya Downtown, whose dining room can host groups of up to 75 or the entire restaurant can be rented for events of up to 425.
A $180 million development project called The Bloc (formerly Macy's Plaza) is expected to debut in November. Shops, restaurants, a courtyard, a cinema and its own subway entrance are part of the plans. The Sheraton/Downtown, also part of the complex, is wrapping up a $45 million renovation that has seen a revamp of all guest rooms, meeting space and lobby and the addition of an outdoor area with a lounge and cabanas.
Another significant development is Metropolis, a $1 billion mixed-use complex that will include the city's first Hotel Indigo; the 350-room property is scheduled to open in late 2016. Another new face is the $1.1 billion Wilshire Grand Center, currently under construction a few blocks from L.A. Live and set to debut in 2017. In addition to restaurants and nightlife offerings, plans include a 900-room hotel.
Just northwest of downtown, in the Echo Park neighborhood, Dodger Stadium offers special-event spaces. And in Koreatown, the Hotel Normandie recently opened a new restaurant, event space and 10 new guest rooms above its exclusive bar, the Walker Inn. Also popular is the Korean American-inspired Line Hotel, which opened last year.
Greater Hollywood: Seeing Stars
Look beyond the star-studded sidewalk and you'll find that Hollywood is home to all sorts of attractions and event spaces, including the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre. Also on site is the Loews/Hollywood.
In general, hotels in Hollywood make the most of the city views, and the Thompson Hotel under construction just off Sunset Boulevard will be no exception. It's scheduled to debut in 2017 with 220 guest rooms, a restaurant and terrace, 1,400 square feet of meeting space and views of the Hollywood sign.
At Griffith Park, the Griffith Observatory has event space for up to 1,800. In West Hollywood is the Sunset Strip's House of Blues, and a mile west, at the London Hotel, a new, 110-seat screening room and three new guest suites opened earlier this year, part of the property's recently completed, $25 million renovation. A few blocks south is the Pacific Design Center.
In the Miracle Mile neighborhood, attendees can explore the La Brea Tar Pits, and events can be held at its Page Museum after hours. Also in the area is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
The Westside: Refined Taste
Everyone knows Beverly Hills, the enclave of all that is luxe. Venues in town include the Beverly Hilton and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, home to the 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office and the Goldsmith Theater. In nearby Century City, the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza offers the 25,000-square-foot Los Angeles Ballroom.
Westwood is home to the University of California/Los Angeles, which offers several event spaces, including three conference complexes. In the summer, the university can host up to 6,000 guests. Up in the hills is the Getty Museum and the Skirball Cultural Center, which now offers 60,000 square feet of event space.
While the automobile has reigned supreme in Southern California, the region's airport is also one of the world's busiest. The area around Los Angeles International (LAX) has been undergoing a series of improvements, including a $229 million renovation project of Terminal 5 that's expected to finish mid-2016. An update for airport Wi-Fi is also planned. Accommodations in the area include the new Residence Inn/LAX-Century Boulevard, with 231 guest rooms and meeting space for up to 68. Five miles east, in Inglewood, the Forum reopened last year following a $100 million makeover.
Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey & Malibu: Sea-breeze Sites
When the heat is on, people like to head to Santa Monica, where the sea breezes will dissipate any stress leftover from the boardroom. At the Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Park and its Seaside Pavilion can host events. Other venues include the Annenberg Community Beach House and The Victorian, a former mansion located on Main Street. The Aero Theatre, another historic building, can seat up to 425. Inland, the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport and the Museum of Flying can also accommodate events.
Just south, in Venice, the ambiance is considerably more laid back, but it's got a stylish side, too. Upscale Abbot Kinney Boulevard is now home to local designer shops, elegant eateries and Space, which offers (yes) space for events of up to 250.
In waterfront Marina del Rey, which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year, the Marina del Rey Hotel reopened in December after a $20 million modernization project, greeting guests with a full-service restaurant and a pool. On the west side of the actual marina, the Marina del Rey Marriott has benefited from $6 million in improvements to its lobby and restaurant. The elegant oceanside ambiance of the area attracts groups from all over the country, including Golden State locals: the California State Association of County Auditors is meeting here early next year.
Just north from Santa Monica is the star-packed, beachy wonderland of Malibu, where groups will find Pepperdine University, which offers the Villa Graziadio Executive Center.
Just over the Santa Monica Mountains in Westlake Village, the Four Seasons/Westlake Village recently launched The Ranch 4.0, a wellness program available for buyouts for groups of up to 20.
South Bay, Catalina & Port Cities: Perfect Pacific Outposts
South of LAX, the South Bay is home to plenty of beachfront venues. In Redondo Beach, the Redondo Beach Hotel underwent a $13 million renovation last year. Just east, in Torrance, venues include the Torrance Cultural Arts Center and the Torino Festival Plaza. Farther south, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, is the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.
And when you've come all the way to the coast, why not just keep going? Head an hour west of Los Angeles over the water to Santa Catalina Island. In the biggest community, Avalon, is the Catalina Casino, the Catalina Visitors Country Club and the Descanso Beach Club, which was recently renovated and now has 7,000 square feet of event space and 2,400 square feet of pre-function space.
In Long Beach, meeting venues include the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center and its Pacific Ballroom, the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary. In hotel news, Hotel Maya recently finished a $4 million renovation, which added the 6,400-square-foot Lagunita Pavilion and the 10,000-square-foot Vista del Mar Terrace.
Another waterfront city is San Pedro, home to the USS Iowa, which offers eight event spaces. Nearby is the $32 million Downtown Harbor & Town Square, which opened last year. Even newer is Brouwerij West, a craft brewery that unveiled its 26,000-square-foot space in July. Other meeting venues include the Warner Grand Theatre, the Grand Annex and the Wilmington Waterfront Park.
The San GaBriel Valley: Eastside Points of View
One of the region's top meeting spaces is in Pasadena: the Pasadena Convention Center, which offers 108,000 square feet of space. Also part of the center is the 2,997-seat Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where the 17,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall reopened in February after a $900,000 renovation.
The historic Rose Bowl Stadium continues to welcome groups as it is undergoing a host of improvements scheduled to wrap up in 2018. Other notable venues include the Pacific Asia Museum, the California Institute of Technology and the Langham/Huntington, which opened a new spa last year. Downtown Pasadena's first hotel to be opened in more than two decades is the DusitD2 Constance Pasadena (Thai chain Dusit's first property in the United States). The 136-room hotel opened late last year down the street from the convention center and plans to add 25 new guest rooms, a conference space for up to 40 people and a rooftop pool next year.
Small cities nearby include upscale San Marino, where one of the main attractions is the 120-acre Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens. Other green spaces are the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia and Descanso Gardens in leafy La CañadaFlintridge.
The Valley & the Inland Empire: Good Business Sense
Over the Hollywood Hills is the San Fernando Valley, a serious place for business but also packed with free-time options. A convenient option for those flying domestically is Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, and a nearby place to stay is the Holiday Inn/Burbank-Media Center. In Glendale, the Civic Auditorium has space for up to 500, while in Universal City, Universal CityWalk and the adjacent Universal Studios welcome groups.
In North Hollywood, venues include the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and The Garland hotel,which recently completed a $20 million renovation project that included revamped guest rooms, an updated lobby and the addition of Beverly Park, a 4,000-square-foot outdoor garden and events venue.
Up in the Santa Susana Mountains, groups can meet at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in nearby Valencia both offer special group rates. Or for those who'd prefer to spend their free time golfing, there's the Valencia Country Club.
The biggest space for get-togethers in San Bernardino is the 120-acre National Orange Show Events Center. To the southwest is Riverside, where the Riverside Convention Center reopened last year after a $43 million expansion and refurbishment project. The center now offers more than 66,000 square feet of space and has partnered with Loma Linda University to provide healthy fare for attendees. Other popular venues include the Riverside Auditorium & Events Center, the Fox Performing Arts Center and the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.
Groups meeting on this side of town might fly into the international airport in Ontario. Minutes away, the Ontario Convention Center has 225,000 square feet of exhibit space, and the Scandia Amusement Park offers picnic facilities for visiting groups. Six miles farther west is Pomona, home to event venues including the 487-acre Fairplex.
A True Taste
An event in Los Angeles should give attendees a chance to discover the local flavor. Fortunately, that's something hotels and event venues in the city understand and their staffs are prepared to supply all kinds of ideas. Getting a real feel for the city is bound to be different for everyone in a place as diverse as L.A.-but that's its charm, and it tends to woo groups back year after year with the promise of seeing, tasting and experiencing something new and wonderful.