The hotel associated with Orange County’s behemoth of a tourist attraction was dethroned by one of the country’s largest brands in the race for the region’s top spot for meeting spaces.
Hilton Anaheim leapfrogged Disneyland Hotel as Orange County’s top spot for hotel meeting spaces in 2024, with 138,000 square feet of total space available for conventions, events, meetings, weddings and other events.
The hotel at 777 W. Convention Way had the same amount of meeting room space in 2024 as it did in 2023 but surpassed Disneyland Hotel due to changes the latter made last year, meaning there was a shift at the top for event and meeting rooms.
Disneyland Hotel specifically dropped from 215,796 square feet of total meeting space in 2023 to 131,778 square feet last year, a decline of nearly 40% because renovations at the Villas vacation tower resulted in existing meeting spaces being repurposed to other uses.
The rest of the industry, beyond Hilton Anaheim and Disneyland Hotel, showed some changes.
The industry, as of January, had nearly 1.9 million square feet of total meeting space among the 35 Orange County hotels – with most of that space catering to larger events, according to this week’s Business Journal list.
The availability of event space countywide is down about 4% from last year’s totals, with the flip-flop of Hilton Anaheim and Disneyland Hotel at the top highlighting the biggest change of 2024.
Hotels across Orange County, as a result of various internal audits and recounts, are making efforts to offer more meeting space in 2025 and 2026.
The Pelican Jumps
The Resort at Pelican Hill, meanwhile, recently jumped from No. 11 last year to No. 7 on the current list. The hotel changed management and is now operated by Marriott International.
The new team updated the amount of outdoor space to 51,600 square feet – up from 35,000 square feet last year – and said its numbers didn’t include Via Bellagio Street, which the hotel uses for outdoor events.
“The Resort at Pelican Hill is truly one of the crown jewels in Marriott’s growing luxury portfolio. Leading this esteemed property is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m honored to have that responsibility,” Kevin Kelly, general manager at The Resort at Pelican Hill, said in a statement. “Looking ahead, we see very strong demand from the local and national meetings market. Our combination of open-air event space, elegant ballrooms and meeting rooms, and truly exceptional culinary and activity offerings set Pelican Hill apart in a very competitive market.”
Other hotels rising on this year’s list were JW Marriott Anaheim Resort (No. 17 from No. 20 last year) and the Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano (No. 18 from No. 27). Both jumps reflected updated numbers from last year.
The recently renovated Knott’s Hotel jumped from No. 32 last year to No. 23, thanks to it accounting for available outdoor meeting space into its numbers for 2025. The biggest drop on this year’s list was Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which dropped to No. 24 on this year’s list, down from No. 17 in 2024. Disney’s Grand Californian reported 34,287 square feet of total available meeting space this year, down from 44,913 square feet in 2024.
Like the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian adjusted existing meeting spaces to other uses.
—Emily Santiago-Molina and Desmond Celo contributed to this report
