San Diego

The allure of this Southern California city extends far beyond the favorable weather. A walkable district connects the waterfront, the San Diego Convention Center and Petco Park — home of baseball's San Diego Padres — to the Gaslamp Quarter, where you'll find the Margaritaville Hotel, the Marriott, the Omni and countless other hotels, restaurants and nightlife venues. Just a 10-minute drive north is the Mission Valley area, home to a variety of hotels including the Town and Country Resort. Here's some of what's new and what's in store for the area.

Travel Essentials

Convention Center: San Diego Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 615,701 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 72; (619) 525-5000

Simplify Your Search for San Diego Meeting Space

With our streamlined search and RFP tool, you can plan your next professional meeting or event in three easy steps:

Whether you're planning a small board meeting or a large conference, the right space in San Diego is just a few clicks away.

New & Coming Soon to San Diego

The 1,628-room Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, one of the largest hotels in Southern California, is embarking on a propertywide renovation. Every guest room will be updated, as will the more than 320,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, the dining venues, the sports court and the two rooftop pool decks. Rooms in the Seaport Tower should be ready by the end of 2025, while the Harbor Tower rooms will debut in the summer of 2026. The signature restaurant, Sally’s, has already been refreshed and will open imminently. Top of the Hyatt, on the hotel’s 40th floor, will close late this year and reopen in early 2026. The full renovation should wrap up by the end of 2026.

Veteran Hyatt Hotels executive Daniel Kuperschmid has been named the new president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, succeeding Julie Coker, who left at year’s end to take the top post at New York City Tourism + Conventions. Most recently Hyatt’s vice president of global asset management, Kuperschmid served as area vice president and general manager of the Grand Hyatt San Diego for more than six years.

The Bower Coronado, a 39-room luxury boutique hotel retreat, opened on Coronado Island in March. Built on the site of a former Japanese tea garden, the property features lush landscaping and the atmosphere of a private coastal estate. The hotel also is home to Coronado’s first rooftop bar and restaurant, offering mid-century modern style and glamour with a view of the bay.

Opening in May, the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center will be the largest property on the West Coast, as it sits on 36 acres of oceanfront real estate. The 1,600-room resort, the first Gaylord in the state, also will have a massive amount of meeting space, in excess of 470,000 square feet indoors and an additional 135,000 square feet of outdoor space. A dozen food-and-beverage options will be on site, as will a 4.25-acre water park with multiple pools and waterslides, a lazy river, a wave pool and private cabanas. The property is in Chula Vista, about 10 miles south of San Diego International Airport.

The Hotel del Coronado, the storied beachside property on San Diego Bay, is welcoming a new Nobu restaurant this spring. The acclaimed venue’s opening, with 3,700 square feet of indoor and al fresco dining, is part of the last phase of the massive $550 million restoration the property has been debuting in the past year. More than $160 million of that has been invested to revitalize the original Victorian building. The renovated Crown and Coronet rooms offer a combined 13,000 square feet for groups, and the 404 restored Victorian guest rooms debuted at the beginning of March — for a total of 938 rooms at the Del.

The San Diego International Airport is in the midst of a $3.8 billion project to rebuild Terminal 1, updating the original 1960s structure with an airy new light-filled design with space for new lounges, a food hall with outdoor deck, additional amenities and 11 additional gates. The first 19 gates in the new T1 will open in September 2025.

The 600-room Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad revealed sweeping renovations to its guest rooms and suites, spa, and meeting space, accentuating the classic Spanish architecture of the property while adding modern luxury touches. The Coastal Events Center was expanded and now offers 100,000 square feet of flexible space, complementing the recently built Costa de la Luna ballroom.

Petco Park, the home of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, debuted the adjacent $20 million Gallagher Square improvement project for the 2024 baseball season. The square is a 2.8-acre grassy area beyond the outfield wall but inside the park gates, providing a mini-infield diamond and a laid-back vantage point on game days — as well as a place for concerts and outdoor events when a home game isn't in progress. The renovation project brings major changes to the square, with improved and expanded amenities, tiered levels and curved walkways for better viewing of games and concerts, an improved playground, and a fenced-in dog park. All is being done with an emphasis on sustainability, including use of turf, native vegetation and advance noise-reduction technology.

The Wayfarer San Diego opened at the beginning of December 2023, bringing its surf-chic aesthetic to Pacific Beach. Offering 118 guest rooms and eight suites, as well as the on-site Zephyr Cafe, it provides stylish accommodations for smaller groups looking an oceanfront escape.

The 235-room Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter opened in 2023, following a $30 million makeover. The property, which formerly operated as the Hotel Solamar, features 6,000 square feet of indoor event space; another 7,000 square feet of space is available on the rooftop pool deck. The city-center resort hotel is the second Margaritaville in Southern California.

The 186-room Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter recently completed a $22.5 million renovation, which added a new restaurant and a contemporary California aesthetic to the property. All guest rooms have been refreshed and the lobby now features an open floor plan for socializing or catching up on work. The Wild Hare Bar Garden, headed by executive chef Emiliano Sotelo, serves locally sourced meat and produce with organic ingredients from an herb garden on the terrace. The hotel offers 16,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, including eight remodeled breakout rooms.

2024 Stella Award Winners in San Diego

Planning a Meeting in San Diego? Start Here.

Featured Meeting Venues

Moderate Deluxe

The easiest way to book meeting space inSan Diego

Why San Diego for Your Next Meeting or Event?

Meeting Hotels