JW Marriott Unveils The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point in Southern California

JW Marriott and Aimbridge Hospitality have announced a phased transformation of the blufftop resort above Dana Point Harbor, which will debut as The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point, a JW Marriott Resort. The property, formerly the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa, has stood on this stretch of the Southern California coast for nearly four decades.

The plans, announced on 15 September 2026, touch almost every part of a guest’s path through the property. They add an expansive resort pool, an expanded multiacre event lawn, a new 6,000-square-foot ballroom, a reimagined arrival experience and a signature chef-driven restaurant. All 371 guest rooms will be refreshed. Aimbridge Hospitality operates the resort, and the work is being carried out in phases, so the new elements will come into use in stages.

Design firms HKS and ROAM are reinterpreting the interiors, and their references are closely local. The scheme draws on Dana Point’s painted cottages, its historic Lantern District and its surf culture. For a traveller, that points to a resort intended to read as part of its town, with a sense of place carried from the public rooms through to the bedrooms. The 371 guest rooms will take on residentially inspired interiors in a coastal palette, which suggests a calmer, more domestic register for the accommodation.

The arrival sequence is where returning guests are likely to notice the change first. The entry drive and porte cochere have been refined, and the arrival and public spaces have been expanded to showcase the ocean views that the blufftop setting affords. From there, the lobby will flow through the dining spaces and out onto an expansive ocean-view deck, a terrace intended for sunset cocktails. It is a sensible reading of the site. The resort sits above the harbour, steps from Lantern Bay Park, and the new layout draws the eye towards the water from the moment of arrival.

Dining will be anchored by the signature chef-driven restaurant, which forms part of that progression from lobby to deck. Outdoors, the expansive new resort pool adds a second place to spend the day by the water, alongside the family facilities already in place. Taken together, the restaurant, the deck and the pool give the resort a stronger set of shared spaces, which is where a property of this size tends to earn its place on a leisure itinerary.

Families who know the property will find its established strengths intact. The resort will keep its recently renovated family pool area, cabana rentals, Kid’s Club and Splash Zone, and it will add locally inspired programming and outdoor activities. That continuity matters for multigenerational parties, who can plan around facilities that are already tested while the newer spaces come into use around them.

The events side receives considerable attention, which is in keeping with the resort’s history: it is long established as an Orange County venue for meetings and weddings. A new 6,000-square-foot ballroom is part of the plan, and the multiacre event lawn will be expanded and relocated next to the Richard Henry Dana Ballroom. The stated aim is to allow the resort to host larger groups and several simultaneous events. For anyone planning a wedding weekend or a celebration with a sizeable guest list, the combination of indoor space and an adjoining lawn above the harbour is the detail to note.

The practical point for travellers considering this part of the California coast is that the project is phased. Guests booking a stay would do well to ask the resort which elements are complete at the time of their visit, particularly the resort pool, the signature restaurant and the ocean-view deck. Those planning a wedding or a larger gathering have good reason to enquire early about the new ballroom and the relocated lawn.

The repositioning brings a long-standing coastal address into the JW Marriott portfolio with its setting unchanged and its public spaces turned more decisively towards the ocean. For leisure, family and celebration travellers who favour Southern California, The Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point is a name to keep on the list as the phases are completed.

Source: Marriott