The newly renovated Westin LAX is greater than an airport hotel

Airport hotels are primarily viewed as business travel destinations. Travelers from across the country or across the ocean arrive here to clean up and get night’s sleep before their business meetings.

Or the hotel itself could possibly be the business location. The Westin Los Angeles Airport (Westin LAX) has 5,200 m² of meeting space and is commonly used for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) and other events.

The Westin (a Marriott Bonvoy property) can be conveniently positioned near Los Angeles’ beach scene and entertainment venues resembling SoFi Stadium, so the hotel can be frequented by many social events and individual leisure travelers.

The hotel recently accomplished a $45 million renovation that included a redesign of public areas resembling the lobby, check-in and bar. The Westin Club can be latest and serves complimentary breakfast, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages to club-level members. The renovation also modernized the hotel’s meeting rooms and 750 guest rooms.

The update has a “green” theme and refers back to the El Segundo blue butterfly native to the coast of Los Angeles County within the carpeting and with an image in each guest room.

Each upgraded guest room also features bamboo bedding, which we found to be comfortable. Not only is bamboo bedding eco-friendly, durable, and antimicrobial, nevertheless it also improves sleep because it incorporates temperature-regulating fibers with… This also suits with Westin’s Sleep Well program, because the hotel also offers a turndown service with lavender essential oil.

The green theme even extends to the parking zone, where 45 electric vehicle chargers have been installed. Many travelers strive to scale back their carbon footprint by renting an electrical vehicle or trying an electrical vehicle before buying one.

The hotel is true next to the airport and offers a free airport shuttle roughly every quarter-hour. Los Angeles’ famous beaches are also a 15-minute shuttle ride away. Guests can easily rent bikes or skates on the beach bike path. Beaches like Dockweiler, Playa Del Rey and El Segundo are all nearby. The Westin LAX now even offers its own surf concierge who will take guests on a guided tour, directing them to the most effective beaches, tide patterns and surf breaks near the hotel.

With a gym, pool, bar and restaurant, the Westin also offers space for leisure and social events.

“Our $45 million renovation has transformed us into more than just an airport hotel,” said Melanie Stroh, director of sales and marketing for the Westin LAX. “We are now a destination that caters to a diverse audience, whether you’re attending an event at SoFi or the Intuit Dome, planning a beach vacation, or organizing a meeting or group gathering.”

The hotel recently opened a Topgolf Swing Suitewith 1850 square meters of event space. Groups can mingle, eat and drink while testing their swings, hitting home runs, kicking footballs, playing zombie dodgeball or putting the in-suite hockey sticks to good use. Individual guests can even try it out for $75 an hour. According to the Association of the Sports and Fitness IndustryOff-course golf was certainly one of the fastest growing sports in 2023, growing by 67.5%.

The location makes it a central meeting place for social groups; after I was there, the Westin hosted a bunch of 700 Freemasons. The hotel also has indoor and outdoor spaces for social events resembling weddings and meetings, with one room capable of accommodate as much as 1500 guests. The hotel also has a state-of-the-art cinema hall with screen that may accommodate 200 guests in classic cinema seating.

The Westin LAX can be lower than 4 miles from the burgeoning sports and entertainment complex in nearby Inglewood, California, including the 65,000-seat SoFi Stadium (home of the NFL Rams and Chargers), the Kia Forum (17,505 seats; primarily a concert venue) and the brand new 18,000-seat Intuit Dome, home of the NBA Clippers.

While the People Mover that may transport passengers at LAX has been postponed again until December 8, 2025, airport hotels just like the Westin and their shuttles are helping passengers get to and from LAX, certainly one of the busiest airports within the country.

Hotels just like the Westin and their transport partners like LA VIP Tours (motto: “No guest left behind”) also makes it much easier to get to SoFi Stadium. SoFi, with an estimated 10,000 parking spaces for 65,000 people, is notoriously difficult in the case of parking or access to rideshares.

The LA Chargers, Rams and Clippers attract each local fans and fans of opposing teams, each of whom often travel from far-off and want nearby accommodations just like the Westin.

Taylor Swift performed eight sold-out shows at SoFi last 12 months with greater than 450,000 ticket holders. Not coincidentally, those shows were also sold out on the Westin.

SoFi and the Intuit Dome may even play a very important role within the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“With SoFi Stadium and the soon-to-open Intuit Dome hosting headliners like Taylor Swift, the Rolling Stones and Usher, we’re seeing a trend where travelers prefer to stay in the LAX corridor,” says Mark Goldrup, General Manager of the Westin LAX. “Our hotel is the closest full-service option to this vibrant entertainment district and is quite busy on event nights.”

Comfortable rooms, easy accessibility by automobile and airport, and an on-site restaurant make the Westin a fantastic alternative for concertgoers. Just as importantly, the Westin helps guests overcome potential “last mile” travel nightmares.

For the Rolling Stones show, a VIP bus stuffed with noisy fans dropped us off 1 / 4 mile from the stadium and picked us up at a delegated location after the show. No stress, no hassle.

On the day of our stay, the hotel staff had no problem coping with the virtually 100% capability. The hotel lobby resembled a “small UN” with guests from everywhere in the world.

The Westin staff assisted 700 Masons at their convention, helping hotel guests check in while also sending Stones fans to the show. The mix was quite convivial, with well-dressed Masons and Stones fans in T-shirts mingling within the elevators and public areas.

It was a last-minute decision for us to see the Rolling Stones and their energetic 80-year-old frontmen Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It was our eighth Stones show, in any case. But staying on the Westin helped make it possible for us. Because the song goes“This could be the last time.”