From Beach Boy anthems to Beach Blanket Bingo, SoCal beaches capture the “school’s out” feeling of escaping four walls into adventure. For today’s attendees, beach meetings mean cookouts, lawn yoga and open-air keynotes.
For meetings looking to have a beach component, here’s the latest news and trends in the region.
You Had Me at ‘Beach’
According to Heal the Bay, an environmental organization that rates beaches, this year noted an overall improvement in water quality for California. There are 41 beaches throughout Los Angeles and Orange County with A-plus water qualities, and San Diego has 10 beaches on the honor roll!
According to the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA), corporate groups “seem to be more of those that book locations on the beach, and a good number of event professionals also want to be near the water with views and proximity to the ocean or bays. A continued trend is organizations wanting to have outdoor options for parts of their events.”
“The beach is definitely a draw,” confirmed Michelle Devine, VP of sales, Visit Huntington Beach | Surf City USA. “Especially for corporate and incentive programs. From rooftop receptions with panoramic ocean views to surfing lessons, e-bike tours and sunset bonfires, there’s no shortage of ways to make a program feel truly Southern California.”
The Future Proof Festival, which will bring thousands of wealth management professionals to Huntington Beach this September 7-10, is an example of the financial and corporate sector’s affinity for beach meetings.
“With over 200,000 square feet of beachside city parking lot space, we offer a flexible, open canvas for hosting truly unique events just steps from the ocean,” Devine said. “Our ‘Beachwide Event’ concept highlights this approach, bringing together one or more of our four HB Collection resorts (Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa; The Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton Hotel; Paséa Hotel & Spa; and Kimpton Shorebreak Resort)—all within walking distance of the sand.”
As part of many meetings programs, beach cleanups are an excellent example of how groups can give back to the destinations that accommodate them. Many organizations, including Heal the Bay, host cleanup events. (Ask your meeting partner.)
[Related: Gaylord Pacific Set to Launch a West Coast Game-Changer]
Some Attendance Is Down, But Not for Long
Many U.S. destinations are bracing for lower-than-average attendance, and SoCal’s beach cities are no different. Cuts in federal DEI spending programs have left some attendees scrambling to make up the shortfall or eschewing meetings in the short run.
Larger cities, like Los Angeles and San Diego, remain cautiously optimistic.
“We had anticipated a measured, cautious approach in the market,” SDTA said in a statement. “A flat performance has become a benchmark as the new ‘up,’ and we're encouraged by the stability we're witnessing.”
Los Angeles Tourism, whose county beaches include Malibu, Venice, Marina Del Rey and more, is taking another approach.
“Under the new federal administration, we see new opportunities to partner more closely with the State Department and leverage those relationships to support meetings and events that include high levels of international attendance,” they said. From planners, the organization is seeing “increased interest in sustainable practices, corporate social responsibility components and programs that reflect DEI values.”
Smaller beach destinations, such as Dana Point, have observed shorter booking windows, a decline in international attendees, increased cost-cutting and price-consciousness that reflect uncertainty about the future.
“We’ve seen a drop in international visitation, especially Canadian visitors and events,” said Heather Johnston, executive director, Visit Dana Point. “The change, however, is not affecting Dana Point’s meetings and events, which tend to pull domestically.”
“Many of the clients that we work with—large association clients—have DEI components in their conferences,” noted Steve Goodling, president and CEO of Visit Long Beach. “These also have exhibitors that would normally come from various federal agencies to recruit employees. It’s one of those times where people are looking at things and recalculating their costs, attendance and revenue projections.”
Of course, the greatest flurry of international visitors to SoCal is expected at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, some of which will take place in Long Beach.
“Long Beach has 11 Olympic games worth over a million tickets,” Goodling said. “The city is hosting major sporting events, such as beach volleyball, which alone is like 330,000 tickets; then, we have sailing and water polo. All of these events are going to be live on television and showcase our beautiful, crescent-shaped beach and our city skyline.”
Long Beach, which has already hosted Olympic swimming trials, is looking forward to the party atmosphere engendered by these competitions.
“Many of us believe and hope that Snoop Dogg will once again be a commentator during games—so that not only will the visitors and viewers get to experience Long Beach, but they’ll hear Snoop talk about his hometown,” Goodling added.
[Related: Anaheim Is Building on Its Momentum as a Top Meetings Destination]
Luxury Takes Center Stage
“The combination of oceanfront resorts, year-round weather and ease of access from three major airports makes the destination especially attractive for groups looking to balance business with a relaxed coastal atmosphere,” said Huntington Beach’s Devine.
For corporate and incentive groups who like the accent to be on luxury, SoCal beach cities have complied with some well-known brand names:
- The anticipated reopening of the 70-room Four Seasons Resort Biltmore Santa Barbara has been pushed back to later this year.
- The $135 billion, 1,600-room Gaylord Pacific opened in May, making it the largest hotel in California to date. The property, which commands views of the ocean (while not actually on the beach), boasts 1.8 million square feet of meeting space, including the 47,000-square-foot California Ballroom, currently the largest in the state.
- In October 2024, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts debuted the transformed 180-room Breakers, a historic property in Long Beach. Close enough to serve as the city’s convention center hotel, the refreshed property features stunning views of Long Beach Harbor from its roof bar and a revitalized Sky Room.
- Also in October 2024, the Intercontinental Hotels Group’s Regent brand reentered the U.S. market with the 167-room Regent Santa Monica, marking the first such property to open since 1992. The Regent features the 6,188-square-foot Jacaranda Ballroom, which can be divided into six configurations and has its own foyer. (There’s an additional 4,000 square feet of space comprised of four smaller venues that serve as boardrooms.)
- In summer 2024, the 70-room luxury boutique Casa Loma (formerly Inn at Laguna Beach) opened in Laguna Beach, convenient to the Village of Laguna Beach, where groups can discover galleries and, according to Alex Stall, marketing director, Visit Laguna Beach, “our annual summer festivals, such as the Sawdust Art Festival, Pageant of the Masters & Festival of Arts, and Laguna Art-a-fair.”
- September 2023 saw the opening of Newport Beach’s 295-room Pendry Newport Beach, part of the Montage International family. The property boasts more than 58,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, an 8,700-square-foot Grand Ballroom, a 3,936-square-foot gallery and three smaller meeting rooms with outdoor terraces. A nearly 5,000-square-foot event lawn is available for events.
A Grand Reopening at Hotel del Coronado
For more than a century, guests have been flocking to the Hotel del Coronado. Unique among West Coast resorts, The Del has recently upped its game with the completion of a six-year-long, $550 million restoration. On June 18th, it celebrated its grand reopening with haute cuisine, sand sculptures and myriad notables that included Brooke Shields as the event’s emcee.
“Many places don’t preserve history,” said Shields in her opening remarks. “This one does, and it invites us to step into it.”
In the original Victorian Building (a National Historic Landmark dating back to the Gilded Age), the restoration includes the front porch (from which Joe E. Brown ogled Jack Lemmon in drag in Some Like It Hot), a lobby that time-traveled back to 1888 and the main entry.
The Hotel Del campus has five distinct areas that make up its “Victorian neighborhood.” With 144 new villas built in the Shore House “neighborhood” and 33 new guest rooms in the Victorian Building, the property now has more than 750 guest rooms, two new restaurants and “elevated meeting space” in the historic Crown, Coronet and Ocean ballrooms, all of which have updated lighting and sound systems. Attendees can now enjoy oceanfront views and alfresco dining in the new, 159-seat Veranda and 156-seat Nobu restaurants (which also have indoor seating).
Some of these amenities have been available during the six-year renovation, but for those groups who have been awaiting a stay without scaffolding, their time has come.
“Hotel del Coronado has been a pioneer,” declared JP Oliver, the property’s managing director. “After this transformative journey, we are proud to set a new benchmark for resort excellence.”
