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Look Out Omaha, L.A.'s Coming After Your Conventions

By Eric Richardson
Published: Tuesday, February 16, 2010, at 02:56PM
JW Marriott LA Live Eric Richardson []

A long corridor connects the JW Marriott L.A. Live to its ballrooms, part of the 100,000 square feet of meeting space inside the facility. That hotel is already helping lift Los Angeles' historically poor convention bookings.



DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — For being the nation's second-largest city, Los Angeles has historically struggled when it comes to convention business. In a recent ranking of conventions booked, the city placed 27th. Omaha, Nebraska, placed 26th.

"We used to get our ass kicked by Omaha," said AEG CEO Tim Leiweke during a January event.

The words "used to" are important. If you believe the speeches, the city's fortunes are changing thanks in no small part to AEG's L.A. Live entertainment complex and the 878-room JW Marriott that opened yesterday.

"You are witnessing an industry that will experience a 300% growth with the opening of this hotel," said AEG CEO Tim Leiweke during a ribbon cutting held this morning. "This city now will act like it should, the second-largest city in the United States and the best place to bring events and conventions anywhere in North America."

The city managed to compile its poor record in spite of its renowned weather. "This is the middle of the winter," noted Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "No snowstorm here, everybody!"

Los Angeles will get its chance to really sell itself this August, when the American Society of Association Executives. "This convention ... is really the Super Bowl of conventions," said Mark Lieberman, head of LA Inc, the Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We're going to bring together 16,000 meeting planners here to Los Angeles to see what has been created. These are the decision makers."

Lieberman celebrated the fact that he no longer has to tell customers that the convention center hotel is coming. "Here we are today and it really has," he said.

The hotel opened its doors on Monday at 10am, welcoming guests from the concert industry's Pollstar Live event. It also opened the doors to its restaurant, the Kerry Simon-helmed LA Market, and three bars. All were packed Monday evening, with even more of a rush expected this evening as Staples Center hosts a Lakers game.

Opening on March 15 is the Ritz Carlton hotel that sits atop the JW Marriott. Its 123 rooms are on floors 22 through 26 of the 54-story structure. The remaining floors will house the 224-unit Residences at the Ritz Carlton, which will open later this spring.

The combined product creates one large building. The tower cost roughly $1 billion to construct.

"Can you believe this?" asked KTLA's Stan Chambers, master of ceremonies for this morning's event. "When I started, you could only build 13-floor hotels." Who better than Chambers to ask about Downtown? Before starting his career with KTLA in 1947, Chambers worked Downtown at both the Desmond's and Silverwood's department stores. "I look above me and we've got plenty more than 13."

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User_32

Dan Hess () on February 16, 2010, at 03:05PM – #1

So how long til LA goes after the grand-daddy of all SoCal conventions - San Diego comic-con? It's a long-shot, but its becoming more and more apparent that SD is running out of room and LA is starting to look mighty appealing...


Don Garza on February 16, 2010, at 06:01PM – #2

This is a dream come true for Los Angeles... kudos to all of those who helped create public and private partnerships from the very beginning.

Same here!!! Comic-con would be great!!!


User_32

Tornadoes28 on February 16, 2010, at 09:07PM – #3

So our goal is to beat Omaha? What are we gonna do, take all their hog conventions?


User_32

() on February 16, 2010, at 09:27PM – #4

Everybody has been saying for years that opening hotels immediately adjacent to the Convention Center would catapult Los Angeles into a leadership position in the convention business. We'll pass Omaha in a matter of minutes, but it's really Anaheim that is the one to beat.


User_32

FISH on February 17, 2010, at 06:14AM – #5

Actually TORNADOES28, the Berkshire shareholder meeting is held at the convention center in Omaha every May (being that the 2nd wealthiest person in the world lives in Omaha). There's more money in that venue during this time than the GDP of MANY countries. Who's the hog?


Eric Gonzalez on February 17, 2010, at 07:18AM – #6

Great News Indeed for Los Angeles...now only to get the rest of the South Park streetscape activated into an actual walking Organically grown community...the Convention Attendees will need more than Bright Lights Big Name Restaurants to keep them enchanted with LA.

Laugh as much as you may over the Omaha comment Tornadoes28 but believe it or not Omaha could teach LA a thing or two about Urban Development ~ http://www.planetizen.com/node/21498 http://www.metropolismag.com/story//great-plains-urbanism


User_32

David McBane on February 17, 2010, at 11:14AM – #7

I wish the City would just sell the Convention Center to AEG. There is no reason that the City should be running a money-making enterprise -- that's way outside the City's core mission.


User_32

General Jeff on February 17, 2010, at 11:44AM – #8

Congratulations goes out to all the many entities that helped to bring this most important project to fruition. AEG Worldwide, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, the City of Los Angeles, et al.

Now, with the "positive movement" that has started in Skid Row, as a City we can begin to fully transform the overall image of Los Angeles and improve our standing as the eighth-largest economy in the world by the increased tourism and additional commerce from major events such as conventions.

Reminder: we still need more help in Skid Row.

Nothing that a few billion-dollar projects of it's own wouldn't help.

Also, props to South Park and the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District.


User_32

Tornadoes28 on February 17, 2010, at 11:57AM – #9

Fish, Omaha is Bershire's HQ. Obviously that is where they would hold there shareholder meetings.


Guest 1

Guest on February 18, 2010, at 09:40AM – #10

LA has long had to split the convention business with Anaheim. So the 2 areas should be added together to get a better idea of how the region fares. Still, LA has been stuck with a poor reputation for years, mainly because so much of the city is far too dingy. Even today, a lot of ugliness continues to be in the immediate area of LA Live.

Blight also can be seen throughout many other portions of the city. Case in point: the shabbiness of much of the Santa Ana Fwy corridor from LA all the way down to Anaheim.

The folks managing the affairs of LA have been too easygoing about the city's unkempt condition for quite awhile. They need to start going through southern Calif with their eyes wide open and asking how things can be made less unattractive.


Eric Richardson () on February 18, 2010, at 10:10AM – #11

That combined regional traffic doesn't help the City of Los Angeles, though. Conventions in Anaheim don't spend money at Los Angeles hotels or in Los Angeles restaurants.


Guest 1

Guest on February 18, 2010, at 06:43PM – #12

I've just gone through numerous (over 60 or more) online reviews of guests who've stayed at the Bonaventure Hotel. I'm astounded at how consistently negative most of them are. Since the hotel is rather iconic, and should therefore have enough basic curb appeal to not be slammed as though it were a no-tell motel in Tarzana, I didn't realize it could still end up turning off so many customers.

Many of their comments make the Bonaventure sound horrible. That's important because as the largest hotel in downtown L.A., its reputation will have a major impact on the community overall. If travelers, including delegates at a convention, are very derisive about the hotel they're staying at, that can easily color their impression of the city the hotel is located in.

The Bonaventure needs to be mentioned because its owner, Peter Zen, several years ago tried to stop the city from approving a deal that would bring the Marriott and Ritz hotels to L.A. Live. He kept threatening to take the city to court. That made me suspicious about the type of person he is. Is he a whiner always saying "I'll sue, I'll sue!"? A person unwilling to look in the mirror when determining who really deserves blame for a business in serious need of more customers?

I have read that the Bonaventure is being slowly renovated. It apparently desperately (desperately!) needs it! But all the negative online comments about the hotel make me suspect its problems go beyond just poor maintenance and appearance. If so, and if Peter Zen remains incapable of getting his act together, and that of his hotel, he deserves to be given a one-way ticket out of town.



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