Smart Meetings

Its hub is the city of Monterey, located at the southern tip of crescent-shaped Monterey Bay, a pristine, brilliant-blue bay with an underwater trench that's twice the size of the Grand Canyon. The capital of then-Alta California (From 1775 to 1845) under both Spanish and Mexican rule, Monterey retains its historic flavor with white-washed adobes and restored buildings such as the Old Custom House, built in 1827. Here the land- and cattle-wealthy rancheros maintained their "city" houses. Remnants of its once-flourishing fishing and canning industry, which peaked in the 1950s, can be found along Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row.

The county's native son, John Steinbeck—honored in nearby Salinas as America's only Nobel and Pulitzer-prize winning author—put the city's Cannery Row in the limelight. However, the fish processing plants were cranking out cans long before, in response to the abundance of marine life. Today's famed Monterey Aquarium was located there for the same reason; Monterey Bay's vast offshore canyons teem with an array of sea creatures which makes the study of marine life exceptionally rewarding.

Reflecting the area’s early California architecture is the Monterey Conference Center (montereyconventionauthority.com). Together with its nearby meeting hotels (Portola Plaza Hotel, Monterey Marriott and Hotel Pacific), the center provides 61,000 sq. ft. of flexible function space. All can be booked separately for your smaller events; for larger groups, the Monterey Meeting Connection, a marketing organization for the properties, offers one-contact meeting planning (montereyconnection.com).

Monterey County has some 10,000 guest rooms, but the principal meetings properties include The Hyatt Regency (575 rooms/30,000 square feet & hyattregencymonterey.com) and the Portola Plaza Hotel at Monterey Bay (370/20,000 & portolaplazahotel.com). This hotel is beautifully situated not only overlooking the yacht harbor of Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf, but is also directly connected to the Monterey Conference Center through its tree-lined Atrium lobby. The guest rooms have a fresh Tommy Bahama-esque decor with plantation shutters, ceiling fans and natural elements appropriate for the hotel's waterside setting.

Also taking full advantage of the waterfront locale is the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa (290/16,000 & woodsidehotels.com) which is literally perched atop piers out over Monterey Bay. The property, which is just steps from Cannery Row, recently completed a major renovation to some of its public spaces. Later this year, the conference space will be refurbished, as well. The guest rooms' European-style furnishings, wall coverings and feather beds make them invitingly lush.

The 10,000-square-foot European-style spa with rooftop whirlpool tubs and the full complement of business services and facilities make The Monterey Plaza an appealing candidate for an executive retreat. Incidentally, it's the only California resort with three wine tasting rooms on site.

Asilomar Conference Center (312/24 private meeting rooms & VisitAsilomar.com) in nearby Pacific Grove packages up an exquisite wooded setting on 106 oceanfront acres, lots of group activities and three meals per day in the price. This tends to keep groups together throughout the program.

Just north of the city of Monterey, the Marina Dunes Resort (60/meeting capacity for 120 & MarinaDunes.com) is set amid 19 acres of rolling dunes which offer a more secluded location for an executive retreat. Just out the door are miles of sand dunes, rustling sea grass and the incoming tide for a contemplative stroll. Marina Dunes is the first new California oceanfront development in more than 20 years. And although it's luxurious on the inside, it feels as unobtrusive on the shore as a weathered summer cottage.

HOTELS
Monterey
Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove
VisitAsilomar.com
312 rms/31,000 sq. ft.
Historic oceanfront retreat, set in a pine forest.

Casa Munras Garden Hotel
hotelcasamunras.com
166 rms/5,000 sq. ft.
Historic property in heart of Monterey; outdoor heated pool and patio area.

Hilton Garden Inn
hiltongardeninn.com
204 rms/6,500 sq. ft.
Entire property renovation completed in June 2006.

Hyatt Regency Monterey
monterey.hyatt.com
575 rms/40,000 sq. ft.
Largest stand-alone conference room between San Jose and Santa Barbara.

Monterey Marriott Hotel
marriotthotels.com/mryca
341 rms/16,500 sq. ft.
Walkway to Monterey Conference Center.

Portola Plaza Hotel at Monterey
portolaplazahotel.com
379 rms/20,000 sq. ft.
Adjacent to Monterey Conference Center (total 50,000 sq. ft. of meeting space). 

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Getting There

Monterey: San Francisco International Airport (www.flysfo.com) is located approximately 100 miles north of Monterey; Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (sjc.org) is about 65 miles north. Daily direct service is also available at Monterey Peninsula Airport from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Back to Top

Not To Be Missed

The Monterey Bay Aquarium (montereybayaquarium.org) can accommodate groups up to 3,000 in a variety of spaces; most of them will put your guests eye-to-eye with some 350,000 sea creatures in the aquarium's collection. The National Steinbeck Center (steinbeck.org) can accommodate up to 700.

Plan to go kayaking along Cannery Row or experience driving Dodge Vipers and Formula Dodge race cars at the Skip Barber Racing School (skipbarber.com). The Land Rover Experience Driving School (landroverusa.com/driving schools) will teach groups how to really handle those SUVs at home. If your meeting hits the right season, Monterey Whale Watching (MontereyWhaleWatching.com) will provide the unforgettable experience of watching the gray whales migrating along the coast.

Some of the Central Coast's most beautiful parkland can be found on the south side of the peninsula, notably Point Lobos State Reserve and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, a half hour drive further south.

Still rated the nation’s top aquarium by ZagatSurvey, 22 years after its opening, the Monterey Bay Aquarium (mbayaq.org) offers face-to-face interaction with its newest attraction: a young, male white shark that’s now a permanent member of the Outer Bay Exhibit. You can dine at the aquarium after hours, surrounded by various exhibits, or groups of up to 3,000 can rent the entire facility.

The county’s team-building options for your group include beach and water activities put on by Adventures by the Sea (think kayak races and beach parties; adventuresbythesea.com), plus culinary classes or challenges at the Culinary Center of Monterey (culinarycenterofmonterey.com), which will hone your interpersonal as well as your knife skills.

In Salinas, deep in the heart of the county’s agricultural belt, The National Steinbeck Center (steinbeck.org) pays tribute to the life and literary work of Monterey’s most famous native son; it can accommodate up to 700 guests. AgVenture Tours (agvenuretours.com) features food, wine and agricultural tours of the Carmel and Salinas Valleys, where you’ll get a taste of the land that inspired John Steinbeck’s career.

Or, steer a Land Rover on steep, deeply rutted trails, while crawling over rocks and felled logs, on privately owned land with Land Rover Experience Driving School (landroverusa.com/driving schools). It’s headquartered at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley. Back to Top