Meeting the Moment in San Diego, Fall & Winter 2026
San Diego is not a destination just for travelers and sun-seekers worldwide. For business visitors and meetings professionals, America’s Brightest City is a premier location for high-impact meetings and conferences of any scale, with a bevy of venues perfect for celebrating and incentivizing team successes.
San Diego’s status as an innovation hub is reinforced by the flagship TED Conference moving its home here in March 2027. San Diego earned a spot in Cvent’s Top 10 Meeting Destinations in North America, thanks to the massive draws of Comic-Con and esteemed gatherings like the ESRI International User Conference, American Association for Cancer Research, BIO International Convention and TwitchCon.
The global city that more than 5,000 companies call home offers professional groups a signature red-carpet welcome along the coast each year, with available venue options always growing and evolving. The latest and soon-to-come greatest on San Diego’s late-2026 meetings and incentives scene are as diverse as the city itself, and certain to inspire more of the innovations and ideas that famously thrive here.
What’s New
The San Diego Tourism Authority recently debuted its 2026-2027 Meeting & Convention Planner’s Guide. Now fully digital and interactive, it shows just how easy it is to make your next meeting or corporate gathering shine in San Diego.
Venue News
Just around the corner from Petco Park, the DIAMOND ROOM is a new 1970s-inspired cocktail lounge with a vintage feel and look that’s also sprinkled with a variety of fun Padres memorabilia. The intimate space features music played on vinyl and offers an inventive cocktail menu, like the house clarified “Diamond Margarita.” The lounge is part of Finest Collective, the San Diego Padres’ hospitality and events division, and can be booked for private events for 44-50 people.
The WESTGATE HOTEL unveiled its newest culinary concept, BONNE VIE BRASSERIE & BAR. Led by Executive Chef Fabrice Hardel, Bonne Vie features a vibrant menu that blends fresh California coastal ingredients with authentic recipes from the coast of Northern France.
ADDISON BY WILLIAM BRADLEY, the only restaurant in the San Diego region to be awarded three stars from Michelin, recently underwent a renovation in time for its 20th anniversary — the first time major changes were made to the restaurant’s design since opening in 2006. The dining room and private dining spaces were refreshed with new décor, including custom Murano glass fixtures and metallic murals, and the bar was transformed into a new elegant Champagne lounge.
New to the University City neighborhood, FLEURETTE is the second act for acclaimed chef Travis Swikard, whose first restaurant, Callie, was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Fleurette’s menu highlights Swikard’s spin on the cuisine of Southern France with an emphasis on using local produce and seafood. Located near La Jolla, Westfield UTC and San Diego’s biotech cluster, the restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor private dining accommodations.
LUCIEN has been making a buzz since it opened in La Jolla, a reputation further solidified by being awarded a Michelin star in 2026. The restaurant solely offers a ten-course tasting menu by Chef Elijah Arizmendi, whose culinary pedigree includes Michelin-starred establishments Per Se and l’abeille. Guests start with canapes and sips in the courtyard before heading to the 30-seat dining room for Arizmendi’s hyper-seasonal menu, which emphasizes California seafood, produce and wine, and could feature a rich egg custard presented in the shell and topped with caviar.
DORA RISTORANTE, a new Italian restaurant from acclaimed chef Accursio Lota, opened at the LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE bringing theatregoers an exciting pre-show dining experience. The restaurant also offers group dining and reception options that can accommodate up to 180 guests.
Downtown San Diego has a beautiful new green space option for groups of up to 2,000 people along the waterfront. PROGRESS PARK is now open across from the USS Midway Museum, providing groups a fresh, flexible outdoor option for receptions, breaks or attendee meetups. It's part of the broader RaDD transformation, which offers a mix of dining, retail and public spaces that make walkable off-sites easy.
ZUMA, the high-end Japanese restaurant with more than 20 locations around the globe, opened its first California location in downtown San Diego at THE GUILD HOTEL. The restaurant spans more than 12,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor seating, and serves wagyu dishes, sushi and robata grill offerings, and a late-night lounge experience.
What’s Notable
CLOAK & PETAL, a Japanese-inspired restaurant in Little Italy, earned MICHELIN recognition in December 2025 in the “Good for: Groups” category. The restaurant will also open its own coffee shop this summer, Black Mizu Café, which will serve as a private dining space for Cloak & Petal during non-café hours.
SHERATON SAN DIEGO RESORT debuted SHORELIGHT, a new restaurant in the recently renovated Bay Tower, that offers panoramic views of San Diego Bay. Shorelight is designed to provide a serene dining experience and tranquil retreat for both hotel guests and locals, perfect for a sunset dinner, casual lunch, or weekend brunch by the bay.
What’s Next
Breaking ground in 2026 at Liberty Station in Point Loma, THE ADMIRAL is set to bring a host of new spaces and venues to the area. The new seven-acre complex will house an event space, social club, restaurant, game room, cocktail bar and 1940s-inspired canteen all in one place. A two-story Spanish Revival home dating back to the 1920s will anchor the property and offer space for weddings and events, and guests will have access to golf carts to travel within the complex. The project is set to be completed in phases through 2027 and 2028. A former naval training base for 75 years, Liberty Station has been transformed into a waterfront village with shops, a food hall, art galleries, The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center, and more than 30 restaurants.
Hotel News
The eco-chic ELEMENT SAN DIEGO MISSION VALLEY debuted in summer 2026, bringing an elevated “whole living” extended stay option to Mission Valley. The property offers 148 guestrooms and two exclusive Studio Commons Suites with shared living areas, a fully equipped kitchen, and four connected private guest rooms. The property also features a resort-style pool, fitness center, and 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.
The MANCHESTER GRAND HYATT SAN DIEGO is ready to debut its new look in Winter 2026 after completing a two-year, comprehensive renovation. The renovation includes all 1,628 guestrooms and suites, more than 320,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, a new adults-only pool area and lounge on the third floor, and multiple dining venues and recreational
areas.
Located just steps from the San Diego Convention Center and a landmark pedestrian bridge that connects to Petco Park, the HILTON SAN DIEGO BAYFRONT recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation that refreshed 165,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The upgrades include lighting for seamless presentations and evening programs, linen-less tables, new tableware and a partnership with La Colombe coffee. Beyond the ballroom, the hotel has expansive outdoor venues, from the 1.3-acre Bayfront Park to poolside patios and terraces, offering a range of open-air settings for receptions, awards dinners and networking events.
After more than six years, the HOTEL DEL CORONADO unveiled its $550 million property-wide renovation. This project encompassed the historic Victorian building, its garden courtyard, and event spaces, as well as two new dining destinations: the alfresco restaurant Veranda and Nobu del Coronado.
Celebrating its centennial in 2026, LA VALENCIA HOTEL in La Jolla, also known as “The Pink Lady,” debuted the Spa at Valencia, a wellness oasis with six treatment rooms, the reopening of its iconic 1940s-era Whaling Bar and refreshed meeting spaces that can accommodate up to 120 guests.
FAIRMONT GRAND DEL MAR unveiled its newly reimagined Fairmont Spa & Wellness Center, blending European-inspired luxury with nature-driven design inspired by Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. As one of only ten U.S. spas to partner with the Gharieni Group, and the only one to offer the exclusive Zestós Dryfloat experience, the spa introduces advanced therapies like vibroacoustic treatments, chromotherapy and zero-gravity loungers.
LA JOLLA BEACH AND TENNIS CLUB completed the first phase of its $60 million resort-wide renovation. This first phase focused on enhancing key areas including the pool and deck, restaurant and bar, and back-of-house facilities, all while preserving the rich coastal heritage that has made The Club an iconic destination for generations.
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ABOUT SAN DIEGO TOURISM AUTHORITY
(SDTA) is a private, non-profit, mutual benefit corporation composed of more than 1,000 member organizations, businesses, local governments, and individuals seeking a better community through the visitor industry. SDTA members include tourism-related entities in such categories as lodging, dining, arts, attractions, shopping, and transportation, among others, as well as other companies indirectly involved in tourism. Visit sandiego.org to learn more.
The majority of funding received by the San Diego Tourism Authority is derived from San Diego Tourism Marketing District Assessment Funds. Lodging business in the District raise these funds through self-assessments for the purpose of promoting tourism in the San Diego region.