Previous Page
✱
RIGHT OF WAY: Approximately $9 million is being spent within three blocks of the Long Beach Con- vention & Entertain- ment Center to pro- vide walkable access to downtown visitors.
ter, which has more of a boutique-style feel than your traditional convention-center environment. Upgrades include new Steelcase furniture throughout the Promenade to create comfortable mini- pod conversation spots; new lounge-style seating in the center’s SAVOR Café; new carpeting throughout; an upgraded Green Room; and comfortable new seating in the 3,000-seat Terrace Theatre. The Queen Mary (www.queenmary.com), a 1930s transatlan-
tic ocean liner permanently docked in Long Beach since 1967, is a one-of-a-kind floating 314-room hotel, attraction, dining, and event space. On board, there’s more than 80,000 square feet of function space in 14 Art Deco salons and a tri-level exhibit hall with 45,000 square feet of versatile space. Recent upgrades have been made to its banquet space, public space, guest rooms, and three restaurants, whose menus embrace sustainable dining practices. A spectacular underwater world of 11,000 animals in 50 exhibits
makes for a memorable special-event backdrop at the Aquarium of the Pacific (www.aquariumofpacific.org). SAVOR catering (which also services the convention center) makes sure that events for groups from 20 to 10,000 are a feast for the palate as well as the senses.
Hotels With more than 5,000 rooms citywide in the Long Beach area, groups can take their pick from a variety of properties, including luxury hotels, intimate bed-and-breakfasts, and boutique hotels at every price point, with many affording sweeping views of the beach and city. A recent LED-lighting project throughout the city makes views especially beautiful at night, from any vantage point. A number of hotels have recently undergone or are in the midst
of multi-million-dollar renovations. Chief among them are proper- ties in walking distance of the Convention & Entertainment Center. They include the 469-room Westin Long Beach (www.westinlong beachhotel.com), whose $10-million renovation project includes
new lobby and restaurant carpeting and furniture, room renovations (starting this month), and upgrades to its 51,000 square feet of flex- ible meeting space and 25 meeting rooms, elevators, and pool deck. Adjacent to the center, the Hyatt Regency Long Beach (http:// longbeach.hyatt.com) is undergoing a more than $21-million renovation project, which should be completed in the first quarter of 2012 and which involves overhauling all 528 guest rooms (each offering water views), suites, and corridors to install new carpet- ing, wall covering, case goods, window treatments, HVAC units, and completely new bathrooms. The Hyatt offers a total of 22,000 square feet of function space, including 9,625 square feet of prefunction space, 10,000 square feet of exhibit space, and three ballrooms. One block from the center, the 374-room Renaissance Long Beach
Hotel’s (www.marriott.com/LongBeach) $12-million makeover included a sophisticated lobby bar, chic outdoor dining space, and the addition of the Naples Ballroom. The hotel’s meeting space totals 21,000 square feet and includes 18 meeting rooms, on-site exhibi- tion space, and the 7,480-square-foot Renaissance Ballroom. This past June, the Long Beach Marriott Hotel (www.long beachmarriott.com) — near the Long Beach Airport and across from the SkyLinks Golf Course — wrapped up a $10-million proj- ect and debuted its new 6,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, six newly enhanced meeting salons, and a brand-new 1,800-square- foot courtyard. In addition to the new meeting space (which brings its total to 10,000 square feet and 14 meeting rooms), all 308 guest rooms and two suites were renovated last year. And there you have it: a city that keeps getting better for groups. n
AT A GLANCE Convention facilities: The Long Beach Convention & Entertain- ment Center offers more than 400,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. Hotel rooms: 5,000-plus citywide Attractions: Queen Mary, Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, picturesque Rainbow Harbor, Alamitos Bay dining and entertainment area, Gondola Getaway in Naples Island, and the historic parks of Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos, as well as water recreation, whale-watching, and much more
For more information: Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, 301 E. Ocean Blvd., Suite 1900, Long Beach, CA 90802; info@long beachcvb.org; (800) 452-7829; www.visitlongbeach.com
pcma convene November 2011 87