The Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas has hired Christiaan van Buuren as its director of table games and promoted two food-and-beverage executives.
Ryan Rowland was promoted to vice president of the property’s food and beverage program. Courtney Allen will take over as director of food and beverage.
A graduate of the University of Johannesburg, van Buuren’s background in casino and hotel operations ranges from pre-opening planning and design with Gold Reef Casino Resorts in his native South Africa to traveling the world managing casino operations onboard six-star luxury cruise liners with Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
He also headed the casino-gaming division of Kangwon Land, Inc., a large integrated casino-resort in Korea, where he innovated their casino and surveillance operations. He came to Las Vegas to be part of the SLS opening team, then moved to spearhead the rebranding of the casino at The STRAT.
Rowland joined the Plaza’s food-and-beverage team in 2019 as its director. Prior to the Plaza, Rowland was director of restaurants for the transition of the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino to Park MGM and his career includes management positions at such famed restaurants as Spago Las Vegas, Michael Mina at Bellagio, StripSteak at Mandalay Bay, and Jean-Georges Prime Steakhouse.
Allen started at the Plaza as general manager of its rooftop-pool operations in 2018, then transitioned to the property’s culinary-management team. Prior to her tenure at the Plaza, Allen worked at the Downtown Grand Las Vegas. She began her career in the San Francisco Bay area as a manager for Blue Mermaid and Puccini & Pinetti restaurants, then as food-and-beverage manager at Parc 55.
“Having a qualified and dedicated executive team enables the Plaza to provide guests with an unmatched experience in the heart of downtown Las Vegas,” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “I am excited to welcome Christiaan and am confident his diverse background will further enhance our casino operations. And I congratulate Ryan and Courtney on their success in elevating our food and beverage program. From delivering an authentic steakhouse experience at Oscar’s to developing a unique craft cocktail program at our new Carousel Bar, their creative vision and seamless execution will be critical as the Plaza continues to create new offerings for our guests.”
