9 New Venues in San Diego for Spring 2024 Meetings and Events

Eureka! Restaurant Group and Grupo Carolo Hospitality opened the second outpost of The Amalfi Llama at The Collection at UTC this week. (The new location follows The Amalfi Llama’s Miami opening earlier this year.) The restaurant blends a rustic live-fire steakhouse with the flavors of Italian cuisine, all inside a space that evokes a modern farmhouse with airy, creamy decor and light woods that incorporate Latin American and Mediterranean influences. The 7,000-square-foot interior dining room can hold 152 people and boasts a live-fire grill, a wood-burning oven, and a 28-seat circular bar; there's also a 2,000-square-foot outdoor patio that seats 92 guests.

The 139-room Lafayette Hotel and Club continues to unveil new spaces after its recent multimillion-dollar renovation. The latest is Lou Lou's Jungle Bar, open since January. The supper club and live music venue takes over the hotel's sprawling ballroom (previously known as the Mississippi Room), bringing a New York jazz nightclub atmosphere to the hotel's historic clamshell stage. The venue, which offers prix fixe dining and elevated craft cocktails, holds as many as 580 for concerts and other events. Up next for the Lafayette Hotel and Club? Le Horse, a European-style restaurant that will pay homage to early 20th-century hotel fine dining; it's currently slated to debut in June.

Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina recently unveiled a multimillion-dollar renovation of its Marina Tower. The redesign focuses on the 1,053-room hotel’s public spaces, guest rooms, and suites, adding new options like height-adjustable worktables and LED lighting throughout. The property has also unveiled over 130,000 square feet of renovated meeting space in the Marina Tower, plus Rumorosa, a Cali-Baja-inspired dining outlet. Coming soon: renovations to two resort pools, plus the openings of the first Brewery X location in San Diego; harborside bar and cabana club Sunglow; and Strada, a casual grab-and-go eatery.

Music Box in downtown San Diego hosts about 260 events per year—but has recently started filling its remaining dates with private events that have hosted the likes of Jennifer Hudson, Billy Idol, and Halsey. Located just 1.5 miles from the convention center and open since 2015, the venue can host 700 guests reception style or 500 for a reception with food stations and activations. For seated events, it can hold up to 250 theater style or 120 for banquets. There’s also an outdoor area that can increase the private event capacity to 3,400.

Just north of San Diego in Carlsbad is Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, which will soon debut a sweeping refresh of its meeting spaces, guest rooms, championship golf courses, 43,000-square-foot spa, and more. Over 500 guest rooms—including villas, suites, and hospitality rooms—will unveil a fresh new look that blends the resort’s classic Spanish-style architecture with light, airy spaces; soft casual textures; and neutral tones. For events, the venue boasts the largest resort meeting footprint in the Western United States. In addition to the Costa de la Luna ballroom and the event lawn, both of which were unveiled in 2021, this year’s renovation will expand the resort’s Coastal Events Center, bringing the property’s entire event space to 170,000 square feet.

Steak 48 Del Mar opened in October 2023 at Del Mar Highlands Town Center. The high-end steakhouse is the ninth eatery from James Beard-nominated brothers Jeffrey and Michael Mastro; the menu specializes in wagyu selections and fresh shellfish and seafood. Steak 48 spans 12,500 square feet and can seat 350 guests across nine different dining rooms, many of which can be turned into private dining areas. There are also six private dining suites equipped with prewired sound systems, AV outlets, and LED TVs.

Starlight Hospitality Group recently opened modern supper club SAGO in downtown Encinitas. The eatery and bar is set in a jungle-like environment—complete with 20-foot Kentia palm trees and an indoor atrium—which transforms into a nightlife destination with a live DJ in the evenings. SAGO’s food menu was created by executive chef Frank Fleisher, formerly of Juniper & Ivy; it features shareable plates such as black truffle fries and wagyu corn dogs. The restaurant has 120 seats and several semiprivate lounge areas.

In January, DKN Hotels completed a renovation of Cardiff by the Sea Lodge. The three-story, 17-room hotel has a new look after a comprehensive revitalization of its exterior, rooftop deck, public spaces, and guest rooms. The beachside property is an ideal spot for intimate events; its private, lushly landscaped rooftop deck can hold as many as 50 guests.

A quick trip up the coast is Laguna Surf Lodge by SCP Hotels, a newly renovated, 41-room beachfront property located steps from Laguna Beach's renowned art galleries, eateries, and boutiques. Originally opened in 1948 as the Laguna Riviera Hotel, the re-imagined surf lodge offers an environmentally conscious retreat featuring Scandinavian-inspired bohemian decor, a pool, a sun deck, and oceanfront fire pits, along with modern wellness amenities. Guests and groups can take part in a variety of experiences during their stay, from beachfront meditation and sound baths to surf lessons, gourmet beachside dining, and personalized vintage Woodie tours. SCP has partnered with SeaTrees, an organization dedicated to preserving the marine ecosystem along the Southern California coast, and will plant one “Sea Tree” (kelp plant) each time a guest stays at the hotel.