Located on the beach just 30 Minutes South of Santa Barbara, Ca. the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel recently announced two new appointments to strengthen its sales team.  SHANNON VAN WAGNER has been appointed to the position of Sales Manager, to focus and build corporate and convention sales, and STEPHANIE THOMAS joins as SMERF Sales Manager.   

Prior to joining the Crowne Plaza earlier this year, Ms. Van Wagner was with the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau in the position of Tourism Sales Manager.  Ms. Thomas joins the Crowne Plaza from the Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo, where she was Conference Service Manager, and has extensive experience in sales and event management for several other Californian hotels.

“Since the completion of our renovations earlier this year, the hotel’s services and facilities have been significantly upgraded and expanded.  Strengthening the sales team is a key part of getting that message out to everyone,” says Monty Criss, the Crowne Plaza’s Director of Sales.

The Crowne Plaza underwent a multi million dollar renovation earlier in 2007.  The renovation included a complete redesign of the hotel’s restaurant, the creation of a 24-hour business center; 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 also offers a 100% smoke free environment and is pet friendly.

 Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel is located at 450 East Harbor Boulevard at the intersection of California Street and Harbor Boulevard.  Situated directly on the beach, the newly renovated 258-room Crowne Plaza is adjacent to the historic Ventura pier and within easy walking distance to Ventura’s vibrant downtown district.  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.  The Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel is managed by Providence Hospitality Partners (PHP), based in Denver, Colorado.