Luques Restaurant is going Hi-Tech

The Luques Restaurant is our little dining spot inside the hotel where we serve breakfast and lunch including room service 7 days per week from 7am to 2:30pm. Luques is one of the few places that serve breakfast ALL DAY. We also do room service in the evening 4 days per week - Wednesday through Saturday along with our bar snack menu. Our menu is filled with simple California Cuisine that is fresh, local and tasty. Our breakfast specialties are Chilaquiles and Eggs Benedict. For lunch, we are known for our Thai Shrimp and Papaya Salad. We are one of the best values for breakfast and lunch in the Union Square Area and now we are making things even better for our customers through technology.

We now have 3 new Hi-Tech programs that are available to our guests:

• Stampt



• Google Wallet



• LevelUp

Stampt is a mobile app that is a frequent guest reward program. Stampt tracks the number of times one eats with us and after they get a "Stampt" 10 times, they get a free entree. No more membership cards to carry. Let your phone do it all. You can find the app here: http://stampt.com/

All you need to do is download the app on to your mobile device, dine at Luques and show your phone with the app to get credit. Come get Stampt!

Google Wallet and LevelUp are two new more secure ways of paying for purchases using your mobile device instead of a credit card or debit card. You simply maintain an account with Google Wallet or LevelUp and when you want to pay for your purchase at Luques, open the app and we obtain the payment.

Of course, we still take cash just like in the olden days.

Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest

We just concluded our annual employee pumpkin carving contest and Mao is the winner again!

I think Mao has another career if he decides to give up waiting on tables. He carves a mean pumpkin.

We gave any employee interested in participating a pumpkin to carve and put them out in the lobby for several days leading up to Halloween. We put ballots out and guests and visitors voted for their favorite pumpkin. We gave cash prizes for the top three vote getters.

Thank you for participating!

The front desk ladies got into the spirit and dressed up a front desk kittens

Crooks Tour San Francisco

We just heard about this walking tour that is available in San Francisco that is all about the City's dark side. Crime, Vice and San Francisco History! It is a 90 minute walking tour that meets at the Ferry Building. The tour is only $30 per person but guests of the Chancellor Hotel can get $10 off. Simply go to their website http://www.crookstour.com/ and use the discount code: THANKYOU

For more information: (415) 601-5346 or email: info@crookstour.com

Fleet Week 2011 San Francisco

Fleet Week starts October 6 with the practice runs over the City and Bay. It is always a special treat to see the planes buzz the City and practice their maneuvers. Fleet Week has been getting better and better each year.

This year, the Canadian Snowbirds will be flying. Also, the Parade of Ships will be lead under the Golden Gate Bridge by the USS Carl Vinson on Saturday.

Here is the website and schedule of events:

http://www.fleetweek.us/

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Blue Angels Circle and Arrival Maneuvers practice 1-5pm
Friday, October 7, 2011
Urban Search & Rescue training with SFFD, Sailors and Marines at Treasure Island and civilian emergency response teams - by invitation only
NERT CERT CORE -by invitation only
Fleet Week Air Show Practice 12:30pm to 4pm
PIER 39 -Navy Band Southwest 12 - 2pm, Take 2 from 4 -7pm. Meet & Greet The Blue Angels near Aquarium of the Bay from 7:15pm -7:45pm
Interagency Softball Competition at Moscone Field in San Francisco: SFPD, SFFD, USMC, USN - 8am-2pm
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Parade of Ships 1st ship under the GG Bridge will be USS Carl Vinson at 11am. All ships will berth along the northern San Francisco waterfront
Ship Tour Pier 30-32, USS BONHOMME RICHARD, LHD 8am-4pm
Marine Band performing at the Cable Car Turn Around in Union Square, then will march up to The Marines Memorial Club at 609 Sutter Street
Fleet Week Air Show 12:30pm to 4pm
Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Response Display on Marina Green 9am-5pm
W Foundation's Navy in Space Exhibit on Marina Green
Anthem Health’s Bringing Back Recess exhibit on Marina Green
PIER 39-First Marine Division Band 2-3pm, LoveFool 4-7pm
Marine Band Concert at Huntington Park - 6pm - 7pm
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Fleet Week Air Show 12:30pm to 4pm
140th Annual Italian Heritage Parade – Military Marching Band,Color Guards, Marching Units - San Francisco's North Beach -Powell & Jefferson Streets to Stockton to Washington Square, followed by a Band Concert at Washington Square.
Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Response Display on Marina Green 9am -5pm
W Foundations's Navy In Space Exhibit on Marina
Anthem Health’s Bringing Back Recess exhibit on Marina Green
Ship Tours Pier 27, USSS MILIUS, USS ANTIETAM, USS CHIEF- 8am-4 pm
Ship Tour Pier 35, USCGC BERTHOLF, USCGC ALERT, HMCS OTTAWA - 8:00-4:00pm
Ship Tour Pier 30-32, USS BONHOMME RICHARD - 8:00am - 4:00pm
USS CARL VINSON, CVN at anchor - No public visitations
HMCS BRANDON, HMCS NANAIMO, Pier 80 - No public visitations
PIER 39-Navy Band Southwest 12-2pm, Mustache Harbor 4-7pm
49ers Salute to the Fleet - Candlestick Park, 49ers vs Tampa Bay - The Marine Band will be playing at the entrances while fans enter the stadium, The Coast guard will have a singer for The National Anthem for pre-game with two F-18s flying over. Halftime will consist of 150 future Marines/Sailors bringing out a large American Flag along with the Marine Band playing "Stars and Stripes Forever." Following that, USN CF3 Captain Bryne will be doing a swear in on field for 20 future Marines/Sailors. Immediately after that, Air Force singer A1C Hokay will sing "God Bless the USA."
Monday, October 10, 2011
Ship Tours Pier 27, USSS MILIUS, USS ANTIETAM, USS CHIEF- 8am-4 pm
Ship Tour Pier 35, USCGC BERTHOLF, USCGC ALERT, HMCS OTTAWA - 8:00-4:00pm
Ship Tour Pier 30-32, USS BONHOMME RICHARD - 8:00am - 4:00pm
USS CARL VINSON, CVN at anchor - No public visitations
HMCS BRANDON, HMCS NANAIMO, Pier 80 - No public visitations
2nd Annual Fleet Week Band Challenge GGPark Band Shell - 8am - 1pm
PIER 39 - Navy Band Southwest 12-2pm
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
All SFFWA Ships Depart


Air Show Schedule
Thursday, October 6, 2011
1pm to 3pm - US Navy Blue Angels Circle & Arrival
4pm to 5pm - US Navy Blue Angels Practice

Friday, October 7, 2011
12:30pm - 4pm - Air Show Flying,
1:30 -2pm Canadian Snowbirds
3pm to 4pm - US Navy Blue Angels

Saturday, October 8, 2011
11am - Parade of Navy Ships
12:30pm - 4pm - Air Show Flying
1:30 -2pm Canadian Snowbirds
3pm to 4pm - US Navy Blue Angels

Sunday, October 9, 2011
12:30pm - 4pm - Air Show Flying,
1:30 -2pm Canadian Snowbirds
3pm to 4pm - US Navy Blue Angels

Oracle Openworld is here!

Oracle Openworld is THE biggest thing in San Francisco. The hotels are full and the economic impact to the City is huge.

We welcome the attendees and thank them for coming to San Francisco.

One thing we do special for Oracleworld, because the event is so big and important is the closing of Howard Street.Howard Street between 3rd and 4th Streets which runs between Moscone North and South is tented. It is a small inconvenience for some drivers, but well worth any trouble considering what this event does for the local economy over the week.Another way many businesses show their appreciation for the folks that come to San Francisco for the Openworld event is the "Show your Badge and Save" offers. Attendees can show their badge and receive discounts at restaurants and more. We are proud that Luques Restaurant and Bar located inside the Chancellor Hotel is participating in that program. You can use the link here to check all of the Union Square offers.

http://www.sftravel.us/groups/directory_eat.asp

The Bold Italic now available to guests at the Chancellor Hotel on Union Square

We are very honored to have the beta copies of The Bold Italic for our guests at the Chancellor Hotel on Union Square.

The Bold Italic is a new printed publication that highlights the truly local side of San Francisco. More and more, people that are visiting places want the local aspect of the place they are visiting. They want to act like locals, be with locals and know the local secrets. The Bold Italic serves that up in a fun and irreverent way. I went through the first issue and saw some great things that I can't wait to check out myself even though I am born and raised here. Other parts were making me laugh inside at some of the quirkier sides of San Francisco. There is a lot of great information for "Foodies" (I hate that term). I was thinking to myself, if I was visiting San Francisco and saw this publication, I would be so excited and disappointed at the same time. Excited because I am getting such great information that seems so unique, but disappointed that I would not have near enough time to do half of what I wanted to do.

Check out the website at: http://www.thebolditalic.com/, but definitely pick it up at the hotel when you are visiting. You will really enjoy it.

San Francisco 49er Football Season is Just Around the Corner!

The Chancellor Hotel on Union Square has the BEST 49er Package!

It is hard to believe that this Saturday is the first pre-season home game and the regular season home opener is on September 11th - less than a month away now. Go Niners! I hope we don't have to go to Santa Clara to see them some day. See them while you can in San Francisco!

The best news is that we have the best 49er football package going. We have great seats for our football package right down by the field almost on the 50 yard line about 15 rows from the field. The seats are Lower Box 16, Row O, Seats 23 & 24. Check it out: http://www.seats3d.com/nfl/san_francisco_49ers/

Packages are still available. If you want to see football the way it was meant to be seen, check out our package:

http://www.chancellorhotel.com/packages2.htm

GO NINERS!

Union Square Park Public Right of Way Improvements Project

I wanted to pass on this information from the Union Square Business Improvement District with some of my pictures and other bits of information:

Beginning Monday, August 15, 2011 the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will be making improvements to Union Square Park to provide accessible routes on the sidewalks and street crossings to transit stops that serve Union Square Park. Among the improvements planned are:

· Removal of the corner pedestrian islands which are not large enough for safe pedestrian refuge and cannot be enlarged due to traffic lanes

· Construction of sidewalk bulb-outs at each corner to shorten pedestrian crossings

· Removal of right-turn-only lanes; right turns will be allowed from the adjacent lane

· Construction of 2 curb ramps at each corner

· Relocation of the traffic signal poles from the pedestrian islands to the sidewalk bulb-outs

· Widening of the transit islands to 8 feet and construction of proper access ramps

· Realignment of crosswalks for new corner configurations with “Scramble” pedestrian signals; all vehicles stop to allow multi-directional pedestrian crossings

· Installation of appropriate signage and crosswalk painting

It also looks like they will be relocating the Cable Car pick up from the island on Powell at Post Street. I noticed the line was much longer at Powell and Sutter Streets now.

This project will be constructed in several phases as follows:

· Phase 1 will begin at the Post and Powell corner of Union Square Park. It will last 10 weeks. The work hours will be:

- Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and night hours of 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

- During this phase of construction the MUNI bus stop at Post and Powell will be temporarily relocated further eastward to Post near Stockton
- During construction hours, northbound traffic on Powell between Geary and Post will be restricted to one track-lane for all vehicles. The right-turn lane at Powell and Post will be closed entirely. Right turns will be permitted from the left cable-car track lane
- Motorists are urged to use alternative routes to avoid delays

Raveable.com is a joke - Bed Bug Reports are very Inaccurate

We just had a guest call us about information they read on Raveable.com. Please, please, please, do not believe everything you read on the internet! Especially when you only get half of the information. Any respectable review site, such as TripAdvisor, will have a mechanism for posting a response to reviews. The proper way the system works is that people can post whatever they want and hotels can post a response. That is how one makes an informed decision - getting both sides of the story. Raveable.com, on the other hand, has "spiders" that pull information from other sites and regurgitates it on their own site. They have no original content, qualification method or system to provide both sides.

For example...
When you look at the Chancellor Hotel listing on Raveable.com, a big warning header in bold red type shows up that says:
WARNING: Bed Bugs Reported
1 unconfirmed report in the last 12 months. Before booking, call the hotel and inquire about this incident.

When you click through, it indicates two reports, but they are from the same guest review copied off of TripAdvisor.

Regardless, the whole thing is not true! It was one posting by a guest that was trying to extort us for a free stay. They demanded a free stay or else they would post bed bug reports about us on the internet. As you will read in their execution of their threat, we tore the room apart in front of them and NOTHING WAS FOUND. Here is what they posted:

“BED BUGS.....VERY COMMON AT THIS HOTEL”
Reviewed February 17, 2011
So we gave this hotel every chance to redeem themselves. When we approached the front desk about bed bug bites that appeared after a single night's stay it was clear that it was not the first time they had dealt with this problem. They turned the room upside down, and gave us another room for the evening....we had no choice but to stay there. When we looked at the bed bug website - the financial district in San Fran basically had one big red blotch over it and seemingly every hotel had dealt with it. As for this place the higher level front desk person had close to zero customer service skills, and the manager never came to speak with us. I would absolutely tell anyone looking for a hotel in San Francisco to carefully research the area and the specific hotel. We had to dry clean or wash everything in hot water when we got home - vacuum all bags and put as much as possible in a hot dryer...it was a nightmare. Plus bites took a couple of weeks to heal. We choose this hotel for the location and price...but got what we paid for....especially bad service.

Here is my response that is posted with it:
This is an example of one of the real flaws with review sites. However, I trust that a vast majority of people that use TripAdvisor see right through this.This is absolutely untrue.These folks reported "bed bugs" the evening of their second day after coming back and being out all day. Not when they were sleeping. We immediately went to the room to check things. As they to mention, we stripped the room in front of them and FOUND NOTHING. If there was something, we would have found it. The lady has some red bumps on her. We don't know where they came from, but it wasn't from bed bugs at the Chancellor Hotel. They indicated they would be more comfortable if we moved them to another room for the night. We did. The next day we re-checked the room and found nothing. Just in the interest of goodwill, we offered one night refund. I didn't think that was fair to us, but if it would make them happy, I was willing to do it. However, when they tried to bully and threaten us demanding a full refund or they would post bad reviews all over the Internet, we said no. We will always do what is right and fair, but we will not be bullied and extorted. We have found bed bugs at the hotel. We have an extensive bed bug program and were recognized in the New York Times as a best practice business. You can Google it. If there had been bed bugs, this would not have been posted because we would have done everything possible to make the guest happy and rectify any issues. A hotel can not stop bed bugs from being introduced to their property, but they can do everything possible to deal with them and we do.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a link to the New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/business/08bedbug.html

Other issues that make me question the content of Raveable.com...If you are looking at a hotel listing, they attach a list below that says "better quality hotel..." If the hotels have the same star rating, how do they label it as "better" than another hotel?

They have a box on the site that says:
+77.8%
Increased Risk of Bed Bugs in San Francisco Hotels

What? Where did they come up with that?
They have no real evidence to make a claim like that. That is outrageous!

After looking through several listings and pages of information, I find Raveable.com is a waste of time and very unreliable. Good luck...its a jungle out there.

Chancellor Hotel Receives the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2011

We are very proud to have received the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2011.

As an independent, family owned and operated hotel, our representation on TripAdvisor is very important to us. We don't have brand advertising or a corporate office to help us. We compete with some big companies and large groups of hotels with a lot of resources that we don't have. Our ranking of #9 in San Francisco is quite an accomplishment.

TripAdvisor is an information resource that a huge amount of the travelling public uses to make their decisions on where to stay when visiting a particular city.

Unfortunately, there are still too many people that book first and look at TripAdvisor later. Some do it because of blind bidding sites like Priceline and others do it because they made a bad decision.
They learn about or want to just use TripAdvisor after the fact so they can exact revenge by slamming the hotel with a bad review.

There are good and bad aspects to the new world of online reviews. One of the bad things is that anyone can write whatever they want - regardless of the accuracy or truth. Most people can see right through that, but it still hurts the rating and that is unfair.

I think when people make a bad decision for their hotel stay, that is their fault, not the hotel's fault. People need to take responsibility for their decisions. As an example that hits close to home...When someone books a hotel without air conditioning or that has small rooms and then they knock the hotel for it in a review, that is unfair. That is the way the hotel is, it was that way when they booked and it was that way when they stayed. Unless there is some misrepresentation, I think it is unfair to knock the hotel for what it is. Now, if the service was bad or things are not working, that is wrong and the hotel should be held accountable.

What I just don't understand is that nearly every review of the Chancellor mentions small rooms, yet people still stay and complain about it. If someone does the slightest amount of looking online about us, they will learn about the rooms and shortcomings. If someone books on a blind bidding site, and everything works and the service is good, they have no right to score it low. They may have not liked it, but they didn't choose it - a computer did. They got the price they wanted and the best hotel that was available on that system - they should be happy or should not complain.

One of the good things about TripAdvisor is that we can post a response. Although that gets me in trouble sometimes, I think there are two sides to every story, and when people are using TripAdvisor to make their decisions on which hotel to choose, I want to make sure they have all the information. My responses are honest, direct and real. Not the typical corporate speak you will find from most of the other hotels. Part of my strategy in my responses is to add a little humor and filter out the people that are offended. If you are offended by my response, you are probably not the type of guest that will appreciate and enjoy the Chancellor Hotel. Some past guest reviews have said that people need to be easy going and not uptight to enjoy the hotel. I agree. A vast majority of people that I hear from tell me that they appreciate my responses and enjoy reading them. The people that tell me I offend them, etc., we don't really want them as guests anyways - not because they are bad people or anything, they most likely wouldn't enjoy the hotel. That is okay and completely understandable. It takes a certain type of person to appreciate and enjoy staying at a historic, boutique hotel and we are all better off when we make the right match. Hopefully, my responses help people make the right decision, so I can take the heat.

Do you leave tips for the housekeepers?

If you do, thank you. That is very generous and the staff really appreciates it.

The housekeepers work very hard and have a dirty job. Leaving tips for housekeepers has not been fully recognized as a standard like tipping a bellman, but it is fairly common. People will leave a request on a note with a tip, a thank you tip at the end of a stay or a few dollars each day for the service.

However, if you are going to leave a tip for a housekeeper, please don't make it a counterfeit bill!

Yes...Maria was left a nice tip of $10.00. Well, actually, it was a nice picture of $10.00. It was a $10.00 counterfeit bill!

It is actually a pretty good one compared to the ones I have seen in the past. It is missing some of the basic security features, but the way people handle money quickly, and as a small note, I can see how the guest left it (mistakenly, I hope).

Poor Maria was very surprised when she went to Starbucks to buy a coffee and the very alert barista caught it. It goes without saying how embarrassed and surprised Maria was. That was when she told all of us at the hotel what had happened. We're just glad we weren't bailing her out of Federal Prison.


It used to be the notes that were counterfeits were only $100 bills and the like. Now, the high quality home printing and computers make it much easier and cheaper to counterfeit and they are even doing small denominations.

Be on the lookout!

The Powell Street Promenade is NOW Open!

The Mayor of San Francisco, Ed Lee, Board of Supervisor's President, David Chiu, Executive Director of the Union Square Business Improvement District, Linda Mjellem, Designer, Walter Hood, an Audi Executive and others gathered for the Grand Opening of the Powell Street Promenade today just off Union Square.After the ribbon cutting ceremony, designer Water Hood took us around one block of the Promenade to explain the features and design elements that people will enjoy. Above, he is demonstrating the new FREE WiFi that will be available on the two blocks of the Promenade.

The Promenade features stand up tables as well as some bench seating. It is made of a galvanized metal with some wood inlays.

Powell Street has over 100,000 pedestrians each day walk up and down the corridor connecting BART and Market Street with Union Square.

The plants mixed in through out the Promenade are a great touch.

Our Lobby Renovation is Compete!

As planned, we completed our lobby renovation on July 6th with the installation of the new rug and furnishings. It really looks nice and we are very pleased. We hope our guests like it.

Powell Street Promenade is Coming Soon!

The Powell Street Promenade is now being installed on the blocks of Powell Street between Geary and Ellis.The Promenade will be an extension of the sidewalks into the parking lane creating more seating and pedestrian enjoyment in a more open and inviting space. Vehicles and Cable Cars will still have a lane of traffic in both directions, and white zones in front of the hotels will remain open. The Promenade will be occupying the parking meter spots and yellow zone spaces.

The Promenade is a public-private partnership with the Union Square Business Improvement District, Audi and the City of San Francisco. It should be finished in early July and will be in place for years. I am really looking forward to it. I think it will be a great addition to the area and make the pedestrian experience much more enjoyable.

Cable Car Shut Down June 1-5

Here is the story on the shut down:

CABLE CAR SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CONSTRUCTION AND MUNI SERVICE UPDATE FOR MERCHANTS AND RESIDENTS
Effective Wednesday, June 1 to Sunday, June 5
Complete Shutdown of the SFMTA Cable Car System
Muni Bus Shuttles to Substitute for All Cable Car Lines

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) reminds customers, merchants and neighbors that work continues on the two Powell cable car lines and California line. Upon completion of the third and final shutdown as part of the Cable Car System Improvement Project the City’s beloved cable car system will feature new technology and improved quality, reliability, maintenance and safety.
This third shutdown, a shutdown of the entire Cable Car system, will take place Wednesday, June 1 through Sunday, June 5.
Muni bus shuttles will operate in lieu of cable cars for the entire length of the Powell-Hyde, Powell-Mason and California Cable Car Lines. Customers can get on and off the bus shuttle at all regular stops except those in or around the construction areas as posted.
What to expect:
No cable cars will run during the shutdown
Temporary removal of a limited number of parking spaces along the shuttle bus routes
Shuttle buses between Ellis & Powell, Francisco & Taylor and Beach & Hyde streets during all hours of service
The Regular Muni Fare of $2 ($0.75 Youth/Seniors/Disabled) will apply. Transfers will be provided
A Safer and more reliable cable car system

For more information about the Cable Car System Improvement Project and transportation alternatives, please visit www.sfmta.com/cablecarimprovement or call 311.
We appreciate your understanding and patience as we improve your Muni system.

Well, I thought it was going too smoothly to be true...Houston, we have a problem.

A few items are now delayed and rather than do a partial conversion from old to new, we are going to wait until everything is ready at the same time for the installation. Thus, we are now looking at July 6th for the change-over. In the mean time, we have a fleshly painted lobby and shiny floors with our old furniture. It actually looks pretty nice, but on July 6th, we'll put the icing on the cake and it will be beautiful.

Lobby Renovation Update #2

The lobby floors were done over the weekend and they now have a shine I have never seen before.

The floors and counter tops look great!

Now we need to keep them that way. It was easy getting the shine back (not cheap, but easy) - the hard part will be keeping the shine.

As of now, we are just waiting for the furniture to finish the project. We are expecting the bulk of it to arrive on June 2nd. There will be no negative guest impact because it is simply a matter of taking out the old and putting in the new. Can't wait.

Lobby Renovation Update

This angle shows the new chandelier and color scheme. I really like the shadows that the new light fixture casts on the ceilling.What do you think?

New bar areaOld bar area

So far we have finished painting the lobby, installed our new chairs and stools in the bar, and recovered the banquette seating in the bar area.

Now, we are working on re-surfacing the lobby marble which really looks nice after it is done.

We are waiting for the rest of the new furniture to be delivered and it should all be in place in June.

Lobby renovation is underway

We are so excited to begin our lobby renovation. It will be so nice when it is done.

We are currently painting the entire lobby and bar area. The basic style will remain the same, but the colors will be changing slightly. We are also getting new lobby furniture, chandeliers, bar chairs and stools as part of the project.

We are also re-surfacing the marble floor, counter tops and bar tables to get the shine back. It will all really look nice when it is done.

We expect the project to be done by the first week of June. We can't wait!

Queen's Day on Union Square

I saw this on the Union Square Schedule and thought I would pass it along. Sounds like fun!
Union Square Turns Orange for Queen’s Day April 30, 2011

The Dutch Consulate, together with the local Dutch community, will bring you a Dutch themed fair on Union Square to celebrate Queen’s Day 2011.
There will be tulips, Dutch cheeses and delicacies, a 'vrijmarkt', traditional Dutch games for children and families, a classical music concert by the winners of the Princess Christina Concours, a beer garden, and much more [Facebook Event]

There is more: Bike Tours, NLBorrels Party, supperclub Dinner & Party. Register/buy tickets for these events today!

Schedule On the Square
12.00 – 18.00 Dutch fair, flea market & beer garden

12:30 – 13:00 kids soccer demo

13.00 – 14.00 kids activities & games

14.00 – 14:30 opening ceremony
On the Stage
14.30 – 15.30 classical music concert (Princess Christina Concourse winners)

16.00 – 17.00 classic Dutch popular songs by live band ‘Once Again’
Dutch Fair
The Dutch themed fair will include: fresh baked stroopwafels from Golden Stroopwafel Dutch bakery (Clovis, Ca) - Dutch favorites like chicken sate with peanut sauce from the Indonesian Restaurant Borobudur - North Sea herring - Dutch spiced cookies by Lotus Bakery - imported quality handmade Dutch city bikes from MyDutchBike - Dutch designed baby blankets in bold colors and fun paterns by Newly Birds - children's blankets that wrap up as a backpacks by BearHugs - collection of modern Dutch design -Dutch Caribbean booth - Indonesian Consulate - Dutch pastries from Hollands Best in San Jose - Waterboxx, a breakthrough Dutch invention - Delft Blue china nick nacks - Dutch Consulate together with the Dutch Organizations and Networks who helped organize this event - supperclub promotion team in preparation of the after party.
Kids Activities
Children can participate in several old fashioned games, traditionally played on Queen's Day in The Netherlands, like: Kloslopen (bucket stilts), sack-race, pin the tail on the donkey, spijkerpoepen (aim the nail in the bottle), name the person, puzzles, beanbag toss.

Luques Restaurant & Bar Makes Some Menu Changes

We are very excited about a few changes to our menus for Breakfast, Lunch and in the Bar. The lunch menu changed the most. We added a delicious Fish Taco Salad (pictured here)

The other new items on the lunch menu are a Greek Salad, Wedge Salad, Tuna Melt Panini and Rueben Sandwich with corned beef. We are getting a great response to the new items.

We also increased the number of daily specials we offer each day adding more pastas with seasonal ingredients.

In the evening, the bar menu now features some great personal pizzas.

Chancellor Hotel is making news

Never pay full price again...

CNet and CBS is running a story on using Facebook to reach customers and for people to get deals. They noticed our two Facebook specials:

• 
  
  Hotel guests that check into the hotel and then check in on Facebook will receive a $5.00 gift card for our Luques Restaurant & Bar


• Locals that check in on Facebook so their friends know they are at Luques Restaurant & Bar will receive 20% off

Here they are interviewing our very own Monica Dardon, Marketing Manager at the hotel.

Check out the story here: http://cnettv.cnet.com/what-facebook-deals-means-groupon-friends/9742-1_53-50102198.html

Do you want to be social?

We are trying to be social. We want to connect with our guests and help them take advantage of everything we offer and do. Here are a few options:



Facebook:
Become a fan of the Chancellor Hotel. Join our community for hotel package announcements such as giants packages, 49er packages, enter in raffles to win prizes, get restaurant specials, learn about SF events and events within the hotel.

Maniac Mondays:
Every Monday we offer a special through our Facebook page. Offers include room discounts, welcome gifts upon arrival, champagne, Food & Beverage gift cards with booking reservations, etc. Special is only available to book on that particular Monday.

Facebook Check in: Check into the Chancellor Hotel via Facebook and receive a coupon for 20% OFF lunch or breakfast at Luques Restaurant and Bar

Twitter:
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ChancellorSF

Twitter Thursday: Every Thursday a special is offered. Offers include room discounts, welcome gifts upon arrival, champagne, Food & Beverage cards with booking reservations, etc. Special may only be booked on that particular Thursday.



Chancellor iPhone App:
Receive live hotel deals such as room and restaurant discounts and specials. Free game with every download. Specials offered only to people with the app. Current guests will receive specials and discounts during their stay, have an early check-in and late check-out priority function, maps, tours, restaurant information and more. Got to iTunes App store and search Chancellor Hotel. We are working on Droid and Blackberry Apps. Stay tuned.

Chancellor Bi-Monthly newsletter:
Get more in depth information about the hotel, packages, and events throughout San Francisco. Keep up on all of our activities and goings on. Also enter in drawings to win a free night.
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Muni’s popular Powell-Mason cable car line to go out of service for four days

I wanted pass on this article from the San Francisco Examiner:

By: Will Reisman 03/07/11 3:03 PM Examiner Staff Writer

Later this month, Muni’s Powell-Mason cable car line, a route that draws thousands of tourists each day, will shut down for four days due to repair work.From March 28 – April 1, bus service will replace the Powell-Mason line, which carries 6,578 passengers on a daily basis, according to the Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni.

While that cable car line is out of service for repairs, tourists and other riders will still be able to travel on the Powell-Hyde Cable Car line, which travels on a similar path from Union Square to the northern points of San Francisco.However, the Powell-Hyde line will be out of commission for repairs from April 25 – April 29, and all three cable car routes (including the California line that is currently down) will not be running from June 1 – June 5.Operating in continuous service for the past 27 years, Muni’s cable car system has gone without a major improvement project since the mid 90s. According to the agency, system upgrades to the cable car infrastructure are essential to maintain reliability and safety standards.

9th annual Crab Festival & Celebrity Crab Cracking Contest in Union Square

Ready, Set, Crack!

For the 9th year, the Chancellor Hotel and Luques Restaurant & Bar Will Be Participating in the Crab Festival at Union Square - A Fundraiser for the San Francisco 49ers Foundation.

The San Francisco 49ers and Other Local Celebrities Team Up With Local Chefs for a Crab Cracking Contest With Food, Beer and Wine Tastings Saturday, February 26, 12:00 Noon - 3:00 p.m. There will be a crab cracking demonstration that will be followed by a contest to see who can crack the most crab. For a nominal sampling fee, local restaurants will provide tastes of the city's beloved Dungeness Crab and patrons can enjoy Wine & Beer. Music and family entertainment including a children's booth and activities for the entire family are included in the event. Again this year, the Crab Festival will be a "zero waste" event. In partnership with Recology Golden Gate and the San Francisco Department of the Environment, all materials used at the event will be compostable and/or recyclable.

Admission is FREE. Tickets for food, beer and wine tastings are $5 each or 6 for $25. Tickets may be purchased the day of the event at a designated ticket booth - cash only.