Best of 2011: Los Angeles's 10 Most Notable New Event Venues

After a two-year closure, the iconic Hotel Bel-Air reopened in mid-October and debuted an extensive renovation. Hotel Bel-Air’s restoration was a collaboration of the design teams of Alexandra Champalimaud and the Rockwell Group. It blends the indoor-outdoor experience as well as vintage '30s, '40s, and '50s inspirations. Wolfgang Puck oversees all of the property’s food and beverage operations, which include the restaurant and bar, room service, catering and events, and the garden terrace. The restaurant is known as Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air, and the menu focuses on modern California cuisine with European and Mediterranean influences.

After a $12 million restoration project, the Belasco Theater opened in March and has played host to major events, including a British Academy of Film and Television Arts gala that drew the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their Los Angeles visit. A private ballroom with room for 200 has a 23- by 9.5-foot stage and its own entrance from Hill Street. A wine bar off the main lobby has three plasma TVs and room for 150. And a basement lounge that fits 200 has its own bar and dance floor. The 40,000-square-foot venue was built in 1926 and is a few blocks from the L.A. Live complex downtown.

Hotel brand Mr. C, from the fourth generation of the Cipriani family, opened in June. The 138-room property has 22 Signature and Classic suites alongside spacious guest rooms ranging from 365 to 800 square feet. All of the rooms have private balconies, many with panoramic views of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. The interior design includes dark hardwood floors, burgundy and gray palettes, and white accents, and there's vintage black-and-white photography on the walls. There is an outdoor pool for hotel guests and a 12th-floor indoor-outdoor private event space with panoramic city views and a private, exterior glass elevator.

Patina Restaurant Group opened Ray’s Restaurant and Stark Bar in March next to the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the new restaurant is named after Ray Stark, the late film producer and former Lacma trustee. The outdoor Stark Bar is composed of a long bar, lounge area, and table seating. Ray’s and Stark Bar have midcentury-inspired furniture in keeping with Piano’s design. Their total seating capacity is just more than 150.

Opened in October on Santa Monica's Ocean Avenue is the Shore Hotel, certified as LEED Silver, with eco-friendly accommodations and views of the Pacific. Independently owned and operated by the Farzam family, the hotel has a California modern design conceived by Gensler Architecture. It offers 164 rooms in shades of teal and orange and outfitted with custom-made teak furniture. The open-air, U-shaped design of the main building has an outdoor pool and patio. The main building also has a three-tier sky bridge that connects it to a second collection of rooms. Amenities include two dining establishments, a fitness center, meeting and event spaces, and a four-story underground parking lot.

In June, Disneyland Resort unveiled significant upgrades to the Disneyland Hotel, marking a milestone in its remake of the property. New additions to the hotel include an event lawn, a new suite, and courtyard enhancements that include a new water-recreation area and poolside restaurant and bar. Adjacent to the resort’s 136,000-square-foot convention center is the new Frontier Lawn, an intimate venue that accommodates as many as 60 people for receptions. A second lawn offers an additional 12,500 square feet of flexible space and a permanent stage.

Fig & Olive on Melrose Place opened in March and has gathered buzz ever since. It's also booked an array of large events, including an Obama fund-raiser and Fox's Emmy after-party. It offers cuisine from the south of France, Italy, and Spain. It occupies a split-level, 8,000-square-foot open space, with a variety of indoor and outdoor seating options for as many as 300 guests. It's the first West Coast outpost for the restaurant group, which has venues by the same name in New York City and Westchester, New York.

Carondelet is a mile west of downtown and has been available for events and meetings since last summer. Already the uncommon venue has shown an ability to draw big brands like Lanvin. It is a 7,600-square-foot home with two courtyards and room for 500. Furnishings are available, as is JBL sound equipment, wireless mics, and Wi-Fi throughout. Tres L.A. is the in-house caterer; other caterers may be used for a higher rental fee.

Named for its sweeping views and prime real estate, Perch opened downtown in July, atop the historic Pershing Square building. The 11,000-square-foot space, inspired by French bistros, is a three-story venue with views of the city. Rachel Thomas and Coly Den Haan (who established the Must wine bar) teamed up with building owner and real estate developer Jeffrey Fish to create the venue, which has multiple dining and entertainment venues. Fish built two additional floors on the roof of the building to create the multilevel space. The new 15th floor, which offers indoor and outdoor seating, serves as the main bar and restaurant. Floors 13 and 16 are used as event spaces or for overflow during regular business hours.

Commonly known as M.B. Post, this restaurant opened in April to big-time media and public acclaim. The space comes from chef and co-owner David LeFevre, with an artisan menu of shared plates, along with specialty cocktails, beers and wines. The venue takes over the former post office, steps from the ocean. The 3,200-square-foot restaurant holds about 100 guests in the bar and dining room, a combination of booths and communal and individual tables.