Crowne Plaza-O'Hare introduces new catering, menus

The Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center (http://www.CrownePlazaOHare.com), 5440 N. River Rd., Rosemont, has introduced new catering and room service menus to appeal to the appetites and budgets of both guests and event planners.

“We recently transformed our guest rooms, ballrooms and other meeting facilities, so the timing seemed right to transform our menus,” explained General Manager Cher Jacobsen. “The focus is on fresh, locally sourced foods that are simply prepared and competitively priced.”

The hotel has streamlined its catering menu to make event planning easier -- whether the occasion is a small, private dinner party, a lavish wedding reception or a full-scale convention. The new menu focuses on most-requested themes and dishes, according to Executive Chef Michael Grove. “We do a lot of Chicago-specific food events, stations featuring ethnic cuisines, and fun break treats such as cupcakes and pizzas,” he said.

The Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare has also expanded its kosher catering offerings, and is one of the few O'Hare Airport hotels with in-house kosher catering capabilities. “While we excel at all the traditional dishes, guests are thrilled to learn that we offer modern renditions of their favorites, plus foods they've perhaps never seen on a kosher menu,” said Grove.

The hotel, which has been recognized for raising its environmental profile to be among the leaders in the industry, has also introduced a “green selections” food and beverage menu, and a “green theme” daily menu share, which maximizes purchases from local food and beverage purveyors.

In tandem with the new catering offerings, the hotel has expanded its in-room dining to include virtually every item from on-site restaurant, The Chicago Fire Oven (http://www.chicagofireoven.com). The menu makes liberal use of the blazing stone hearth oven that serves as the restaurant's focal point, and which yields many of its signature menu items, including thin-crust pizzas, roasted artichoke and spinach dip, and pastas with house-roasted tomato-based sauces.

“Unlike other room service menus, which typically are very limited, ours offers a full range of appetizers, salads, pastas and pizzas, along with steaks, pork, chicken and fish – basically anything you would order in the restaurant,” said Grove.

With its prime location just 1.5 miles from O'Hare International Airport, across from the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, and adjacent to the Rosemont Theater, the hotel – rated four stars by both Travelocity and Orbitz -- regularly hosts training sessions, conferences and trade shows in many industries, as well as religious gatherings, self-help seminars, dance competitions and weddings.

Conference and meeting facilities at the property include two ballrooms (23,500 square feet and 2,200 square feet), 22 meeting rooms (280 to 7,128 square feet), and an 89-person tiered amphitheater with stage and production room. Pre-function meeting space (4,000 square feet), two 16-seat boardrooms, and an eight-seat conference room also are on-site.

For more information, call (847) 928-3743 or email sales@CrownePlazaOHare.com.