Enveloped in sunshine and an enviable climate year-round, San Diego County is known as a quintessential Southern California hot spot, but planners may not realize that it is also a meetings-friendly destination with enough natural and cultural diversity to make it a prime annual gathering spot.
Encompassing beach, mountains and desert, and everything from a buzzing downtown to the relaxed setting of North County, San Diego’s variety will keep delegates intrigued and eager to convene here time and again.
“San Diego is not a one-shot deal,” says Margie Sitton, senior vice president of sales and services at the San Diego CVB. “With seven distinct communities, groups can come here seven times and have a different experience each visit.”
While variety is the spice of life, airlift to and from San Diego International Airport (SAN) is also important to meeting planners.
“Via British Airways, 35 European cities feed into Heathrow to come here daily, and in addition, Japan Airlines will start direct service from Tokyo in December three times a week,” Sitton says, adding that in the spring that lift will occur daily. “It’s very exciting.”
Once attendees get through baggage claim, they’re only 10 minutes away from downtown hotels and 30 minutes away from North County.
“You don’t have to drive long to reach any part of San Diego, and it’s easy to navigate,” Sitton says. “Our ocean breezes and palm trees are minutes away.”PageBreak
Downtown San Diego
A hip urban hub for meetings, downtown San Diego is home to SAN, the San Diego Convention Center, the Gaslamp Quarter’s restaurants, shops and nightclubs, and Balboa Park’s many cultural attractions.
“There is a plethora of things to do right out the door, wherever groups are staying,” Sitton says.
Among the possible home bases for groups convening downtown are the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, which is on track to complete a top-to-bottom renovation by fall 2013, and W San Diego, Westin Gaslamp Quarter San Diego and San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina, all of which also recently underwent renovations.
For off-site events, one of San Diego’s most popular options is the USS Midway Museum, a jewel of the city’s waterfront. Groups can relive 50 years of world history on tours of the attraction, which is the longest-serving Navy aircraft carrier of the 20th century. The carrier features a variety of spaces for group events.
After the meeting, attendees might like to unwind with a cold craft beer, as San Diego is a star on the international microbrew stage and, according to The New York Times, a “sunny heaven for suds lovers.”
Meanwhile, the possibilities for other diversions are numerous, from golfing and waterborne pursuits to visiting a museum or Seaport Village, a 14-acre waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex.
Coronado
Easily accessible via bridge or ferry from downtown is Coronado, an island destination.
The go-to venues for group events here include the Hotel del Coronado, which in April completed a guest room renovation in its original Victorian building; the Coronado Island Marriott Resort; and the Loews Coronado Bay Resort, which finished a meeting space renovation in 2011 and is slated to wrap up lobby and other upgrades by the end of this year.
According to John Annicchiarico, spokesman for Loews Coronado Bay Resort, the most unique activity for meeting attendees in Coronado is a team-building exercise developed and facilitated by former U.S. Navy Seals.
“Dressed in full combat uniforms, they will instruct your team to work together, collaborate and communicate to ensure the unit’s success,” he says, explaining that Coronado is home to the Coronado Naval Amphibious Base, where Navy Seals train and work. “This is a fun, uniquely local way to entertain and engage meeting guests.”
Cheryl L. Ferguson, director of sales at the Hotel del Coronado, adds that sailboat or Jet Ski racing as well as outings with Stand Up Paddle in Coronado Bay are also popular options for visiting groups.
“Coronado offers everything from island tours on beach cruisers to a historic tour that will take everyone back in time to a simpler day,” she says.PageBreak
Mission Valley/Old Town
The San Diego CVB’s new tagline for the Mission Valley area is “Positively in the Middle,” according to Sitton.
“It’s three miles north of downtown in the middle of it all,” she says. “It’s close to the beach and the zoo, and it has a great price point—not as expensive as downtown hotels.”
Old Town, the birthplace of California, has a rich history that groups often enjoy via walking tours. Here they’ll find about 25 restaurants, shopping opportunities and Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, one of the most visited parks in the state system.
Meetings-equipped properties in the Mission Valley/Old Town area include Crowne Plaza San Diego and Town and Country Resort and Conference Center.
Mission Bay
Adoringly referred to as “Little Bay” by the San Diego CVB, Mission Bay is an elegant yet unique and diverse location for meetings, Sitton says.
“All hotels are on the water; it’s like the Venice Beach of San Diego,” she adds. “It’s a throwback-in-time experience because of the boardwalk, longstanding restaurants and surf scene.”
With the largest manmade aquatic park in North America, there are plentiful waterborne activities in Mission Bay for groups, including water skiing, wind surfing and boating.
Mission Bay is also home to SeaWorld, one of California’s most popular theme parks, and meetings properties such as the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina, Bahia Resort, which completed a guest room renovation in March, and Paradise Point Resort and Spa.PageBreak
North San Diego County
North San Diego County, home to the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base, appeals to groups of all sizes, according to Sitton. She says La Jolla, a “boutique-y” seaside village, is well-suited for smaller groups that will enjoy its relaxing, high-end retreat feel, and farther north, larger groups will appreciate the county’s elaborate resort area.
La Jolla is home to the University of California, San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where Birch Aquarium runs whale-watching cruises from December through April. Meetings-ready properties here include Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa, Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, La Jolla Shores Hotel and the Lodge at Torrey Pines.
The resort area to the north of La Jolla includes some heavy hitters on the meetings map, namely La Costa Resort and Spa, which recently completed a $50 million, resort-wide renovation; the newly opened Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa, with 215 guest rooms and suites and 25,300 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space; Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Oceanside, which opened in November 2011; Grand Pacific Palisades Resort, which recently finished a guest room renovation; Park Hyatt Aviara Resort; and the Grand Del Mar, which has achieved a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award and last year opened an equestrian center that planners can look to for team-building ideas.
Farther inland are group-friendly properties including Rancho Bernardo Inn; Rancho Valencia, which recently began a $20 million renovation to guest rooms villas, public areas and meeting and event spaces; and Pala Casino Spa Resort.
South San Diego County
In Chula Vista, which means “beautiful view,” there is much to see and do, according to Marcy Weaver, general manager at the Chula Vista CVB.
She says Chula Vista’s coastline, mountains and open spaces attract birders, hikers, cyclists and parachute enthusiasts.
Local attractions here include the United States Olympic Training Center, the Living Coast Discovery Center, four challenging golf courses and Otay Ranch Town Center, a shopping, dining and entertainment venue.
La Quinta Inn San Diego Chula Vista, which has two meeting rooms, is a popular property for groups.
East San Diego County
East San Diego County, coined “San Diego’s Backyard” by the San Diego CVB, also has wide open spaces with mountains and deserts and is attractive for groups with attendees who like the great outdoors.
According to Sitton, hiking, biking and team-building obstacle courses built into area preserves are popular off-session activities for groups.
The area, home to the picturesque Anza-Borrego State Park and Palomar Mountain State Park, features a number of casino properties that cater to groups, including Sycuan Casino, which completed a multimillion-dollar renovation in September 2011, and Barona Resort and Casino.
Carolyn Blackburn is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus West.
