MEETINGSMAGS.COM // WINTER 2018 Best of 2018 26 categories including: BEST CONFERENCE/CONVENTION CENTER, WINERY WITH MEETING SPACE, RENTAL PROVIDER/EVENT DÉCOR, NEW VENUE, ATTRACTION/THEME PARK, TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITY & MORE!
Winter 2018 MEETINGS + EVENTS MAGAZINE: IN THIS ISSUE FEATURE 26 Some favorites return and some new winners are anointed in the second annual Best of California readers choice awards. By Janet Fullwood, Dani Heinemeyer and Shelley Levitt 22 DEPARTMENTS 6 EDITOR S LETTER 18 TREND REPORT Potty training: What you need to know about portable sanitation for every type of event. By Ingrid E. Lundquist, CSEP 2 CAM+E WINTER 2018 22 MEET & EAT Groups can raise a glass at these urban wineries without straying far from home. By Dani Heinemeyer 24 VENUE REPORT Hollywood scores a blockbuster with a slew of new venues. By Jenny Peters 48 PEOPLE PROFILE Mayor Lili Bosse says Beverly Hills is the City of WELLTH and it s going BOLD. And, there s more she wants meeting planners to know about her beloved hometown. By Shelley Levitt Solterra Winery & Kitchen P H OTO S : T R I N E T T E R E E D P H OTO G R A P H Y; H A L F F U L L P H OTO G R A P H Y Carneros Resort and Spa
OF THE These properties, vendors and activities take the gold in the Golden State. SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE. Yes, the moment has come to reveal the 26 winners and runners-up in our second annual Best of 2018 readers choice awards. And, before the get-off-the-stage music plays, we want to thank all our readers for taking the time to vote. In a state that has such abundant excellence across all categories of venues and services, choosing which top the list is no easy task. By Janet Fullwood, Dani Heinemeyer and Shelley Levitt PHOTOS: SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER CORPORATION; HILTON SAN DIEGO BAYFRONT 26 CAM+E WINTER 2018
CARNEROS RESORT AND SPA PICK By Janet Fullwood BEST OFF-THE-RADAR DESTINATION FOR SMALL GROUPS Pacifica Sprawled along 6 miles of coastline just over the hills from San Francisco International Airport, the once working-class San Mateo County town of Pacifica has emerged as a laid-back, fresh-air destination for planners who don t want or need big-city amenities and prices. Four affordable hotels (the Best Western Plus Lighthouse, Holiday Inn Express, & Suites, Pacifica Motor Inn and Seabreeze Motel) are clustered in the walkable Rockaway Beach village of seaside shops and restaurants. The 97-room Best Western boasts 4,500 square feet of flexible meeting space along with six private or semiprivate dining and event spaces in its fine-dining restaurant, Moonraker. It s a short drive from Rockaway to Sharp Park, home to a municipal pier, an 85-year-old municipal golf course and a coastal trail that leads to Mori Point, a jutting headland with spectacular views. Best group activity option: Segway tours that head over the hills to nearby Linda Mar Beach. visitpacifica.com 30 CAM+E WINTER 2018 PACIFICA
to several of the property s six restaurants; a 38,000-square-foot spa; two championship golf courses; 20 tennis courts; basketball courts; lawn croquet; biking; and Instagram alert! sightings of the gorgeous collection of exotic birds that call the resort home. RUNNERS-UP» La Quinta Resort & Spa; The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage BEST GOLF RESORT SOUTHERN HILTON LA JOLLA TORREY PINES hiltonlajollatorreypines.com 858.450.4584 This 394-room resort, home to two championship golf courses, hits a hole in one for the second year in a row. Small surprise. It still, after all, is a stunning coastal retreat that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. But for all its away-from-itall serenity, the resort has over 60,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space, including a 12,000-square-foot pillar-free Grande Ballroom that can host a reception for 1,500. RUNNERS-UP» Ojai Valley Inn & Spa; JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa the 2018 U.S. Amateur and 2019 U.S. Open championships as well as the celebration of the resort s 100th anniversary in 2019. RUNNERS-UP» The Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay; Carmel Valley Ranch BEST SPA RESORT SOUTHERN OJAI VALLEY INN ojairesort.com 855.697.8780 The numbers are impressive: 220 acres; a 31,000-square-foot Spa Village; seven dining outlets; a 35,000-square feet of meeting and function space that includes two ballrooms, one of which can accommodate 600 guests, the other 400; a golf course that has hosted seven senior PGA tournaments. But what s more remarkable about this AAA Five Diamond luxury resort is its beauty and serenity; both are immeasurable. Look for the fall 2018 opening of The Farmhouse, a new retreat within the resort that features a barn-inspired ballroom, a wine library, culinary gardens and a 10,000-square-foot event lawn. RUNNERS-UP» Montage Laguna Beach; The Ritz-Carlton Bacara PHOTOS: CARNEROS RESORT AND SPA; VISIT PACIFICA BEST GOLF RESORT NORTHERN PEBBLE BEACH RESORTS pebblebeach.com 800.877.0597 No name in golf carries more cachet than Pebble Beach Golf Links. The fabled course, however, is just one component of Pebble Beach Resorts, a collection of six golf courses and three hotels on the storied Monterey Peninsula. Last summer saw the introduction of Fairway One at The Lodge, which has 30 guest rooms across three two-story buildings and two stand-alone four-bedroom golf cottages. Anchored by a 2,500 square-foot meeting room, it s part of a flurry of enhancements being completed in preparation for hosting BEST SPA RESORT NORTHERN CARNEROS RESORT AND SPA carnerosresort.com 707.299.4900 Although it closed briefly in early October as wildfires ravaged parts of Napa and Sonoma counties, this luxury resort in the Carneros wine region survived intact. Meetings and events for up to 175 guests are a big part of the picture here, with venues ranging from a 3,276-square-foot ballroom to intimate private-dining rooms and outdoor spaces with vineyard views. Lodging is in farm-inspired cottages that are like spas unto themselves, CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 31