Santa Clara United States
Santa Clara is a city in the heart of Silicon Valley, bordered by San Jose and Sunnyvale, and home to the headquarters of Intel, NVIDIA, and dozens of other major technology companies. The Santa Clara Convention Center sits in the centre of the city and hosts numerous large technology conferences and trade shows throughout the year. For international visitors, the closest major airport is San Jose Mineta International (SJC), about 5km away, with direct connections to many US hubs and some international routes. San Francisco International (SFO) and Oakland (OAK) are also accessible via BART and driving. The city is connected to San Jose and San Francisco by the VTA light rail and Caltrain, though most conference attendees use rideshares for local transport. The area has an extensive concentration of hotels clustered around the convention center and the Great America theme park.
Intel Museum on the Intel campus tells the history of Silicon Valley’s founding technology company and is free. The Computer History Museum in nearby Mountain View is one of the finest technology museums in the world, tracing computing from mechanical calculators to AI. Great America theme park adjoins the convention center complex. Santana Row in San Jose (15 minutes) has upscale outdoor dining and shopping. San Francisco is about 45 minutes north via US-101 for a day trip combining tech culture with the city’s iconic sights.
Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) is about 5 miles from the Santa Clara Convention Center, roughly 15 minutes by rideshare. San Francisco International (SFO) is about 30 miles north, accessible by BART plus Caltrain or rideshare in about 45-60 minutes.
Santa Clara is a car and rideshare-oriented Silicon Valley city. The VTA light rail stops near the convention center area, connecting to downtown San Jose. Rideshare (Uber, Lyft) is the most practical option for getting around. The convention center, Levi’s Stadium, and Great America are all in close proximity.
The Bay Area climate is mild year-round. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable with warm, dry days. Summers are warm inland (warmer than San Francisco) with very low humidity. December and January bring the most rainfall.
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3 upcoming conferences in Santa Clara
Santa Clara has three venues in two separate places, so check yours. The Santa Clara Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency sit together on Great America Parkway about 5.5 km north of the old centre, surrounded by tech campuses and the theme park, and four of our five hotels are within a short walk of them. Santa Clara University is the other venue, 1.8 km from the centre on El Camino Real and nowhere near the convention cluster. For a Great America event, stay in that cluster: it is dull but everything is adjacent. For a university event, the campus is walkable from central Santa Clara and close to the Caltrain station. This is Silicon Valley, so a car or constant ride shares are assumed, and hotel rates track the tech conference calendar rather than tourism.
Our picks in Santa Clara
A curated selection of hotels chosen for location, value, and fit for conference travellers.
Avatar Hotel Santa Clara
4200 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
Stylish independent boutique hotel on Great America Parkway with a distinctive design aesthetic, pool, and free parking - a good mid-range pick...
Hilton Santa Clara
4949 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
4-star Hilton on Great America Parkway within easy walking distance of the convention center, with a pool and multiple dining options -...
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
5101 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
4-star Hyatt directly adjacent to the Santa Clara Convention Center on Great America Parkway - the closest major hotel to the venue...
Santa Clara Marriott
2700 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
4-star Marriott a short drive from the Santa Clara Convention Center with a pool, full-service restaurant, and large rooms suited to business...
Residence Inn Santa Clara Silicon Valley
2761 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051, USA
Extended-stay Marriott brand with full kitchen suites and free daily breakfast on El Camino Real - best for HRI attendees on a...
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
5101 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara adjoins the Santa Clara Convention Center in the heart of Silicon Valley. It hosts PEPR...
Santa Clara Convention Center
5001 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
The Santa Clara Convention Center is the primary large-scale event venue in Silicon Valley, offering over 300,000 squ...
Santa Clara University
500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053, United States
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university founded in 1851, the oldest higher-education institution in Cal...
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