North America

The Latest From Northern California

April 12, 2022

Meetings of all kinds can find the right space for their style and budget in Northern California.

San Francisco

Opening soon in Northern California, Presidio Tunnel Tops is a new attraction within the Presidio national park site built on top of the Presidio Parkway tunnels. With views of the Golden Gate. It’s sure to become a top outdoor attraction for groups visiting the city. Groups can also rent the amphitheater or grassy lawn at Salesforce Park, which is set 70 feet above the Grand Hall of Salesforce Transit Center and runs its entire length of nearly four blocks. Or groups of up to 200 can take in the spectacular views on the rooftop garden of the San Francisco MOMA, which is also home to a sculpture garden.

“Only in San Francisco can meeting attendees experience so many different and inspiring things in such a short time given the city’s incredible topography, iconic attractions, dynamic culinary scene, and arts and culture,” said Nicole Rogers, EVP and chief sales officer, San Francisco Travel Association. “On the doorsteps of Moscone Center is the biggest concentration of arts institutions west of the Hudson River. Just six miles away, The Presidio’s trails and beaches offer stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin headlands. And San Francisco is the most welcoming city, known for its open-mindedness and diversity of cultures, histories and personalities. No two visits are ever the same.”

New hotel openings include the new-construction citizenM, a Dutch hotel brand, with 195 rooms; the conversion of the Park Central to the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA, with 686 rooms; the new 200-room 1 Hotel, expected to open in Q2, (formerly the Vitale); and the new LUMA San Francisco, with 299 rooms and a variety of meeting rooms accommodating up to 255 attendees.

Sacramento

The newly remodeled and expanded SAFE Credit Union Convention Center takes meetings in Sacramento to the next level, with 240,000 sq. ft. of programmable space, including 80,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, four large exhibit halls and a 15,000-sq.-ft. outdoor plaza, which will be a popular spot for groups considering that Sacramento gets between 270 and 300 days of sunshine per year.

In addition to the new convention center, planners will find refreshed hotel product as well, since many hotels used the downtime during the pandemic to upgrade. This past winter also saw the opening of the new 105-room Fort Sutter Hotel, part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection, located in the arts-centric Sutter District in Midtown. It features 1,800 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor event space including 620 sq. ft. of private meeting space for up to 50 attendees. There’s also the new 172-room Hyatt Centric hotel, which features more than 2,500 sq. ft. of meeting space and a sixth-floor outdoor terrace with views of the city’s skyline. Also new is the 100-room Exchange Hotel, located in the historic California Fruit Building, a member of Hilton’s Curio Collection.

“So many of our planners want to offer their delegates a West Coast experience, but the price point and crowded market can be deterrents,” said Kari Miskit, chief communications officer, Visit Sacramento. “Sacramento offers the best of what you’d expect from a California destination – great weather, fantastic food options, walkable streets, plenty to see and do – but we also offer the approachability and accessibility that you’d expect from a smaller town. It’s sort of the best of both worlds.”