INTRODUCTION
VEA Newport Beach is a 400‑room resort with 70,000 square feet of meeting space in Newport Beach, California, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, yet operating as a standalone “one‑of‑one” lifestyle brand. Formerly the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa, the property underwent an $85 million “transformation—not a renovation” that gutted guest towers, rebuilt event space, refreshed the lobby and pool, and added new restaurants before reopening as VEA in July 2022.
Ben Stinnett, Director of Sales and Marketing, leads the team responsible for driving group demand in a highly competitive Southern California coastal market. Leigh Camel, owner of LCLLC, runs a two‑person agency that sources and operates a wide range of programs—from small incentives to large B2B conferences. The two met while Leigh was searching for the perfect venue for an upcoming event for one of her customers.
Their shared challenge: how to put a new, non‑legacy brand on the map for corporate and association groups who often default to better‑known flags. The new name creates an opportunity for creativity for the hotel, but is not immediately associated with a service level or expeirence for attendees.
We need to get in front of as many customers as possible to tell our story. It’s the process of getting them here, making sure people are taking our RFP responses seriously, and getting on RFPs.
CHALLENGE
A New Brand in a Crowded Coastal Market
Coming out of a multi‑year construction period, VEA was effectively relaunching in 2022. The resort moved from a traditional Marriott to a repositioned, luxury-leaning product, competing at roughly double their previous rates. That meant the marketing team was responsible for attracting planners who might never have heard of VEA and convincing brand‑loyal Marriott buyers to try a new, standalone concept. Winning a meaningful slice of southern California demand required standing out where planners search—on the Cvent Supplier Network.
The venues that stand out are the ones with complete, compelling content on their CSN profiles, and the teams that respond quickly, thoroughly, and proactively. With hundreds of RFPs flowing in annually (nearly 1,000 in 2025 alone) and planners casting wide nets, Ben’s team needed a way to prioritize the right opportunities and convert them efficiently.
Few hotels actually follow up and eagerly ask for a piece of business. VEA’s team was really proactive. They wanted to figure out how to make this work because they really want your business.’
SOLUTION
Using Exposure via the Group Pipeline Multiplier to build visibility fast
As VEA emerged from renovation, Ben’s team invested in a Cvent Group Pipeline Multiplier advertising package that combined CSN advertising products, including Suggested Ads and a Diamond Plus ad.
With Suggested Ads, the team targeted specific competitors in South Orange County, Huntington Beach, and Los Angeles so that when planners sourced those properties, VEA would appear alongside as a recommended alternative.
We signed up for Group Pipeline Multiplier, which gave us a bunch of Suggested Ads so that planners like Leigh, who were sourcing some of our competitors, would see VEA on the side of that listing and be curious about what VEA was.
I really appreciate when a hotel puts a ton of content in their Cvent Supplier Network profile because it cuts back on the back and forth and the time.
RESULTS
From First RFPs to Repeat Business
One of the earliest marquee wins driven by the Group Pipeline Multiplier was a large conference in 2025, sourced by Leigh. She discovered VEA via CSN, validating that the meeting spaces and room counts worked, and was drawn in by the profile content and Marriott affiliation. The event’s success turned VEA into a go‑to option for a large event planning organization’s broader portfolio: “Another agency absorbed that event, and they have continued to rebook. VEA is now completely on that organization’s radar, and they do a lot more events than I do.”
In short, one CSN‑originated program created a ripple effect into a much larger ecosystem of events. Shortly after that initial event at VEA Newport Beach, Leigh sent another RFP for a DE&I event. Leigh added VEA to the RFP “kind of at the last minute” after convincing a client to consider the property. She used CSN to request a tight, two‑day turnaround because she knew from experience that the VEA team would respond quickly and thoroughly. Ongoing collaboration has gone far beyond rates and space, with the resort working closely to support the client’s mission in a politically sensitive environment. This is exactly the kind of deeper partnership Ben hoped CSN visibility would unlock. The group continues to bring more than 1,000 room nights to the hotel each year.
Within a single year (2025), VEA’s CSN investment translated into over 900 total RFPs and 300,000+ room nights sourced via CSN. They maintain a healthy 17% share of all RFP value in its city and 7% share of room nights.
Cvent is always the starting point in a lot of these relationships, but what we’ve built on the back end is really what’s led to our future success.
BEST PRACTICES
Hotels and resorts can learn from VEA Newport Beach to better target valuable planners and build long-lasting relationships that benefit both the property and the group.
- Treat CSN as your primary discovery channel. For a newly transformed property in a crowded market, CSN exposure is essential. Enhanced listings and Diamond Plus ads can rapidly increase consideration, and RFP volume, and Suggested Ads targeted at true comp set properties help balance volume with qualification and improve conversion.
- Make your profile planner‑ready. Top planners expect accurate, rich visual content that shows real events, not just empty rooms, and clear indications of need dates and promotions.
- Back marketing with operational excellence. Advertising gets you on the shortlist; execution wins repeat business. Fast response times and high bid rates on CSN build trust with planners and protect your online reputation.
- Measure and refine your mix. VEA’s willingness to test and adjust helped them avoid wasting time on poorly qualified RFPs and increase focus on planners whose intent and budgets matched the repositioned product
MEETING SPACE
70,000 sq. ft.
GUEST ROOMS
400
CHALLENGE
- VEA relaunched after an $85M transformation, moving to a higher-ADR lifestyle resort competing with long-established coastal brands.
- Many planners and their East Coast clients hadn’t heard of “VEA.”
- Event planners needed venues that were easy to find in CSN, with rich, accurate listing content, and that responded quickly and proactively.
SOLUTION
- VEA invested in Cvent Advertising, combining their CSN Diamond listing, Diamond Plus, and highly targeted Suggested Ads against its comp set.
- The team built a robust CSN profile with extensive photography, clear capacity charts, Photo-Realistic 3D tours, and need dates and promotions that align with planner expectations.
- By analyzing performance, VEA leaned into Suggested Ads, prioritizing more qualified RFPs over raw volume.
RESULTS
- In 2025, VEA received 906 CSN RFPs.
- CSN Diamond Plus and Suggested Ads drove significant year-over-year growth in sourced value and room nights, while the property maintained a 98.8% response rate and an average response time of ~10.5 hours.
- High-profile wins like those sourced by LCLLC sparked repeat bookings across larger portfolios and cemented VEA’s reputation as a trusted, partnership-oriented resort.
