There’s good reason that California is known as the Golden State—and that hasn’t changed after the wildfires that hit parts of LA County in early January. LA’s iconic group hotels and beloved venues and attractions are all open for business (read this issue’s Bureau Buzz column for more details). And the third-largest state in the U.S., known for its cultural diversity and free spirit, offers an unmatched array of group experiences. California is home to 12 distinct regions, from world-class cities to quaint small towns and from cliff-lined beaches to redwood forest. Stretching along the Pacific Ocean for nearly 900 miles, it also encompasses the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Central Valley farmland and the Mojave Desert.
California offers a wide variety of gorgeous outdoor venues, chef-driven restaurants, iconic attractions and group-centric hotels and resorts. We’ve curated an update from around the state on new and upcoming MICE developments.
“Anaheim has always been a destination buzzing with excitement, says Visit Anaheim’s Chief Sales Officer Ronnie Collins. “As we enter a golden decade of development, our landscape is evolving.” One example is the multi-billion-dollar OCVIBE development, a massive entertainment complex around Honda Center, with a range of indoor and outdoor event venues anticipated to open in 2026 and 2027 and a hotel in 2028. As well, the city of Anaheim has approved the DisneylandForward mixed use development, adding new theme park attractions, hotels, entertainment and retail over a multi-decade timeframe.
This summer, the 1,574-room Hilton Anaheim, located just steps away from the Anaheim Convention Center and Disneyland Resort, is expected to finish a multimillion-dollar full property enhancement. The renovation includes redesigned guest rooms and suites, upgrades to the 105,959 sf of meeting and event space, restaurant and bar re-brands and improved outdoor spaces.
Meanwhile, the five towns of Napa Valley offer beautiful incentive-level properties and spectacular outdoor venues and activities. They are now more interconnected than ever thanks to the newly constructed walking and biking paths of the Napa Valley Vine Trail connecting Napa to Yountville and Calistoga to St. Helena. The Elene, a new 50-room boutique resort situated along the trail, is scheduled to open in 2026.
Not new, but recently debuting a $25 million property revitalization is The Meritage Resort & Spa. Here, attendees will find 322 renovated guest rooms in addition to its existing 145 rooms and suites, a transformed lobby and bar, upgraded meeting space and more. The resort has 80,000 sf of function space including indoor ballrooms and outdoor decks and rooftops. The Estate Yountville, a village-within-a village with three luxury accommodation offerings, has renovated its hotel lobbies over the past few years and in 2024 underwent spa renovations in partnership with Veuve Clicquot. To celebrate 50 years in Napa Valley, Chandon California completed a renovation of its iconic Yountville property in 2024. Three spectacular outdoor venues here accommodate groups up to 350. Opened in fall of 2024, Bella Union Winery in St. Helena is Far Niente Wine Estates’ third winery to open its doors along Napa Valley’s Highway 29.
If you’ve got Pasadena on your radar, know that the new 194-room AC Hotel Pasadena offers a stylish and comfortable retreat in the heart of the destination’s Playhouse Village, centrally located near the Pasadena Convention Center. Indoor and outdoor group space includes modern, high-tech meeting rooms, beautiful lounges and a rooftop bar area. There is 9,019 sf of event space and five meeting rooms that can accommodate groups of up to 350.
The Langham Huntington Pasadena, with more than 50,000 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, has begun an extensive renovation that will touch on all 262 guest rooms and suites, its eight private cottages, the lobby lounge Lanai pool and gardens and new dining concepts.
In advance of the 2028 Olympics, the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium is undergoing a privately funded renovation, with a new field-level club for 800 people in the south end zone and east-side standing sections expected to be completed in 2026. A second phase will include the installation of one of the nation’s largest video boards beginning in 2028, after the Olympic Games.
Head south and you’ll hit San Diego, where, in 2024, the Hotel La Jolla, Curio Collection by Hilton finished a multimillion-dollar renovation. Estancia La Jolla completed a property-wide, $26-million renovation and redevelopment that includes elevated guest rooms and suites, a new lobby and pool complex and upgraded meeting spaces. As well, the 96-room Granger Hotel opened in the city’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, welcoming small groups with lush gathering spaces; the 1,053-room Sheraton San Diego completed a $100-million renovation; the 511-room Omni San Diego completed a top-to-bottom renovation; and The Westin San Diego Bayview finished a $20-million renovation focused on revamping guest rooms and meeting spaces.
In 2024 venue news, Petco Park opened its newest indoor-outdoor event space, Eve, featuring panoramic views of the San Diego Bay, and also the newly renovated event space Gallagher Square. North County San Diego’s new world-class sports and entertainment venue, Frontwave Arena, debuted with 16 luxury suites, VIP viewing decks, exclusive lounges, an open-air patio and an expansive outdoor plaza.
On the horizon, in 2025 the storied Hotel del Coronado will complete a $160-million renovation of its historic building that is the final phase of five+ years of restoration and revitalization, and The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center will open at San Diego’s Arts District Liberty Station. The 1,160-room Fairmont Manchester San Diego is expected to open in 2027 with more than 120,000 sf of indoor-outdoor meeting space, including two 20,000-sf ballrooms.
Over in San Francisco, MICE business is rebounding, with the San Francisco Travel Association reporting that 30 events are confirmed at Moscone Center in 2025. Located in the trendy mid-Market district, Timbri Hotel San Francisco opened in 2024 as the city’s first Curio Collection by Hilton. The sophisticated urban sanctuary offers 236 guest rooms and suites, diverse dining options and 6,250 sf of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting and event space. The newly renovated boutique Hotel Julian (formerly the Hotel Vertigo) in the city’s historic Nob Hill neighborhood, opened in 2024. Another recently renovated downtown hotel, The Jay, Autograph Collection, (formerly the Le Meridien San Francisco) has 360 guest rooms and 15 meeting rooms.
Among 2024 MICE developments: The Sonesta LAX Hotel completed a $42 million renovation; the renovated, 167-room Regent Santa Monica Beach opened with 31 state-of-the-art meeting rooms and 6,500 sf of exhibit space; the Omni La Costa hotel completed its remodel of 600 rooms and more than 100,000 sf feet of meeting space; the historic 80-room Chateau Big Bear in the San Bernadino mountains completed a three-year renovation; The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay finished a multi-million-dollar refresh; The 87-room Wayfinder Bishop hotel opened in the High Sierra region; the Hyatt Regency Irvine unveiled renovated outdoor spaces; the 186-room Burton House, Beverly Hills, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott, opened; The Sanctuary Beach Resort in Monterey completed extensive renovations; The 188-room Monterey Beach Hotel, a Tribute Portfiolio hotel, debuted after redesign and rebranding with meeting space for up to 480; Hotel Zessa Santa Ana—a DoubleTree by Hilton near John Wayne Airport, opened with a new name after an extensive renovation; Firefall Ranch in Tuolumne opened with 55 standalone cottages and villas; and the historic Sonora Inn completed a head-to-toe renovation.
On the horizon: The 1,600-room Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center in Chula Vista is expected to open in summer, 2025 with more than 477,000 sf of function space that includes a carpeted exhibit hall, 135,000 sf of outdoor event lawns, four ballrooms and 67 breakout rooms. A major renovation and expansion of the Hotel at Black Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne is expected to open in summer, 2025 and Palm Springs International Airport is launching a $2.2-billion expansion.
Billing itself as the “Best of the San Francisco Bay Area,” the San Francisco Peninsula team promotes a side of the region many thought they already knew—the south side, where another world blooms beyond the Dock of the Bay city on the northern tip.
“When we say ‘south of San Francisco, north of expectations,’ you feel like you’re in the middle of everything. People don’t know there’s so much just a short distance away,” says Maggie Lang, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer for the San Mateo County/Silicon Valley CVB. “When you’re in the Redwoods, you’d never know that the city of San Francisco is 20 minutes away,” she adds, referring to spots like Muir Woods, where groups can experience these towering natural wonders without taking a long drive.
For meetings and conventions, the Peninsula checks in with 54 hotels specifically serving groups, says CVB Director of Sales Donna Palmer.
“Our Hyatt Regency has the largest ballroom on the Peninsula,” she says of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, whose Grand Peninsula Ballroom spans 18,150 sf.
Palmer says the Peninsula has long drawn innovators and other people who think outside the box. “Agritourism started here and we pioneered culinary fusion,” she says. “You can find yoga and meditation rooms and prayer rooms here. We’re known as the healthiest county in America.”
Here’s another innovation planners will want their groups to experience—Waymo driverless shuttles. And why not? Robotaxis are old news here.
“They’re self-driving,” Palmer says. “They’re so space-age looking….” —Lisa Simundson
thesanfranciscopeninsula.com/meeting-planners; californiameetings.com
