Last September, Michelle Caporicci returned to Orange County, after 10 years in the Asia-Pacific region, to help her colleague George Munz develop the county’s first Waldorf Astoria in Dana Point.
“This destination is home to me,” Caporicci told the Business Journal. “Not only did I come back home, but I came back to work with George.”
Years ago, Caporicci and Munz held executive roles at Dana Point’s Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, which ranks No. 6 among OC’s hotels by total meeting space, with 82,520 square feet of indoor and outdoor space (see list, page 26).
Now, the commercial director and general manager are overseeing the 31-hotel Waldorf Astoria chain’s second California location. Its closest partner is in Beverly Hills.
The transformation, which resulted in the rebranding of the Monarch Beach Resort into the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club, began after Ohana Real Estate Investors LLC in 2019 bought the property from KSL Resorts for nearly $500 million. That deal is Orange County’s largest-ever hotel sale.
Ohana has plenty of familiarity with the area’s luxe resorts; in 2015 it sold the 250-room Montage Laguna Beach for a reported $360 million. The Montage ranks No. 24 by local meeting room space, with a total of 33,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor space.
Since the 2019 sale, the new owners have begun an extensive revamp of the property whose grounds flank both sides of Pacific Coast Highway, giving the resort’s 400 rooms a “coastal California” makeover.
The work is expected to be completed mid-summer of 2022, Caporicci said.
“Within the next two years, we will continue to evolve and refresh until the resort is evolved and refreshed head-to-toe,” she added.
The renovation will cost up to $20 million.
‘Ample Outdoor Space’
Spanning 175 acres of coastal property, the Waldorf Astoria touts 30,000 square feet of indoor space and over 80,000 square feet of lawns, pools, private beaches, and tennis courts.
On a combined basis, the resort’s 110,000 square feet of meeting space ranks No. 5 on this week’s Business Journal list of largest hotel meeting space in OC.
“Meander through the property, and at every turn, there’s something new,” Caporicci said. “We really have everything within the resort, so a guest doesn’t need to leave to experience what California has to offer.”
Corporate meeting account for nearly half of the resort’s business, Caporicci said.
The property counts seven breakout rooms and two ballrooms: the Monarch Ballroom, which accommodates 270 guests, and the Versailles-inspired Pacific Ballroom, which fits 600.
All can be configured for safe distancing, per Waldorf’s website.
“We’re blessed to have ample outdoor space for people to feel comfortable in,” Caporicci said, adding that the property also has three lawns dedicated to events: the Botanical Lawn, the Grand Lawn and the Pacific Lawn.
Experienced Event Services Team
According to Caporicci, sprawling spaces are not the only perk when it comes to booking meetings at the Waldorf.
The resort, which currently employs about 590 people, prides itself on having “very experienced” event services and senior leadership teams. Most of whom have worked within the luxury hospitality sector, and in coastal California, for the majority of their careers.
Executive Chef Jean Pierre Dupray, who has been with the Waldorf for a year, previously worked with Pelican Hill Resort and the Ritz-Carlton.
With the help of his culinary team, the award-winning chef builds customized menus for each corporate banquet.
Weathering the Pandemic
While the pandemic hammered the hospitality industry overall, the Waldorf “fared well” thanks to its expansive grounds, which gave guests the distance needed to relax safely, Caporicci said.
“Overall, we’re not quite to our 2019 business level, but we’re very close,” she added.
Munz’s 30 years in hospitality also helped.
“He got us through a very tumultuous time, going through not only the peak of Covid, but also a rebranding, from an independent hotel to the Waldorf Astoria brand,” she said. “It takes a true professional to transition a brand while making its team members feel comfortable in that operating environment.
“That alone is admirable.”
