A close-knit community
Despite being home to major tech companies and Levi’s Stadium, which just hosted Super Bowl LX and will soon host six FIFA World Cup matches, Santa Clara is one of the lesser-known cities in the Bay Area. South of San Francisco and north of San Jose and the quieter and more relaxed of the three.
A strong sense of community within the city’s hospitality community could be felt. All the properties are within 10 minutes of each other at most, but the community went further than proximity; it was a shared interest in putting Santa Clara’s best foot forward.
Eat
Whether in a standalone restaurant or hotel, the food in Santa Clara is sure to make you close your eyes and take a beat.
Breakfast at Element Santa Clara was a great way to start the day, eating in its outdoor space near the pool. The hotel partnered with Croissante, a bakery based in France that brought its flavors to Santa Clara, to serve one of the best apple turnovers I’ve had.
The 175-room property has 1,415 sq. ft. of event space and is a 10-minute drive to Santa Clara Convention Center. In true extended-stay style, the rooms come with full kitchens; in true focus on wellness and sustainability, guests have access to filtered water in every room.
A trio of highlights at Santa Clara Marriott was the filet mignon, tequila old-fashioned and a gigantic chocolate caramel tart. This property is one of the more sizable ones in the city, offering 766 guest rooms and 58,500 sq. ft. of meeting space. Its dining options include The Orchard for breakfast, Bosc + Bartlett for lunch and dinner, and the Le Petit Chef experience for something immersive.
The Italian food hall Eataly at Westfield Valley Fair, a mall in southern Santa Clara, features two restaurants, La Pizza & La Pasta and Terra. We ate in a space in Terra that featured a menu that included house-made sourdough bread and buffalo milk butter, black truffle tagliatelle, a chicken thigh skewer and a cannoli cart.
Meet
We walked the grounds at Santa Clara Convention Center during a dance competition in the 22,658-square-foot grand ballroom, operated by the attached Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The convention center also features 100,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, 31 breakout rooms and a 607-seat theater. Hyatt Regency Santa Clara features 505 guest rooms and 10 event spaces in total, along with the grand ballroom, including the 4,400-square-foot mezzanine and 5,000-square-foot Terra Courtyard.
Fresh grass had just been laid out for FIFA World Cup 2026, so we weren’t able to walk out on the field at Levi’s Stadium, but we could see the view from several of the venue’s spaces, including the Levi’s 501 Club, a 19,000-square-foot space that features two patios with direct field views, and East Field Club, a 1,700-person space located at the 50-yard line and equipped with four bars.
The 280-room Hilton Santa Clara boasts one of the clearest views of Levi’s Stadium from its TailG8 Zone, one of the property’s outdoor spaces and home to the TailG8 Truck, which serves all types of game day food and drinks, fitting as this space works in conjunction with events at Levi’s Stadium, opening three hours before any event and staying open one hour after. This space is included in its more than 5,000 sq. ft. of space.
Explore and Compete
Santa Clara is home to several tech company headquarters. Intel, a major technology company, operates the only free public museum hosted by a tech company in the city. Our group walked through the museum as we learned about the company’s beginnings in the late 1960s and its evolution into one of the world’s leading processor companies.
The group also engaged in some friendly competition at Great Big Game Show in Westfield Valley Fair. In groups of two to 14, attendees can engage in mini games that include trivia, speed tests, strategy and just plain luck.
This article appears in the May 2026 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
