The Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa, a Dana Point fixture perched above the harbor since it opened as the Dana Point Resort in 1987, is getting a new name and a top-to-bottom makeover. JW Marriott and Aimbridge Hospitality have announced plans to transform the property into The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point, a JW Marriott Resort, refreshing all 371 guest rooms and adding a new ballroom, restaurant and pool along the way.
The rebrand was detailed in a report from Hospitality Interiors, which described the transformation as including an expansive resort pool, an expanded multi-acre event lawn, enhanced ballroom and meeting facilities, and a reimagined arrival experience. The project will also bring a signature chef-driven restaurant and what the outlet called elevated resort amenities. Separately, according to Hotel News Resource, the project will refresh the property's 371 guest rooms as part of the rebrand.
The design overhaul falls to HKS and ROAM, the two hospitality design firms the resort selected to reinterpret its classic look, per Hospitality Interiors. HKS principal Deanne Teeter described the design as a love letter to Dana Point and its maritime and coastal heritage, saying it draws its stories from the area's nautical memories, coastal cottages and the California coast. The design is also pulling inspiration from Dana Point's history, its painted cottages, the historic Lantern District and the city's surf culture.
A New Arrival, Lobby and Pool Experience
Plans call for expanding the resort's arrival and public spaces to showcase ocean views and strengthen its connection to what Hospitality Interiors described as a bluff-meets-sea setting. The lobby is set to flow through dining spaces and onto an ocean-view deck, while pre-function meeting areas will be reimagined as indoor-outdoor environments. The resort's event lawn will be expanded and relocated adjacent to the Richard Henry Dana Ballroom, a move intended to accommodate larger groups and multiple simultaneous events.
The resort's central pool is slated to become a focal point of the guest experience, with refreshed lounge areas and ocean views built into the redesign. Global hospitality design firms HKS and ROAM are overseeing the project, according to Hotel Dive, which also reports the resort plans to continue offering its recently renovated family pool area, cabana rentals, Kid's Club and Splash Zone.
Construction Rolling Out in Phases
The resort's own site, The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point, lays out the work in three phases rather than a single timeline: the first phase covers a new event lawn and resort pool, the second covers the ballrooms, lobby and restaurants, and the final phase covers the entry drive into the resort. The same site states that certain parts of the project will be completed at different times, and it notes the resort footprint is remaining the same and will not expand into the existing Lantern Bay Park.
Timing estimates vary elsewhere. The Orange County Business Journal has reported a target of early 2027 for the main renovations, after which the hotel would be known as The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point. Food & Beverage Magazine, meanwhile, has reported that the property is scheduled to officially become The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point, a JW Marriott Resort, in April 2027. The resort's own phased description does not specify which month applies to either estimate.
Betting on Dana Point's Luxury Market
The rebrand lands as Orange County's coastal hotel market is running hot. CoStar figures cited by the Orange County Business Journal show half of the 12,000 guest rooms in the Newport Beach and Dana Point submarket belong to luxury and upper-upscale properties, and the coastal region's 12-month occupancy rate stood at 70.8% as of August, up 1.1% year over year. The average daily room rate over the past year was $300, up 5.9%, while revenue per room climbed 7.1% to $210, the business journal reported.
Marriott's own numbers point the same direction: the company saw luxury RevPAR rise more than 9% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, according to Hotel Dive. Once complete, the Dana Point property will join the 466-room JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort as the region's second JW Marriott hotel, per the Orange County Business Journal's report.
