The nearly 40-year old Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa is getting a new name and a luxury-brand upgrade as the Dana Point property undergoes a multimillion-dollar makeover to become Orange County’s second JW Marriott.
The property, which opened as the Dana Point Resort in 1987, is rebranding as The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point, a JW Marriott Resort.
JW Marriott, one of Marriott International’s luxury brands, and property manager Aimbridge Hospitality announced several updates to the now 371-room hotel, including a new pool, an additional 6,000-square-foot ballroom and a new restaurant.
The renovation is scheduled to be completed
The renovation is scheduled to be completed in 2027, coinciding with the current $700 million revitalization of Dana Point Harbor.
The Laguna Cliffs Marriott will join the 466-room JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort as the region’s second JW Marriott hotel. General Manager Ben Ly said part of the rebrand was to include “Dana Point” in the hotel’s name to take advantage of the city’s reputation as an upscale location.
The hotel’s room count fell slightly to 371 during the renovation, which makes it the 28th-largest hotel in Orange County
Luxury and upper-upscale properties like Laguna Cliffs Marriott
Luxury and upper-upscale properties like Laguna Cliffs Marriott make up “a substantial portion of existing rooms” in the Dana Point and Newport Beach hospitality submarket, “attracting a disproportionately affluent customer base while supporting some of the highest lodging rates in Orange County,”
CoStar says half of the 12,000 guest rooms in the Newport Beach and Dana Point submarket belong to luxury and upper, upscale properties.
The coastal region’s 12-month occupancy is 70.8% as of August, up 1.1% year-over-year. Average daily room rate the past year was $300, up 5.9% from a year ago. Revenue per room is up 7.1% to $210.
The resort’s renovation also occurs at a time
The resort’s renovation also occurs at a time of minimal development activity in the area, with zero new rooms under construction.
Luxury “is an ever-evolving business,” Ly said, “and we have to stay on top of the changes.”
Outdoors: Reconfiguring Spaces
During a tour of the property in September, Ly said the renovation’s goal was to reconfigure and better align the hotel’s public spaces for guests.
The adult pool and main lawn for outdoor
The adult pool and main lawn for outdoor events have been switched to establish distinct business and lifestyle zones after visitor feedback noted that the spaces seemed “misaligned.”
The new premier pool, two times the size of the previous one, and the 15,000-square-foot courtyard will be completed in the next few weeks. The latter space opens in October and has its first event already booked.
Construction is led by C.W. Driver with design firms HKS and ROAM.
Another change is a new 6,000-square-foot meeting room being built from the ground up. Located between the parking structure and the main lobby, the new ballroom will have natural lighting and new audio and visual (AV) technology from Pinnacle to allow the hotel to accept more group business.
The ballroom replaces smaller breakout rooms
The ballroom replaces smaller breakout rooms and a part of the front driveway, which will be updated with a new roundabout, archway, water feature and pedestrian entrance.
Underneath the existing 10,000-square-foot ballroom will also be a new bridal suite. Laguna Cliffs will soon have nearly 60,000 square feet of meeting and event spaces.
Also, the entire hotel will be repainted, going from its blue walls and red tops to a white exterior with grey roofs.
“I think details are what makes a luxury environment successful,” Ly said.
The Laguna Cliffs team is developing two new
The Laguna Cliffs team is developing two new dining concepts to operate in its former restaurant spaces.
The former Lantern’s Edge restaurant downstairs has been gutted to make room for casual food and beverage service for the new pool, replacing the Overview bar.
A new full-service restaurant will move upstairs next to the hotel lobby and will feature a newly built wraparound balcony for oceanfront, outdoor seating.
Both concepts should be revealed by the end of 2026.
The hotel is also redesigning the main lobby
The hotel is also redesigning the main lobby upstairs, relocating the elevator and removing a water fountain to access the view of Dana Point Harbor through new, taller windows. A new grab-and-go marketplace will also be built.
A soft refresh of the guest rooms is in the works for next year, once construction on the main building is finished. The existing indoor meeting spaces have been refreshed as well.
Once the main renovations are complete — target date is early 2027 — the hotel will be known as The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point.
Ly joined Laguna Cliffs Marriott in early 2024
Ly joined Laguna Cliffs Marriott in early 2024 after almost 20 years working for the Hilton company across California at hotels in the Bay area, Santa Barbara and Beverly Hills.
“I don’t foresee myself ever leaving California,” Ly said with a laugh.
He added that when considering the GM position, renovation plans drew him to the property.
“This is my second rebrand, and I’ve found that I have the most joy in creating,” Ly said.
The hotel owners and management began discussing
The hotel owners and management began discussing the transition to a JW Marriott property back in 2019, Ly added. Once the team decided to renovate and rearrange the hotel’s business and lifestyle areas, it was time to rebrand.
“The change really happened when we made the decision to align all the different zones and make a significant impact on the hotel on a long-term basis,” Ly said.
