After 18 months and over 15 million dollars, the CROWNE PLAZA VENTURA BEACH HOTEL has completed its top to bottom renovation. Formally the Holiday Inn Ventura Beach Resort, the property has long been a Ventura landmark thanks to its coveted beachfront location.  It has been re-branded and named the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel.

Most dramatically, the lobby has been completely reconfigured by eliminating walls, creating an open floor plan that encompasses a new front desk area and the Aqua Bar.  Featuring striking ocean views as a result of new floor-to-ceiling windows, the bar and lounge opens out to an outdoor patio that overlooks the beach and the historic Ventura pier.

The décor of the expanded lobby is contemporary in design and features warm earth tones of rust, chocolate, ochre and beige.  Cream walls provide contrast for ebony occasional tables and upholstered armchairs.  The entire room is reflected in a series of oversized freestanding ebony wood framed mirrors along the North wall of the lobby.  Zebrawood and ceramic accessories provide visual interest, as does a collection of hand blown art glass displayed across from the front desk. 
 
Other significant improvements to the resort include a complete redesign of the hotel’s restaurant: - renamed ‘C’ Street after Ventura’s legendary California Street surfing spot and featuring California-inspired cuisine; the creation of a 24-hour business center; an expanded fitness facilities with top of the line exercise equipment; and a complete remodeling and expansion of the meeting rooms for a total of 16,000 square feet of space, including the spectacular “Top of the Harbor” room offering panoramic 270° views of the mountains, beach, city and  nearby Channel Islands. The Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel now offers a 100% smoke free environment and is pet friendly.

“There is no other hotel between San Francisco and Los Angeles that can offer the winning combination of dramatic views and the amount of meeting space available at Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel,” said General Manager Douglas Wood.  “Our new lobby configuration, allows us to showcase the natural beauty of our oceanfront location even more.”

Within the guest rooms, changes in bedding and sleep accessories to meet Crowne Plaza’s high standards including the introduction of Crowne Plaza’s unique “Sleep Advantage program."  Combination CD-player/clocks have been added to every room.  All Crowne Plaza’s offer a guaranteed wake-up call, and designate certain floors as “quiet zones,” where there is no engineering activity, housekeeping or children between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m. on weeknights. Windows have been replaced throughout the property with double-pane glass to block noise from the outside.

Room amenities have been upgraded to InterContinental Hotel’s RE-NEU Botanicals brand, with shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, mouthwash, oatmeal bath soap, aloe facial soap, sewing kit, shoe mitt and shoe sponge provided to guests.

Training of the hotel’s staff to Crowne Plaza standards was also a high priority. The Crowne Plaza trainers came out to the property and conducted sessions on its ‘Make It Happen’ program for the entire staff leading up to the opening.

The Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel is managed by Providence Hospitality Partners (PHP), based in Denver, Colorado.  Operating throughout the U.S., PHP is an approved operator of all major franchises including Marriott, Omni, Radisson, Hilton and Sheraton hotels, but specializes in managing historic, boutique and one-of-kind, themed hotels and resorts.

The 258-room hotel, located at the California Street exit off Highway 101 in Ventura, is the only hotel located directly on the beach in Ventura. Visible from the freeway, it is adjacent to the historic Ventura pier and within easy walking distance to Ventura’s vibrant Main Street. Crowne Plaza is an upscale hotel brand of the InterContinental Hotels Group. Its corporate slogan is “Crowne Plaza, The Place to Meet,” and its mission is to provide a modern, informal and refreshingly unpretentious first-class hotel experience.