15 New Venues in Los Angeles for Spring 2023 Meetings and Events

Located directly across the street from the LA Convention Center and the Crypto.com Arena, the 37-story Moxy Los Angeles Downtown and AC Hotel Los Angeles Downtown consists of a 380-room Moxy hotel and a 347-room AC hotel. The property, which opens on April 12, 2023, offers 65,000 square feet of meeting rooms, restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues, including a 6,000-square-foot, landscaped pool deck and 12 all-new restaurant and bar concepts designed by Basile Studio. On the 34th floor, AC's sky lobby features a garden-like terrace bar with panoramic views overlooking downtown Los Angeles. The dual-branded property boasts 13,000 square feet of meeting space, also designed by Basile Studio, plus 8,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 22,000 square feet of premium digital and static signage—featuring the largest continuous full-motion digital display on the West Coast.

Create Studios is a gallery-style event space and creative studio that opened in Venice in February 2023. The woman- and LGBTQIA+-owned space comes from Page Jeter, owner of the brand marketing agency Create Entertainment, and her partner, Lauren Koeppe, owner of experiential, events, and hospitality consulting agency Create Hospitality. The full-service, turnkey venue can host events, performances, brand activations, screenings, photoshoots, and more, and has a unique collection of vintage items, vinyl, and art by renowned and emerging artists. The space also showcases revolving art by local artists, with a current exhibition centered around painter Ugo Nonis. Create Studios can host up to 350 people for events; highlights include a custom 14-by-10-foot maple wood bar, custom theater curtains, multicolor LED mood lighting, a 75-inch flatscreen TV, and more.

BLVD Hospitality will reopen Santa Monica’s oceanfront hotel The Georgian on April 3, 2023. The famed art deco property originally opened in 1933 and has been restored by developers Blanchard and Rusconi, plus interior architecture and design firm Fettle. The hotel has 56 classic rooms and 28 one-bedroom suites, many with sweeping ocean views. Throughout the venue are intricate chandeliers, seasonal floral installations from French artist Jean Pascal, and rows of peach hibiscus and vibrant foliage. For events, rentable spaces include an on-site art gallery, Gallery 33, which hosts rotating artwork along with specially commissioned exhibitions from historical and cultural institutions; it seats 24 or holds 50 for receptions. There’s also The Writer’s Room (pictured), a private dining space with high-end AV equipment and space for 10 guests seated or 20 guests standing. There’s also a library with modern and vintage books highlighting the history of art and culture in LA, plus a 24-hour gym, retail space, and a restaurant under the direction of chef David Albany.

Located along the Rose Parade route, the 1926-built hotel once known as the Constance Hotel reopened in November 2022 as the Pasadena Hotel & Pool. The newly renovated, 161-room property has 13,771 square feet of meeting space spread across 11 indoor and outdoor spaces, including a lush, Mediterranean-style courtyard and a rooftop pool deck. There’s also the Presidential Suite with its 1,000-square-foot terrace, plus fun details like an ornately refinished display of the original phone booths in the lobby. The property is set in Pasadena’s popular Playhouse Village neighborhood, home to the 686-seat Pasadena Playhouse, the newly reopened Ice House Comedy Club, and the buzzy new modern bistro Bar Chelou.

Event producers Jeffrey Best and Ken Jones—the team behind Best Events and venues The Hideaway and Firefly—opened a new wellness-centric bar on Melrose in March 2023 in the former Darkroom space. APB (which stands for "all plant based") offers vegan cocktails from barman Julian Cox, featuring only vegan-certified alcohol, plus a full menu of nonalcoholic alternatives; in fact, the bar is completely alcohol-free every Sunday. The bar is also home to a permanent residency from Niku Nashi, a completely plant-based sushi concept from chef Niko Zaragoza that’s designed to complement the cocktails and dry libations. APB’s design also draws from the plant-forward concept, inspired by vintage greenhouses. For events, the 460-square-foot front lounge holds 40, while the 965-square-foot main bar holds 80.

The highly anticipated Super Nintendo World opened at Universal Studios Hollywood on Feb. 17, 2023. The new themed land features the Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge ride, which uses projection mapping and AR goggles, along with the Toadstool Cafe and the 1-UP Factory retail store. Guests enter the immersive, colorful space via a green pipe, evoking the Nintendo games, and can expect to interact with characters like Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. Universal Studios offers a variety of event spaces, with the capability to host groups as large as 20,000 people for a full theme park buyout. Event spaces include the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area, which can hold up to 2,000; the Front Gate Plaza, which holds 1,000; or the Simpsons-inspired Springfield Plaza, which holds 100-1,000 guests. The upper lot can be rented for up to 10,000 guests. For smaller events, there’s the cobblestone-paved Parisian Courtyard, which is ideal for dinner parties or receptions as large as 150.

The Pierside Hotel opened in downtown Santa Monica in January 2023. The first luxury hotel to open on Ocean Avenue in over a decade—and now the closet property to the Santa Monica pier—the venue has 132 guest rooms and suites, along with a light-filled, coastal-inspired lobby with communal seating areas. There’s also a heated saltwater pool, a fitness center, an on-site rental shop for surfboards and other gear, and a massive exterior mural from contemporary artist Shepard Fairey. The Pierside Hotel will soon debut its signature restaurant and bar, The Surfing Fox, an alfresco dining experience will full views of the pier and ocean. While the hotel does not have any dedicated event space, the team can help coordinate small-group retreats and reunions, and room blocks for events held in nearby venues.

The third location of the Australian-style cafe Great White opened on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood in November 2022. The all-day dining destination—which joins the brand’s additional locations in Venice Beach and Larchmont Village—has a menu helmed by Chilean chef Juan Ferreiro that’s focused on fresh, local, seasonable fare. The 5,000-square-foot space features plastered walls, soft woods, clay wall lights, and zellige tiles, plus an eye-catching pink exterior facade. The interior dining room is anchored by a Portuguese limestone bar and large woven pendants from Pakistan. For events, the real highlight is the outdoor private dining room, a distinct 200-square-foot space that seats up to 12 guests for intimate dinners and events. The space includes high-efficiency, low-powered Ojas speakers, which regularly stream the brand’s highly curated playlists.

On the cusp of its 15-year anniversary in early 2023, Avi Brosh's Palisociety debuted the all-new Palihouse West Hollywood in December 2022. A reincarnation and reimagination of the brand's very first hotel, the new location features 95 guest rooms, two signature dining destinations, a guest-only swimming pool and lounge, and a European-influenced design featuring an eclectic mix of patterns, textures, fabrics, and details. (Think: wallpapered ceilings!) For events, guests can take over the 1,448-square-foot Lobby Lounge Cafe and Bar, a casual space with indoor and outdoor areas. Or, there’s Mezzanine Sushi (pictured), which serves Japanese bar food and has a dedicated DJ booth. The versatile, 1,022-square-foot mezzanine space is available for buyouts and holds 50 seated or 55 for standing receptions.

Celebrity haunt The Den on Sunset reopened in November 2022 after a large-scale renovation. The new space was designed by Nora Shields, who leaned into dramatic wallpaper, sculptural aspects, an abstract herringbone pattern, and vintage books and records, which line the walls. There’s also new menu from chef Ronnie de Leon, along with drinks from Pascal Shin and Darwin Manahan of Punch+Co. Overall, The Den seats 100 or holds 200 people standing for private events, which can take place on the 800-square-foot patio, in the 500-square-foot main bar, in the 650-square-foot Fire Place Room, and/or in the 600-square-foot Blue Room.

Chef Steve Samson opened Superfine Playa at Silicon Beach’s Runway Playa Vista on March 22, 2023. The California osteria serves light Italian fare highlighting fresh, local produce, with house-made pastas and wood-grilled meats and fish. Former Rossoblu chef Mo Marvel leads up with kitchen with chef Samson, and a full-service bar serves craft cocktails by Ella Zoller of Honey House. The restaurant, which can be rented for events, has 86 indoor seats—including 16 at a communal bar and 10 bar seats—plus 40 outdoor seats, split evenly between a patio and a terrace. The plants adoring the patio and dining room are all native to the surrounding Ballona Wetlands.

Since its conception in 2005, casting agency Cast Partner has been servicing global brands in fashion, beauty, tech, wellness, and more—and last year, opened Palm Grove Social, which expanded into a full cafe, gallery, event space, and cultural hub in December 2022. Located in a 1923 historical landmark building in Mid-City, the 3,950-square-foot space boasts a rotation of cultural programming—from DJ sets, live music performances, and launch parties throughout the space, to exhibitions in the gallery (pictured), to yoga classes and chess matches in the 750-square-foot outdoor garden. The venue is also available for full or partial buyouts.

Santa Monica Proper, the luxury lifestyle hotel designed by Kelly Wearstler that opened in 2019, has relaunched its former restaurant Onda as Siete, a new private event space. The dedicated area—available for daytime or evening events—spans 1,600 square feet and has a capacity of 110 guests. It features furnishings curated by Wearstler, along with expansive windows, vaulted ceilings, lounge seating, a fully open and operational kitchen, a permanent bar, a patio, and private restrooms. The 271-room hotel has 24,000 square feet of total event space, including four meeting rooms, a ballroom, an open-air terrace, and the Calabra rooftop—which has a pool, sundeck, bar, and indoor-outdoor restaurant.

Juliet, a new Paris-inspired restaurant and patio in Culver City, opened on Feb. 1, 2023. The eatery comes from the team behind restaurants Margo and Norah, and was designed by famed designer Jeremiah Brent in his first hospitality project. It has 120 seats, with highlights including a walk-up marble bar, herringbone wood floors, a long communal wooden table, and floor-to-ceiling iron doors leading to a 1,500-square-foot shaded terrace. The seafood-forward menu highlights seasonal ingredients and local fish; there’s also a curated wine list of French producers, classic cocktails, and an interactive bar cart. Juliet is available for private events.

Looking to get out of the city? TMC Hospitality debuted Drift Palm Springs in March 2023. Set among the bustle of downtown Palm Springs—about two hours from Los Angeles—the boutique, 84-room hotel has a resort-style pool with custom cabanas and mountain views, plus Maleza, a Baja-inspired restaurant with communal dining tables, lounge seating, a fire pit, and a private dining room. There’s also a variety of room types, ranging from studios and one-bedroom suites to larger, 1,000-square-foot-plus suites with three or four bedrooms and mountain views. The hotel—which has an industrial-chic palate with midcentury touches—can host meetings as small as 12, all the way up to full hotel buyouts.