MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – August 10, 2021 – westdrift Manhattan Beach, an Autograph Collection Hotel, is pleased to announce the appointment of Larry Jones as Director of Sales & Marketing. With more than two decades of experience in sales, marketing and catering, as well as operations and revenue management for properties across Southern California and the Midwest, Jones leads a team of four in fashioning innovative strategies to garner new and repeat business from meetings and events clientele, while heightening awareness of westdrift among business and leisure travelers, and the surrounding community.
Spread across 26 acres in the charming coastal enclave of Manhattan Beach, California, just a mile from the sand and four miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), westdrift is an ideal seaside setting for business and social gatherings of all sizes with 35,000 sq. ft. of flexible indoor-outdoor event space for everything from intimate weddings to grand corporate retreats. The hotel welcomes guests with 393 luxury guest rooms and suites, 112 of which feature private balconies, and all with stunning views. The signature restaurant Jute Coastal Bar + Kitchen offers an indoor-outdoor destination for creative, communal-focused dining, while the Mixology Lab serves cocktails, craft beer and private label wines to tempt every palate. Onsite amenities include a 9-hole golf course, outdoor swimming pool flanked by cabanas, CrossFit-inspired fitness center, and custom beach cruisers available via the hotel’s collaboration with Solé Bicycles.
Jones joins westdrift following a turn as National Sales Director for the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. Previously, he was Director of Sales leading the rebranding and repositioning of The Garland North Hollywood, and prior to that, he served as Director of Sales for the Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, where he successfully led the creation of competitive group offers and banquet packages to increase revenues and move market share. During his tenure with the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey, Jones conceptualized innovative fitness, well-being, and spa packages for leisure and group guests, and established the resort as an ideal location for commercial shoots and feature films.
Jones began his career in Minneapolis in 1998Â as a Regional Revenue Manager/Operations Manager at the Hilton Reservations Center, before going on to work with other Minneapolis properties including The Chambers, Luxury Art Hotel, Radisson University Hotel, and Double Tree Guest Suites/Hilton.
Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Jones is now a resident of Los Angeles, and enjoys spending his downtime volunteering in the local community, hiking the nearby trails, and listening to music.
