Sizing up the Wyndham Hotel Orange County
Plenty of hotels in California welcome same-sex weddings (which were legalized by the California Supreme Court in a historic ruling on May 15, 2008), but this modern, upscale property in Costa Mesa's Theater & Arts District works especially hard to welcome GLBT travelers - in fact, becoming a top gay wedding site is a mission of the Wyndham's openly gay General Manager, Thomas Smalley. Although the hotel is most popular among business travelers and it's located close to the many gleaming office towers of Costa Mesa and Irvine, the Wyndham also has a strong following among vacationers, especially on weekends. Two major reasons for this are the hotel's close proximity (within walking distance) to the stunning Segerstrom Center for the Arts/Orange County Performing Arts Center (along with its hip Letherby's Cafe Rouge) and the fashionable South Coast Plaza shopping mall. Of course, it's the management's serious commitment to the LGBT community that makes the Wyndham a true winner for gay and lesbian travelers.
Pros:
- Enthusiastically welcomes the gay and lesbian community, and it's an excellent and reasonably priced venue for same-sex weddings.
- Short walk to theaters, a fabulous spa and athletic club, and a huge shopping mall.
- Well-kept and contemporary rooms, many overlooking a pleasant man-made lake and plaza.
- Reasonably priced, especially on weekends, when many deals are offered.
- The hotel is extremely pet-friendly - they even offer a "Paws and Claws" package that helps raise money for the Greyhound Pets of America charity. They also employ a PetRequest Manager, and they welcome dogs to the patio of their TerraNova restaurant.
Cons:
- It's in the middle of a neighborhood that feels a bit corporate and office-campus-y.
- Tends to be the domain of corporate travelers on weekdays, when rates can also be a big higher.
- Just a 15-minute drive from Orange County beaches, but not within walking distance of much in the way of greenery and parkland.
The Vibe: A mainstream but very gay-friendly hotel that's more biz-oriented on weekdays, leisure-minded on weekends, and small enough (238 rooms) to avoid feeling like a convention hotel. Lots of performers and staff from nearby performings arts centers stay here.
The Wyndham is a pleasant, reasonably priced, and conveniently located hotel with a friendly staff that works hard to make everybody - including gay and lesbian guests - feel welcome. If you want to be close to Orange County shopping and arts and just a 15-mile drive from gay-popular Laguna Beach, but you'd rather not spend the mega-bucks required to book a comparable room at an oceanfront property, the Wyndham is an excellent choice.
If you and your partner are looking for a site to hold a wedding, the Wyndham truly stands out - it's affordable, and the general manager and hotel staff are experienced with and enthusiastic about same-sex wedding planning. An on-site wedding coordinator works closely with same-sex couples to help them plan the perfect ceremony and can recommend a local officiant to conduct it. Ceremonies take place in a peaceful, modern plaza behind the hotel, overlooking a tranquil man-made lake - the venue can accommodate up to 250 guests, but it's also ideal for much smaller parties. This is an attractive and private site, if not necessarily a spectacular one - having a wedding here also costs a fraction of what it would at a site overlooking the ocean or nestled in a fancy vineyard. In fact, for the price, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more welcoming and appealing outdoor gay wedding venue in the area.
The hotel has plenty of other cool features that make it a worthwhile choice for leisure travelers. The Wyndham partners with the luxe Spa at South Coast Plaza, which is a five-minute walk away and has a full range of top-of-the-line spa treatments, a huge fitness center, and a terrific little cafe. And the lobby displays local art on a rotating basis, with proceeds helping to fund art education at an area high school.
The Details:
Address, phone, and web: 3350 Ave. of the Arts, Costa Mesa, 714-751-5100 or 877-999-3223; book online at the hotel's web reservations page.
Rates: Rates run as low as around $89 on weekends, and generally $129 and up on weekdays, depending on availability.
Rooms and notable in-amenities: 238 rooms (including 35 suites) with contemporary decor, Herman Miller Aeron chairs and attractive work desks, high-speed Internet, stereos with iPod docks, and microwaves and refrigerators are available on request.
Noteworthy hotel amenities: Full-service restaurant, day passes to use nearby Spa at South Coast Plaza, outdoor pool and fitness center on-site, adjacent jogging path, lakeside plaza for weddings and events.
