10 New Venues in Los Angeles for Fall Meetings and Events

The Los Angeles skyline was changed in late June with the opening of the Wilshire Grand Center, a 73-story, 1,100-foot skyscraper developed by Korean Air that is now the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. The $1.35-billion downtown complex is still being developed, but it will eventually include more than 350,000 square feet of office space and five restaurants. Already open is the 889-room InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, which occupies over 30 floors of the skyscraper; the luxury hotel has 95,000 square feet of event space, including the massive Wilshire Grand Ballroom—which seats 1,779 banquet-style or holds 3,054 for receptions—and 33 additional meeting rooms. The hotel has five food and beverage options; standouts include the French-focused steakhouse La Boucherie on 71 (pictured), which holds 125; and Spire 73, a rooftop bar and lounge that offers fire pits and signature cocktails and is the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere. Spire 73 holds 480 people for events.

Over the last few years, the Long Beach Convention Center has poured $60 million into renovations including revamped meeting rooms and the 45,000-square-foot Pacific Ballroom. Its latest projects include two new spaces for events: the Cove (pictured), a special event venue, and the Wave, an immersive pedestrian bridge. The Cove, which opened in July and is suited for pre-function receptions, concerts, and food-truck events, occupies the underpass area in front of the Seaside meeting rooms. The concrete walls and ceiling are adorned with five LED crystal chandeliers and light fixtures designed to look like barnacles, along with more than 110 LED lights that provide customizable lighting schemes. With a full street closure, the 50,000-square-foot space can hold as many as 5,500. Without closing the street, it holds 3,000. Above the Cove is the Wave, a 605-foot pedestrian bridge that provides a pathway from the convention center. Its design mimics a breaking wave, and it’s illuminated with thousands of customizable LED lights to provide a starry sky effect. The bridge’s landscaping is designed to create areas for networking and collaboration as guests pass between venues. The Wave will open later this summer.

Historic LAX-adjacent restaurant the Proud Bird recently underwent a complete overhaul for its 50th anniversary, reopening in late June as a massive food hall and events center with aviation-centric exhibits and decor. The airy, revamped space has floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of LAX runways, and a P-40 Flying Tiger plane replica is suspended from the industrial-like ceiling. For events, there are six new spaces, including a 13,000-square-foot grand ballroom that seats 1,200, and the 2,000-square-foot Aviator room, which seats 160 and can be rented with an adjacent courtyard patio. Speciality Events offers full-service event planning, food and beverage options, and lighting and audiovisual support for events. The Proud Bird has six casual culinary kitchens that highlight Asian, Italian, and American cuisine. Communal tables, lounge seating, and the Mile High Club bar and lounge surround an open kitchen area. 

The final Tao Group venue at the new Dream Hollywood opened in July. The Highlight Room is an 11,000-square-foot rooftop bar and lounge with poolside cabanas, a retractable roof, and city views. The venue has three main areas: The outdoor grill area offers full-service meals and has space for 100, while the covered lounge side functions as more of a nightclub, with two DJ booths, bottle service, and space for 150 people. In the center is the pool area (pictured), which holds 250 for events. The entire rooftop is available for buyouts; it holds 500 people. The Highlight Room joins Beauty & Essex, Tao, and Avenue, which all opened this spring at the hotel. 

Open since May in Koreatown, Mama Lion is a large, upscale eatery with contemporary California cuisine by chef Michael Hung, formerly of Faith & Flower and Viviane. The glitzy supper club was designed by Kelly Architects and features gold accents, leather seating, industrial beams, brick walls, and mixed-metal designs. The menu features a mix of upscale shared appetizers and entrees; happy hour and late-night menus are also available. The drink list was curated by Aiden Demarest, a veteran of high-end cocktail bars such as Seven Grand. Mama Lion seats 110 for events, while a semiprivate lounge holds 16.

Housed in the 1924 Beaux Arts-style Commercial Exchange building in downtown Los Angeles, the Freehand is a stylish boutique hotel-hostel hybrid that opened in June. The 13-story Rydell Group hotel has 226 rooms: 167 private rooms and 59 hostel-style rooms that have as many as eight beds. On-site Israeli restaurant the Exchange seats 60 inside and 32 outside; a mezzanine level seats an additional 44. Also on site is Rudolph’s Bar and Tea in the lobby, which seats 65 or holds 150 for receptions, and has plush seating and cocktails inspired by the flavors of tea and coffee. Other event space includes the 745-square-foot Burroughs Suite, which holds 25. Slated to open in August is the 3,520-square-foot rooftop space with a pool, city views, and the Broken Shaker rooftop bar; the bar will seat 96 or hold 235 for receptions. 

Peruvian chef Ricardo Zarate’s new West Hollywood eatery is named after his mother: Rosaliné. The restaurant—which opened in mid-June and specializes in classic Peruvian dishes and street-food cuisine—serves shared plates, larger-format meat dishes, and seafood and vegetables. The 3,000-square-foot space was designed by Kevin Tsai Architecture and has an indoor-outdoor feel, with a front room that flows into an open-ceiling greenhouse dining room in the back. For events, the restaurant seats 100 or holds 150 for receptions. While there is no designated private space, a glass-enclosed room in the back has a 14-seat table that can be rented for groups. 

In June, Venice Beach’s Hotel Erwin unveiled a room and suite remodel inspired by 1970s bohemian beach culture. Designer Sally Breer of Co-Mingle updated each of the hotel’s 33 suites and 86 guest rooms with a retro color palette of blues, greens, and yellows alongside plenty of playful beach- and boardwalk-inspired touches such as funhouse mirrors. The hotel, which overlooks the Venice Beach boardwalk, is also increasing its focus on wellness this summer: In-room snacks are curated by Whole Foods Market, and guests can rent bicycles. The hotel also offers the 750-square-foot Red Bull Dogtown Suite, which has a branded DJ booth, a balcony, and signature art; it holds 45 for private events. Other event spaces include a rooftop lounge with space for 198, and the in-house restaurant Barlo Kitchen & Cocktails. The 1,100-square-foot Larry’s Loft—named after local artist Larry Bell, who curated the hotel’s artwork—can host meetings, movie screenings, and cocktail receptions. It has three balconies and seats 45 classroom-style or 65 banquet-style, or holds 75 for receptions.

The Now—a chain of Los Angeles-based boutique massage parlors—opened its newest location in Studio City in July. With an interior inspired by nature and the Mexican city of Tulum, the wellness space offers a menu of aromatherapy, crystal healing, energy-infused foot soaks, and more. The 1,800-square-foot venue has eight treatment rooms that offer full-body massage tables. Exclusive to the Studio City location is the Restoration Hideaway, an outdoor space available for brunches, cocktail parties, and other small events. The Now has additional locations in West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Silver Lake.

Melrose Avenue’s newest restaurant, open since mid-July, is chef Jason Fullilove’s American soul food eatery Barbara Jean. The venue, an outdoor patio with a retractable roof, takes over the former Maré space behind Melrose Umbrella Company; it’s the brick-and-mortar location of the chef’s former pop-up project, which is named after this mother. Barbara Jean aims to offer a fresh take on soul food, serving dishes such as “Grandma Jean’s Sampler”—barbecue ribs, greens, black-eyed peas, and mac ’n’ cheese. The cozy 1,000-square-foot eatery is decorated with street art, old books, and comfortable booths. While there are no private dining areas, the entire space can be rented for events; it seats 60 or holds as many as 100 for receptions. A lounge area holds an additional 15.