Major investment in entertainment, workspace and accommodation is strengthening the case for Anaheim as a dual-purpose destination
The bleisure travel trend – business trips extended to include leisure time – is reshaping how corporate travellers choose destinations, and Anaheim is making a strong play for that market.
For travel agents fielding requests from corporate clients heading to Southern California for conferences or conventions, the destination’s combination of world-class meetings infrastructure and genuine holiday appeal is an increasingly easy sell.
At the centre of its business events offering is the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest convention facility on the US West Coast, which sits within easy reach of thousands of hotel rooms and a growing dining and entertainment precinct. Clients arriving early or staying on after an event have immediate access to Disneyland Resort, Honda Center, Angel Stadium and the coastal destinations of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.
A significant pipeline of new development is adding further weight to the destination’s bleisure credentials. OCVIBE, a 100-acre entertainment and lifestyle district currently taking shape around Honda Center, will bring together dining, live entertainment, hospitality and workplaces in a walkable precinct, with phased openings expected through 2027 and beyond. The latest addition announced for the precinct is The Weave, an office and workplace destination anchored by Kiln, a flexible co-working and community hub designed around collaboration – a format that caters directly to the growing cohort of remote workers who travel and work simultaneously.
On the accommodation front, the 1,574-room Hilton Anaheim – located directly adjacent to the Convention Center – has completed a multi-million-dollar renovation covering guestrooms, meeting spaces and dining outlets, while upgrades at John Wayne Airport are improving connectivity for international and connecting travellers.
Longer term, DisneylandForward will expand the resort’s footprint with new attractions, hotels, dining and shopping, creating additional pre- and post-event options for groups and leisure extensions.
For agents packaging business travel to Southern California, Anaheim offers a destination that can absorb both the conference and the holiday – often without clients needing to move hotels.