Venue Facts
The Crowne Plaza Phoenix Chandler Golf Resort
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Size: 249 guest rooms and suites
Meeting Space: 32,000 square feet of flexible event space
Access: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Interstate 10
Contact Info
480-812-0900
History and sophistication blend seamlessly at a palm-lined oasis in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. The Crowne Plaza Phoenix Chandler Golf Resort, constructed in 1913 as the San Marcos Hotel, is a hidden gem for meeting planners. Paired with unforgettable Southwest weather, the resort’s all-in-one offerings, history and prime downtown location make this Chandler, Arizona, destination a huge draw for visitors seeking a luxurious getaway.
Turn-of-the-20th-century real estate visionary A.J. Chandler built the hotel to anchor the town bearing his name. Arizona had just been granted statehood the year prior, in 1912, and the irrigation techniques he invented to create the Grand Canyon State’s first grass golf course were cutting edge for the time. Chandler envisioned his unique and beautiful San Marcos Hotel and Golf Course as a sumptuous winter resort where the who’s who of the nation could go to escape and play.
In 1982, the Crowne Plaza Chandler earned a National Register of Historic Places listing. Today, visitors can experience some of the factors that secured the designation, including the Spanish Mission Revival architecture integrated throughout the building.
Plus, legends of secret speakeasies and ghost stories abound in the resort’s walls. “People swear this place is haunted,” said Crowne Plaza meeting director Tiffany Warman.
The Crowne Plaza Chandler recently undertook extensive renovations. All the resort’s 249 freshly overhauled guest rooms and suites boast a balcony or patio. “We completely gutted the bathrooms and redid everything,” Warman said. “They are beautiful.”
Additionally, Crowne Plaza Chandler staff completely made over the lobby and bar areas in 2020. “Next summer we will renovate the event spaces with new carpeting, lighting, wallpapering and more,” Warman said.
Meeting planners can take advantage of the resort’s 32,000 square feet of customizable event space. The Crown Plaza Chandler boasts 16 rooms, spanning modest meeting spaces to expansive ballrooms. The resort’s on-site staff can assist in reserving room blocks, booking tee times and providing catering, audiovisual and all the event support a planner may need.
Thanks to the resort’s all-in-one offerings, planners can easily provide groups with the lively and lavish backdrop America’s jet-setting elite have sought for more than a century.
Meeting Spaces
The Crowne Plaza Chandler’s event space spans 32,000 square feet across 16 meeting rooms. Those spaces include three ballrooms, two board rooms, an amphitheater, indoor and outdoor patios and a lush courtyard. The resort’s signature Southwestern style permeates every meeting space; rooms range from as few as 350 square feet up to the largest ballroom at 5,500 square feet.
The resort offers complete meeting planning services on-site. “We provide the food and beverage, bar service, full banquet staff and kitchen staff and have on-site audiovisual service as well,” Warman said. “They are awesome with groups going hybrid and virtual.”
Dining
Groups meeting at the Crowne Plaza Chandler have vibrant on-site dining options.
“In our hotel lobby and on the outdoor patio space is 1912, our lobby bar that serves all kinds of foods and beverages,” Warman said. AJ’s restaurant, one of Chandler’s most historic restaurants, has been serving all-American breakfast daily for more than a century.
“Right here on the ground floor is a restaurant called Crust, an excellent Italian pizza restaurant,” Warman said. Accessed through a recently uncovered hidden staircase, the Ostrich Bar is housed in Crust’s basement, a space rumored to have been a Prohibition-era speakeasy.
Extras
World-class tee times are just a three-minute walk away from guest rooms at the resort’s San Marcos Golf Course. Guests can improve their golf game with on-site PGA head golf pros on Arizona’s history-making first grass golf course.
The resort’s heated pool entertains with DJs and live music in the summer. Guests can take advantage of the on-site spa, the full state-of-the-art fitness center and the salon to seize the relaxation they crave. The resort has also added a gift shop that sells unusual products, including high-end wine, liquor and souvenirs.
Before and After
February and March mean one thing in Chandler: baseball. More than a dozen major league teams move to the Greater Phoenix area for spring training every year. Visitors can secure tickets for Cactus League games, no more than an hour’s drive from the resort.
However, guests can access great entertainment without ever getting in a car. “People feel comfortable and safe in Chandler,” Warman said. “There’s so much to do right within walking distance.”
Passersby can enjoy the Spanish Colonial and Mission Revival architecture throughout the community as they explore shops, restaurants and galleries in historic Old Town Chandler Square.
