The largest hotel in Orange County is kicking off a full-property renovation this summer with a budget running upwards to $200 million.
The overhaul of the Hilton Anaheim marks the first full-scale makeover of the hotel that opened 40 years ago in time for the 1984 Summer Olympics. This renovation affects the hotel’s 1,574 guest rooms, almost 106,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, restaurants and other accommodations.
These updates arrive during a time of citywide redevelopment as Anaheim, and the county, prepares for the return of the Olympics to Los Angeles in 2028.
The hotel’s previous improvement projects touched on different parts of the resort from adding a bar to the lobby or updating the rooms, never encompassing the entire property.
Renovations began last week following four years of planning by the hotel owners, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). Although the final budget is still being finalized, the overall cost is already hitting the hundred-million-mark, according to General Manager Sergio Bocci.
“Tourism is huge in Anaheim, and [we are] one of the main cogs,” Bocci told the Business Journal.
Bocci’s hospitality career started in Anaheim at what is now the Sheraton Park Hotel as a restaurant busser and then a bellman at the Disneyland Hotel before he joined Hilton Hotels & Resorts in 1985. He became general manager of the local resort last year.
The hotel is located next door to the Anaheim Convention Center and across the street from the Disneyland Resort.
As prices increase, room rates go up and guests are more careful in spending, the general manager said he aims to make sure the hotel offers value.
“This will make a significant difference in the value perception,” he said.
Currently, the hotel’s weekday rate starts at $150 and at $200 for the weekend.
The multi-million-dollar renovation is expected to be completed by next July at the latest.
The hotel will remain open throughout construction.
Details
The updates to the hotel’s rooms and meeting spaces range from adding more outlets to building a new 360-degree bar in the lobby.
When renovating the individual rooms, Bocci said the focus is introducing a more residential feel during the stay, “to look like part of the guests’ home.” This includes converting 70% of the hotel’s tubs into showers.
Everything in the rooms will be brand new, Bocci said, including room locks, thermostats, refrigerators, light fixtures and furniture – much more than just reupholstering.
The event decks on the hotel’s fifth floor will be redesigned to add more event space and build out relaxation amenities. Outdoor areas such as the pool will also be redesigned with additional social spaces such as fire pits, cabanas and a pergola.
“We will have the ability to have smaller or bigger events depending on what the customer needs,” Bocci said.
The general manager added that the team had been looking at the flow of the hotel’s public spaces and decided the lounge should offer a place to network and not clash with front desk traffic. The new circular bar should help with this, he added.
A grab-and-go marketplace is also in the works.
As for dining offerings, the renovation will introduce a new food & beverage concept, a more California-coastal restaurant Bocci said, to replace the current Mix Restaurant & Lounge.
“It’s a complete reinvention of the property versus just a facelift,” he said.
The hotel is working with PCL Construction, Project Management Advisors and Newbond as well as design firm RVD Associates.
Phases, Shifts
The size of the hotel is an advantage when dealing with the construction, Bocci said when asked about keeping the hotel open during renovations.
“We can take 300 rooms out of order and still have 1,200 rooms,” he said. Once the lobby is finished, “some guests won’t even know we’re in a renovation.”
There are two separate contractors for the project, with one focused on the guest rooms and the other on public spaces, which will help with the speed that the hotel’s one-year timeline requires, he said.
Another part of the ongoing project will be maintaining the hotel’s convention partnerships, like the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) annual show, which typically sets up a stage in the lobby for live performances during the event.
Organized groups that focus on industries like NAMM traditionally have their annual meetings at the convention centers. In recent years, these groups have had trouble convincing members to travel to their events; thus, they are booking fewer hotel rooms. By contrast, open bookings have been filled by technology companies and pharmaceutical firms, according to Bocci.
Nonetheless, the emerging trend hasn’t yet resulted in significant downturns and industry bookings remain consistent, he said.
It’s the leisure market that has shifted, he added. Domestic travel has overtaken the international segment, which Japan and Latin America used to lead.
He noted that the local Hilton remains one of the “mainstays” in the company, with departures of group travel from cities like San Francisco propelling the property to the forefront.
As new conventions and development projects are expected to pop up in Anaheim over the next decade, Bocci aims to be prepared. He expects upcoming events such as OCVibe and the DisneylandForward land expansion to be a floodgate for visitors.
“The footprint of Anaheim and what you would call the resort district is really expanding,” he said, adding it could even rival Los Angeles. “It’s going to be much more significant.”