Johanna Koch Named DOS&M Ventana Inn, Big Sur
BIG SUR, CA, January 22, 2009 - Johanna Koch, with more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality marketing industry, has been named director of sales and marketing at Ventana Inn & Spa. Since March 2008, Koch served as director of public relations and marketing at the resort, which is located in Big Sur, Calif., 30 miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
"In the current economy, the sales effort is key to the resort's success and it could not be in better hands," said Tina Harlow, general manager at Ventana Inn & Spa, which earlier this month was named one of the "500 World's Best Hotels" by Travel + Leisure magazine. "In a very short period, it has become evident that Johanna has the ability to drive sales forward."
Prior to joining Ventana Inn & Spa, Koch, 37, served as marketing director for the San Luis Obispo County (Calif.) Visitors & Convention Bureau; marketing communications manager for Sea Island Resorts in Sea Island, Ga.; senior account executive for Hunter Public Relations-Special Events in Pebble Beach, Calif.; and public relations assistant and sales associate for Resort at Squaw Creek in Olympic Valley, Calif., at the foot of Squaw Valley USA.
After hosting quiet couple retreats since its debut in 1975, the resort this year opened its doors for the first time to small meeting groups. A recent property-wide $18 million renovation at Ventana featured the addition of new meeting space, which now, according to Koch, allows the resort to serve as "a memorably tranquil setting and experience" for executive retreats, high-powered sales meetings and corporate strategy sessions for anywhere from 12 to 120 attendees.
Koch attended college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She resides in Carmel.
Ventana Inn & Spa's recent renovation was carried out by its new owner, Walton Street Capitol, and hospitality management company, Joie de Vivre, Californian's largest boutique hotel collection. The resort is located 35 miles south of Monterey Peninsula Airport (MRY), with four carriers providing more than 40 daily direct flights to and from most of the West Coast's largest cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Diego.
To obtain more information on Ventana Inn & Spa's meetings opportunities, call the sales department at (831) 667-4240 or visit www.ventanainn.com.
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