San Diego: a perfect climate for meetings.

San Diego is firmly established as a favorite meeting and convention destination in Southern California. Today, the region offers even more than its relaxed resort appeal to meeting planners and delegates, boasting an exciting urban sophistication, the newly expanded San Diego Convention Center, myriad hotel properties and meeting facilities, and popular year-round attractions and activities just perfect to extend a business trip into a fun-filled family vacation or a weekend getaway.

Why do meeting planners and delegates share the excitement about San Diego?

Meeting planners can choose from more than 51,000 hotel rooms countywide, with many new hotel developments and a renaissance of growth in the downtown area.

The available 118 convention hotels offer state-of-the-art conference and banquet facilities as well as specialized services for business groups. Some of the notable new developments can be found in downtown San Diego and its vibrant historic Gaslamp Quarter, but exciting changes can be found throughout the county.

Construction is nearly complete on a major expansion project at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, located within short walking distance of the San Diego Convention Center, which more than doubled its existing meeting and convention space in September 2001.

Slated to open in August, the new 34-story; 750-room Hyatt tower will offer an additional 86,000 square feet of meeting space and will be connected to the existing 40-story, 875-room tower. The completed Hyatt will offer more than 120,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,625 sleeping rooms. It will be the tallest waterfront building on the U.S. West Coast.

Also in the works downtown is the 511-room Omni Hotel, which will be the key hotel in the San Diego Ballpark District redevelopment project, located just across the street from the San Diego Convention Center expansion.

The 32-story hotel connects to the new San Diego Padres' PETCO Park by a sky bridge, and features 20,000 square feet of meeting space. Both the Omni Hotel and PETCO Park are slated for completion in time for the Padres' opening day in spring 2004.

Opened in December 2002, downtown's hip W San Diego offers 261 luxury guestrooms, 5,000 square feet of meeting space and a fine dining restaurant serving Pacific "new wave" cuisine. A variety of stylish amenities also are featured, including the unique Beach bar with heated sand and stunning skyline views.

Both W San Diego and The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla were listed in Conde Nast Traveler's May 2003 issue as two of the "80 best new hotels in the world."

The Lodge at Torrey Pines is set along the world-renowned Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, home of the prestigious Buick Invitational golf tournament. The stunning Craftsman-style resort opened in April 2002, and features 13,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, a 9,500-square-foot full-service spa and two restaurants, including its signature A.R. Valentien. Most of the resort's rooms feature fireplaces as well as spectacular views of the golf course and the beautiful blue Pacific.

The Lodge at Torrey Pines shares another notable recognition with the 329-room Four Seasons Resort Aviara in nearby Carlsbad; both are recipients of the 2003 AAA Five Diamond Award from the American Automobile Association.

Four Seasons Resort Aviara received this coveted award for the fourth consecutive year, while its chic Italian restaurant, Vivace, won its fourth AAA Four Diamond Award, making it one of six San Diego recipients of the prestigious restaurant award in 2003. Four Seasons Resort Aviara offers 29,000 square feet of meeting and function space, including a 12,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom and an 18-hole championship, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, complemented by the Aviara Golf Academy.

Also in Carlsbad, the 478-room La Costa Resort and Spa is undergoing a massive, $55 million makeover to its 400-acre complex. In addition to refurbishing the entire property, including public spaces and guestrooms, La Costa is rebuilding a spectacular new state-of-the-art spa and is expanding its facilities to include a new 42,000-square-foot conference center that features an 18,000-square-foot ballroom--the largest in San Diego's North County. Scheduled to open in fall 2003, the new facilities will bring La Costa's meeting space to a total of 92,000 square feet.

Recent casino developments in San Diego's north and east regions also are a winning bet for meeting planners and delegates. Home to the largest concentration of tribes of any single county in the U.S.--18 total--the region's casinos provide Las Vegas-style action and entertainment 24/7, as well as new hotels and meeting facilities, located just 30-45 minutes from downtown.

Opened in January 2003, the newly expanded Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino in Lakeside features a 397-room hotel, 300,000-square-foot casino and the highly acclaimed Barona Creek Golf Club and Golf Events Center, with nearly 20,000 square feet of meeting space for groups of up to 600 guests.

Harrah's Rincon Casino and Resort in Valley Center is a 180,000-square-foot resort and casino featuring 183 oversized guestrooms and a 10,000-square-foot, 800-seat Pavilion and multipurpose events center.

Pala Casino in Pala features a four-star, 507-room luxury hotel, a 10,000-square-foot, full-service day spa and a 2,000-seat Events Center.

Sycuan Casino & Resort in El Cajon features a 102-room lodge, two 18-hole championship golf courses and well-equipped conference facilities.

Located in nearby Temecula, Pechanga Resort & Casino features 522 guestrooms and a 40,000-square-foot convention center in addition to its newly expanded 88,800-square-foot casino.

San Diego's diverse meeting facilities combine with unlimited options for recreation and incentives when delegates are finished meeting. The region offers world-class arts and culture, fine dining, 70 miles of pristine beaches, world-famous attractions and much more.

The comprehensive 194-page 2003 San Diego Meeting & Convention Planners Guide is available for meeting planners and meeting and convention clients. It's a valuable source of information highlighting the county's meeting and convention facilities, accommodations, dining venues, incentives, activities and attractions, transportation, meeting services, and general information on San Diego.

The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau also offers a variety of services and assistance for meeting planners and clients, provided by the hotel meetings and citywide sales divisions. Additionally, the Bureau's convention services department is your partner in attendance promotion, housing, registration staffing, restaurant reservations and post-convention reports.

For more information on San Diego's meeting sites, please contact the following: John Reyes, Vice President of Sales, San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, 401 B Street, Suite 1400 San Diego, CA 92101, [phone], [e-mail], www.sandiego.org