Winter 2024

E xtraordinary coastal landscapes and wildlife access draw many travelers to the Monterey Peninsula. Stretching along 600 feet of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary shoreline, the freshly renovated Monterey Beach Hotel offers a front-row seat to the grandeur. “The first time I walked into the lobby of the hotel, I was shocked. It felt like walking onto a cruise ship, with all those floor-to-ceiling windows,” says Nathan Hanner, the property’s general manager. Before long, he spotted more than 40 dolphins frolicking in the bay. “It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.The fact that you can be that close to the wildlife and to the natural beauty of Monterey just blows my mind. It really speaks to the exclusivity of this location.” The Monterey Beach Hotel opened in 1967, the same year that big-name musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin performed down the road at the Monterey Pop Festival. After changing hands and changing titles in the decades that followed, the property returned to its original name and unveiled a top-to-bottom transformation in August 2024. The 192-room hotel, now part of the Marriott Tribute Portfolio, capital- izes on its waterfront location. “Whether you’re sitting in the Lantern Room, which is our new signature restaurant, or staying in an oceanfront room, you’ll find completely unob- structed views of the Pacific Ocean,” Hanner says. STYLE BY THE SEA Mon t erey Beach Hot e l B Y R ENE E B R I NCK S D E S T I N AT I O N S C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 4 173 Photos: Courtesy of Monterey Beach Hotel