Crowne Plaza Thinking Christmas
By K.J. WEBB
Contributing Writer
SANTA IN SUMMER: Crowne Plaza Hotel General Manager Marlin Keranen reminds his guests to plan ahead and “Think Christmas.”
As students return to school, an oft-heard comment is, “I can’t believe how fast summer went by,” or something along those lines. It’s amazing how quickly three months can pass by. It’s useful to remember this as we move into fall, because before we know it we’ll be saying, “I can’t believe it’s already Christmas!” It happens every year.
Many have the good intention to plan early, shop early and “get it all done” so we can enjoy the holiday season. How about this year making 2009 the year to follow through and get Christmas tasks done early and eliminate holiday stress?
The Crowne Plaza downtown has a variety of options for Christmas festivities and holiday fun. “Our personalized total event management staff can work with our clients to organize and implement any scale of event at any time. Our staff is experienced, creative and able to design individualized, memorable events; and it’s always wise to plan early for the holiday season,” says Marlin Keranen, general manager of the Crowne Plaza. With over 38,000 square feet of event space, including three separate ballrooms on two levels with square footage ranging from 1,400 in the Oklahoma Ballroom to 10,000 in the Tulsa Ballroom, the Crowne Plaza can host multiple events without the guests feeling crowded. “We can maximize our space for our clients and create a private, personalized atmosphere at the same time,” says Keranen. Additionally, the Crowne Plaza offers five luxurious, generously sized suites for smaller gatherings.
In addition to eliminating holiday stress, planning early for Christmas is better for the budget. “When people have more time to plan their expenses, they tend to make better decisions and are more likely to stick to a budget,” says Keranen. Sticking to a holiday budget is easily accomplished with the assistance of the Crowne Plaza event management staff and the daily meeting debrief. “ The daily meeting debrief helps our clients manage their budgets,” says Connie Otis, the Crowne Plaza’s director of marketing. “It’s part of the personalized total event management service we offer to our clients.”
Regarding early holiday planning, Sylvia Payne of information sharing and how-to site helium.com writes, “The earlier you start planning for Christmas the easier it can be on your pocket and your nerves. Christmas, or any other big holiday time that involves lots of food, gifts and organization, can be very stressful. Leaving even some of the planning until the last minute will almost certainly mean that things will get forgotten or your budget will run out.” In fact, many people recommend starting to save for Christmas right after Christmas, and starting planning, especially for parties, in the summer. These are most often the people who manage to genuinely enjoy the holidays without the complaint of stress and fatigue.
Mentioning holiday stress and fatigue, Keranen again emphasizes the value and importance of planning for the holidays early. “It’s easy to say, ‘it’s only September, I’ve got lots of time,’ but time goes by more quickly than people expect and the result is holiday anxiety, stressed nerves and fatigue. It really does make the most sense to avoid all that get all your planning done way in advance; and you also end up actually saving money. We’re currently offering some great advance deals for the holidays. Just give us a call, we’re ready to help you get your holiday planning in motion and get it done.”
For more information contact the Crowne Plaza Event Planning at (918) 560-2267, or email sales@ascensionhotels.com
Updated 09-17-2009
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