Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Convention Hotel in Century City

I’ve been to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City, Los Angeles plenty of times, and hold it in high regard for everything from small media luncheons to large conferences. There are quite a few large convention hotels in Los Angeles, but most of them are in the downtown LA area. This is all very well and good; after all, downtown Los Angeles has seen a recent resurgence in popularity after years of being a part of the city that basically shut down after work hours. Lots of large hotels — the JW Marriott Downtown, the Westin Bonaventure, even gorgeous, historic Millennium Biltmore — are close enough to LA Live and the Staples Center (part of the same giant mega complex as the LA Convention Center) to make them all compatible with conventions and business travel. Not all conventions or business meetings are based in downtown LA, though. For my money, the best west side Los Angeles hotel for conventions and business meetings is the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City.

The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is a luxury hotel with full convention capabilities. What a relief to have a large, fantastic convention hotel on the west slide of Los Angeles! Downtown LA may be having a resurgence, but the traffic to and from downtown (and in it) is as legendarily horrible as you’d expect. The west side of Los Angeles is closer to the Pacific Ocean — obviously — so it’s cooler in the summer, with clean, fresh air that belies the sorry reputation of LA’s air quality.

Just the facts: The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is blocks away from uber-swanky Beverly Hills, close to the 10 freeway that goes east to downtown and goes west to terminate a few miles later at the ocean. It’s also pretty close to the 405, which heads north to the Valley and south to Orange County. There are 726 guestrooms and suites, a 24-hour business center, and an outdoor pool ad whirlpool.

I’ve been to one large conference and several smaller ones at the Hyatt Regency in Century City. Each time, I was impressed by the layout/flow of the rooms, the abilities of the staff, and the capability of each room to be the right size for each group. There are over 100,000 square feet of meeting space at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, including the 9,000 sq ft Plaza Pavillion and a 25,000 sq ft ballroom. All have full media capabilities. Plenty of audio-visual equipment is available for use, along with in-room internet and wi-fi in all public areas. The media luncheons I’ve attended here were always tasteful affairs, with quiet meeting rooms set aside and great meals.

But most conventions and business trips aren’t “all work and no play.” Lots of business travelers take their families along, and mix work with leisure activities. The west side of Los Angeles is pretty, with leafy green neighborhoods and easy access to main freeways that take visitors anywhere else they would want to go in Los Angeles.

It’s a simple matter to get to the Getty Museum, Getty Villa, Griffith Park Observatory, Rodeo Drive…heck, any of the iconic Los Angeles tourist activities can be reached in an hour or less. Want to go to Universal Studios Hollywood? It’s 15 miles north, take the 405 freeway. Want to go to the Los Angeles Zoo? Take the 10 to the 110, it’s 15 miles northeast. The Hollywood Bowl is around 7 miles away, Mann’s Chinese Theater around 6, UCLA and Westwood are 3 miles away, and Rodeo Drive is a block and a half north.

Best of all, have yourself a Southern California vacation break during the conference or business meeting, and take the 10 west until you get to the ocean. The Santa Monica Pier is just about exactly were the 10 turns into the Pacific Coast Highway. If you’ve taken your family with you to Los Angeles, your children and teens have a blast at the Santa Monica Pier’s Pacific Park. There’s a small touch tank aquarium under the pier, and the beach is frequented by wannabe surfers (the dudes that know what they’re doing usually head up north a few miles to Malibu). A stroll on the Southern California sand is just six miles away from the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, but it feels worlds apart.

Don’t hesitate to take your family with you on a business trip to LA, if the hotel is the Hyatt Regency in Century City. It’s the best convention hotel on the west side of Los Angeles.