BizBash Best 2020 - 86

los angeles

in the works

Competitive
Spirit
Fun new activity venues offer
teambuilding opportunities.
For a high-speed teambuilding option,
Base51 opened in Hawthorne in March 2019.
In addition to craft beer and global cuisine,
the entertainment venue offers 10 full-motion
racing simulators that use virtual-reality
technology; the simulators can all be raced
together for a group experience. For private
events, the venue offers a 4,500-square-foot
space that holds as many as 80 people, plus
a private beer and wine bar, artisan coffee,
and full banquet offerings. (12831 Cerise
Ave., Hawthorne, base51.com)
1 Sandbox VR opened the first of
four Southern California locations in August
2019 at the Village Westfield Topanga in
Canoga Park. The virtual-reality arcade-
which has themed experiences around Star
Trek: Discovery, among others-is available
for private events and teambuilding. The
largest experience holds six people, though
larger groups can book multiple rooms.
(6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park,
sandboxvr.com)
1

2020 bizbash best bizbash.com

address to impress
Swanky Beverly Hills boasts a number of hotel openings and redesigns.
The 297-room 1 W Los Angeles-West Beverly
Hills completed a $4 million renovation of its
meeting and event spaces in December 2019.
Designed by Dawson Design Associates, the new
spaces are filled with oversize glass walls and
doors, plus slatted wood ceilings, cloud-inspired
glass chandeliers, and original photographs
on the walls. New meeting spaces include a
2,000-square-foot room with a patio area and a
drop-down ceiling screen and projector; it holds
80 classroom style, 140 banquet style, or 180 for
receptions. Two smaller meeting spaces are also
new; together, all three rooms center around a
244-square-foot pre-function space. Overall, the
hotel has 10,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor
event space. (930 Hilgard Ave., marriott.com)
The 10-story, 295-room, 2 Sofitel Los
Angeles at Beverly Hills debuted 10,000 square
feet of renovated event space in August 2019,
featuring French-inspired interior design by
Veserius Studio; available venues include a
3,800-square-foot ballroom that can be divided
into three sections. A restaurant, bar, and patio on
the first floor can also be rented for events, bringing the total available space to 22,000 square feet.
Also included in the renovation was the outdoor

pool deck, an event-friendly rooftop space with
colorful sunbeds, a fire pit, and views of West
Hollywood. (8555 Beverly Blvd., sofitel.com)
AC Hotel Beverly Hills, the first L.A.-area
location for the Marriott brand, opened in
January 2019. The 142-room, 11-story hotel has
an Art Deco facade; interior decor has a blend of
European and Spanish influences. The property
has two media salons that each seat six guests
and offer audiovisual equipment, free Wi-Fi,
and catering options. Groups can also reserve
the rooftop lounge, which has a wading pool,
panoramic views, a bar, and space for 50. (6399
Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, acbeverlyhills.com)
The 395-room Beverly Wilshire in Beverly
Hills completed a renovation to its event spaces
in early 2019. The 143,000-square-foot ballroom
has new carpeting, chandeliers, and sconces, plus
additional power and rigging points. It seats 880
banquet style. Meanwhile, the Le Grand and Petit
Trianon spaces have a remodeled green room,
which has new mirrors, lighting, and furniture.
The Four Seasons property, which opened in
1928, has more than 38,000 square feet of event
space overall. (9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills,
fourseasons.com)

amenities
Through a new partnership with
apparel rental company Rent the
Runway (renttherunway.com
/whotelsguests), travelers to the
W Hollywood can receive four items
of clothing shipped directly to their
hotel rooms. Guests can choose from
the entire Rent the Runway wardrobe, or find specially curated items
inspired by the Los Angeles locale.
The company offers four- to eight-day
rentals for $69.

photoS: courteSy oF W hollyWood (rent the runWay), courteSy oF VenueS (all otherS)

Dodger Stadium is embarking on a
$100-million renovation, expected to be
completed in time for the 2020 season.
A new center field plaza will have a beer
garden, two sports bars, a space for live
music, and more.
The 298-acre Hollywood Park development is slated to open in July 2020. The
complex will include the 70,000-seat SoFi
Stadium, an event-friendly plaza, a 6,000seat theater, and other event spaces for as
many as 100,000 people.
The JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort, will
open in May 2020. The first JW Marriott to
open in Orange County, the 466-room hotel
will have 15 meeting rooms and 43,000
square feet of event space.

http://www.sofitel.com http://www.acbeverlyhills.com http://www.marriott.com http://www.base51.com http://www.fourseasons.com http://www.sandboxvr.com http://www.renttherunway.com/whotelsguest http://www.renttherunway.com/whotelsguest http://www.bizbash.com

BizBash Best 2020

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