When the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort opened this June, it was not only big news for San Diego County’s hospitality and travel industry, it was a significant development for the region. The 215-room oceanfront newcomer is the only major hotel to open in the Western U.S. this year, according to Kathy Van Vechten, the property’s vice president of marketing.
Such is the strength of coastal destinations. Beachfront locations for meetings are a powerful draw along the Pacific Coast, and hotel and destination executives are seeing more business as companies return to the areas after a few years of budgets cutbacks.
Hotels and destinations are ready for the surge. From the far north of Canada’s British Columbia to the tip of Mexico’s Baja California, new and renovated meeting facilities and hotels, as well as additional air service, are luring meeting planners to the Pacific Coast.
British Columbia
Victoria is a favorite of groups that enjoy island charm, and the destination keeps adding to its appeal.
“Victoria is seeing a real uplift as a destination,” says Heather McGillivray, director of sales for Tourism Victoria. “Every major meeting hotel is planning or has completed some form of renovation.”
The range of Victoria’s activities adds to its allure, McGillivray says.
“From taking a cider-making class at a local organic orchard to harvesting local seaweed by hand from the Pacific Ocean, groups will run out of time before running out of experiences,” she says.
New properties include the 100-room waterfront Oak Bay Beach Hotel, which adjoins the 180-seat David Foster Foundation Theatre. Other meeting venues include the hotel library and study.
The Fairmont Empress’ former Kipling’s Restaurant is now the 4,500-square-foot Ivy ballroom, with a capacity for up to 250 guests.
The Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Hotel & Spa, which upgraded guest rooms earlier this year, is starting meeting space renovations that are due for completion early next spring. Meanwhile, The Hotel Rialto reopened in June with 50 additional rooms following a six-month renovation, and The Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel reopened in May after an exterior renovation.
At Butchart Gardens, the space beside the Rose Carousel is now the Carousel meeting room, which can host a stand-up reception for 75.
Vancouver, with its spectacular waterfront location, reported its biggest convention year ever in 2011. The city was once again named North America’s top international meetings destination by the International Congress and Convention Association.
“With an expanded, world-class facility—coupled with the awareness generated by the 2010 Olympic Games—Vancouver’s appeal as a convention destination is stronger than ever,” says Claire Smith, vice president of sales and marketing for the Vancouver Convention Centre.
In May, the Canadian airline WestJet started daily service between Vancouver International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.PageBreak
The Northwest
Seattle is sparkling with hotel enhancements. W Seattle’s recent renovation of its bar and restaurant is complete, while the Red Lion Hotel, located downtown, is starting a $25 million renovation. The upgrade will increase meeting space by 50 percent, add 22 rooms and remodel outdoor venues. It is slated for completion by 2014.
The Four Seasons Hotel Seattle launched Next Level Dining, a new concept that provides restaurant-style dining to groups with a la carte menus and the chance to place orders tableside, giving attendees flexibility to choose their courses and avoid the rubber chicken battle.
In Bellevue, Wash., Benchmark Hospitality will manage the Bellevue Park Hotel, a 108-room property scheduled to open in 2013 with 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
The Oregon city of Seaside is in the midst of a feasibility study on expanding its convention venue, the Seaside Civic and Convention Center.
“We’ve made some determinations that Seaside could support an expansion,” says Jon Rahl, the city’s director of tourism marketing. “We’re looking at possibly doubling our space.”
Today, the facility holds a maximum of about 400 people. The 40-year-old, city-owned center last expanded in the early 1990s.
Northern California
On the San Mateo County coast, south of San Francisco, the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company is starting cooking classes and beer pairing for groups. The oceanfront restaurant has several venues, including Mavericks Beer Garden, which can host 50 people.
Quintessential surf town Santa Cruz has a new hotel, the 164-room Hotel Paradox, a short walk from the boardwalk. The Paradox has the area’s largest hotel ballroom, at 4,400 square feet, and two rooms for small groups.
Just a few miles south, Monterey County is seeing a jump in meetings, says Charlie Spiegel, director of sales at the Monterey County CVB. In fact, the growth prompted the bureau to expand its sales staff, he says.
“The economy is changing and we want to have a big effort to bolster this trend,” Spiegel notes. “And the community understands that the hospitality industry is what drives us.”
But the big news in Monterey County is the recent green light for expansion at Pebble Beach, which can add 40 new units at the Inn at Spanish Bay, 55 units at the Lodge at Pebble Beach, conference center enhancements and a new 100-room hotel on the grounds of Pebble Beach golf course. The project is expected to be built in stages through 2027.
One of Monterey’s historic properties, the Asilomar Conference Center, has completed a renovation of the Hearst Social Hall. Monterey Bay Aquarium is redoing its restaurant; it will include private dining space.
Nearby, the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea is gearing up to attract more meetings. The city council recently approved hiring a sales person who will be charged to work with meeting planners to bring groups to Carmel.PageBreak
Central California
In Cambria, located near the famed-Hearst Castle, The Pelican Inn completed a $1 million guest room renovation. Pacifica Hotel Co., which manages the hotel, recently purchased the nearby 27-room Cambria Landing Inn and is planning improvements. Another Pacifica hotel, the Sandcastle Inn in Pismo Beach, completed a $1.5 million redo that added sophisticated beach decor.
In Santa Barbara, the Hyatt Santa Barbara (formerly Hotel Mar Monte) put the finishing touches on an extensive renovation that included the property’s 127 guest rooms, meeting rooms and public spaces.
The much-anticipated reopening of El Encanto, a Santa Barbara landmark resort, is scheduled for January 2013. The Orient-Express-managed hotel will retain many original features and include new event space.
Bacara Resort recently wrapped up a renovation of its guest rooms and public areas. The 41-room boutique Hotel Indigo opened earlier this year, featuring rooftop lounges.
Southern California
In Ventura County’s Oxnard, The Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel, steps away from the beach, is undergoing a renovation of its 248 guest rooms that is expected to be finished by the end of summer. The next stage of the project includes meeting rooms, scheduled for enhancements later this year.
In Ventura, The W Gallery is a new alternative-style meeting space in the historic Gardner Building where Earle Stanley Gardner began writing the Perry Mason mysteries.
Westlake Village Inn near the Malibu coastline is scheduled to open Stonehaus, a coffeehouse and wine tasting room, this summer. Recently added group activities include the “Biking Brigade,” a program whereby groups of up to 20 can rent bicycles and travel routes that Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong has pedaled.
One of Hollywood’s most popular attractions, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, offers a new venue, The Ballroom. The three-story space accommodates 250 for dinners or up to 1,200 for receptions. Groups can also take a behind-the-scenes tour.
Los Angeles is gearing up for growth with a $1.5 billion expansion of Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. The project, slated to take seven years to build, will feature a two-level bridge and viewing lounges.
To the south, Orange County’s Huntington Beach is enticing planners with new service by WestJet and a program offering concessions for planners in the contract phase, says Chris Anderson, director of sales, Huntington Beach Marketing and Visitors Bureau.
“We’ve worked with hotels to come up with a list of concessions and, based on the size of a group, planners can select the concessions that they’d like—whether its suite upgrades, meal prices and more.”
The bureau is continuing its Sunshine Guarantee, which offers a $1,000 rebate if weather turns sour over a meeting’s peak days. PageBreak
San Diego
Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront, which debuted in June, is a major new development for San Diego County. The 215-room resort features more than 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor banquet facilities, including the 5,700-square-foot Shearwater ballroom.
The hotel’s Van Vechten says the beach location is a main selling point.
“Being the only new hotel resort to open along the Pacific Coast, we designed our meeting rooms with magnificent views,” she says.
She adds that small groups are a priority.
“We are a cozy property and some of our smaller meetings will feel like they are a big fish here.”
At the Hotel del Coronado, an $8 million renovation of rooms in the original 124-year-old Victorian building finished up this spring.
Cheryl Ferguson, director of sales, reports strong group business.
“We are seeing an uptick in our meetings and see that incentives are alive and well,” she says.
At another luxury San Diego property, Rancho Las Palmas, Ty Brassie, director of sales and marketing, says property-wide Wi-Fi is a draw.
“Wireless connectivity is more important,” he says. “We also have mobile phone boosters to ensure our guests always are connected.”
In the town of La Jolla, Kimpton Hotels took over management of Hotel La Jolla, which completed a renovation that included an expanded lobby and enhancements to its meeting space and restaurant. And the 112-room La Valencia Hotel is doing a multimillion-dollar renovation to its restaurants, guest rooms and meeting space.
On Mission Bay, the Hilton San Diego boosted team-building programs within its more than 18 acres of tropical landscaping. Among the new offerings are “MapQuest” and “Tiki Test,” which encourage groups to work collaboratively to solve puzzles and tasks.
Loews Coronado Bay Resort is doing a renovation—to be finished in December—that will add a two-story chandelier in the lobby.
One of the most anticipated area developments is at Rancho Valencia, slated to reopen this summer after a $20 million renovation.
The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is renovating its meeting areas and guest rooms. The work will be done by December 2013.
Baja California
In June, Los Cabos inaugurated its convention center in grand style, hosting the 2012 G20Summit with heads of state from the world’s 20 largest economies. The new convention facility offers 653,400 square feet of space, including three exhibition halls for up to 6,000 people.
The hotel inventory will grow with the 500-room Secrets Puerto Los Cabos opening in November 2013. The Wyndham Cabo San Lucas is upgrading its 286 guest rooms, and the Hola Grand Faro Los Cabos is making a property-wide upgrade.
Laura Del Rosso, a San Franicsco-based journalist, has lived almost her entire life within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean.
