NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
SanJose.org; @VisitSanJose—“A global city at the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose is where innovation fuses with art and technology,” says Matthew Martinucci, vice president of sales and destination services for Visit San Jose. “It is the largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, spanning nearly 200 square miles of natural California beauty juxtaposed with the dynamic high-tech scene it is famous for.”
As Silicon Valley’s premier meetings destination, San Jose features venues equipped to support the highest-caliber productions, Martinucci adds. “Meetings here enjoy state-of-the-art facilities with industry-leading audio and visual capabilities. The San Jose meetings campus, which includes San Jose McEnery Convention Center and four performing arts venues (San Jose Theaters), is located in downtown San Jose, just 10 minutes from the airport and walkable to an abundance of local dining and entertainment options.”
The LEED Silver-certified San Jose McEnery Convention Center features 294,760 square feet of exhibit space, a 35,194-square-foot grand ballroom, a 22,000-square-foot executive ballroom, and up to 43 breakout rooms for 50 to 3,900 guests in theater seating.
Two recently renovated hotels connect directly to the convention center. San Jose Marriott features 478 guest rooms and 21,957 square feet of event space. Its 9,075-square-foot San Jose Ballroom can accommodate receptions for up to 700 guests or banquets for 640. Hilton San Jose offers 354 guest rooms and 26,410 square feet of event space, including a 48,330-square-foot exhibit hall and 13 meeting rooms.
Other accommodations include Hotel Valencia Santana Row, well positioned for visitors to enjoy west San Jose’s dining, nightlife and high-end shopping. It offers 215 guest rooms and 4,000 square feet of event space, including a 2,200-square-foot ballroom and open-air Mediterranean-style courtyard. The 2,640-square-foot seasonal Ceilo Rooftop bar provides views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and can accommodate up to 120 guests. More intimate spaces include a 336-square-foot executive boardroom for up to 12 guests and the 432-square-foot Bella Vista, which is located next to Cielo Rooftop and can accommodate up to 40 guests. AC Hotel by Marriott San Jose Downtown features 210 guest rooms, 3,426 square feet of total event space, and two breakout rooms. Its outdoor terrace can accommodate an 80-guest reception or banquet for 60. Hotel De Anza, a 100-room boutique Art Deco property located downtown, is .3 miles from SAP Center and a few blocks from the bars and restaurants of pedestrian-only San Pedro Square. Its six event venues range from a 304-square-foot boardroom for up to 14 to a 2,376-square-foot terrace for up to 200 guests, featuring a 30-foot canopy and fern-lined terracotta walls. Hayes Mansion, Curio Collection by Hilton, in south San Jose, offers 214 guest rooms, more than 33,000 square feet of recently upgraded meeting space, and 20 acres of outdoor event space. Its 6,600-square-foot Hayes Ballroom can accommodate up to 750 guests.
Club Sportiva, billed as a country club for car enthusiasts, offers members (and visiting non-members) the opportunity to rent Lamborghini, Porshe, and Maserati luxury sports cars, though getting behind the wheel is not mandatory. The club also offers 18,000 square feet of rentable event space in its showroom, which can accommodate 400 guests, and clubhouse, which can accommodate 100 guests.
With a permanent collection of modern and contemporary art from the West Coast, San Jose Museum of Art can host events for up to 3,000 guests. The Tech Interactive, a family-friendly museum whose exhibits explore everything from biology, biotechnology, and health to art, music, and technology, can accommodate seated events for up to 350 guests or receptions for up to 2,000. The museum’s Rooftop Terrace, with views of downtown San Jose, can accommodate seated events for 180 guests or receptions for 250.
More high-tech fun can be had at Guildhouse, an esports meeting place where adult gamers can play, sample craft cocktails, and enjoy pub food. Topgolf San Jose offers more than a dozen games on controlled driving ranges where microchipped balls score themselves. Players can virtually golf on courses like Pebble Beach.
In 2023, Winchester Mystery House celebrated 100 years of welcoming guests. Sarah Winchester purchased the property in 1886, when it was a two-story, eight-bedroom farmhouse known as Llanada Villa. She soon began to build—and build and build and build. By the time she died in 1922, she had created a seven-story Victorian marvel with 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 17 stairways—some leading to nowhere—and with a reputation for being haunted. Why the Winchester Repeating Arms heiress kept building is part of the mystery. In addition to offering tours, the home is available for special events in venues including two dining rooms, each accommodating 12 guests; an intimate but ornate ballroom seating 25 banquet style or 50 for receptions; and in the greenhouse and patio, its newest space, accommodating 200 for receptions or 100 for seated events. Teambuilding opportunities include axe throwing in the barn and private tours.
In the historic Rose Garden neighborhood, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is home to the West’s largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit. From there, it is a short walk to San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, a 5½-acre park featuring 189 rose varieties and more than 4,000 rose shrubs. Peak bloom is in May. Reservable wedding locations include the 200-guest-capacity Rose Garden Stage, which is surrounded by redwoods and offers views of the roses, and the standing-room-only arbor/fountain area.
When it is time to eat, San Jose offers a variety of cuisines. “San Jose is a global city, home to a melting pot of cultures and heritages coming together to make one of the most vibrant culinary scenes in the country,” says Martinucci. “For example, Little Saigon is home to the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam and boasts incredible cuisine like pho and banh mi, while Japantown is home to incredible Japanese cuisine, shopping, and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, which chronicles more than a century of the Japanese-American experience in northern California.”
In San Jose, even the food is high-tech. The Virtual Reality Dining Experience at iChina pairs an eight-course tasting menu with auditory and visual components for a fully immersive experience.
