Union Square Ice Skating is back!

The Holiday Ice Rink is open Wednesday, November 10, 2010 through Monday, January 17, 2011

The ice rink is open and the Christmas Tree is in place. It is still being put together and decorated, but it will be lit on the Friday after Thanksgiving, known as "Black Friday" at 6:00pm. The tree lighting ceremony is always a fun time. "Black Friday" in the Union Square area is one of my favorite days of the year. It has an incredible buzz and the area is filled with shoppers, protestors, kooks and more. I love it!


Skating Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Open until 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Ninety-minute sessions start on every even hour. Please note: Rink closes at 9:30 p.m. on December 31.
Admission is $9 for adults and $4.50 for children eight and under, Monday through Friday until 6 p.m. $9.50 for adults and $5 for children eight and under, Friday at 6 p.m. until closing on Sunday. Skate rental is $4 with a $1 surcharge for hockey skates.

The best part is that we have discounted tickets available while supplies last. Our tickets are 40% off the regular price.

Here is a view from the roof of the hotel.

Our Halloween Tradition

We held our annual employee pumpkin carving contest again this year and below are the pumpkins that were entered.

We also decorated the front desk with spider webs and other scary Halloween nick knacks.

The Chancellor Hotel is getting into the World Series Spirit

We have dressed up our lobby bar area with our Giants gear to show our support and pride for the future World Series Champions...Our San Francisco Giants! Right now, they are off to Texas for 3 games, but we will be watching them from here.

The bar has been very busy during the World Series Games. We're offering free popcorn, drink specials, appetizers and more. It is a great place to enjoy the game without being in a loud riot.

I hope there are no Texas Ranger fans, because during the day, when you help yourself to our free lobby coffee we have a big GO GIANTS! sign right in your face.

GO GIANTS!

The Chancellor Hotel does not have air conditioning

One thing that still seems to catch people by surprise (much to my surprise) is the fact that we do not have air conditioning. I don't know how people can book us, and not know that we do not have air conditioning, since every website has that information posted. It is also mentioned in probably 95% of our reviews on TripAdvisor. A quick perusal of reviews would clearly provide that information about us...but it keeps happening. What is not fair is when people book us knowing we do not have air conditioning and if they get caught in one of our rare heat waves, they get upset with us.

San Francisco does get about 15 days per year when it gets warm and air conditioning would be helpful. However, it does cool down at night and the heat rarely lasts longer than 2-3 days in row.

That said, even if we did have air conditioning, there still is no guarantee that everyone would be happy. I have seen many cases where the air conditioning was inadequate and people were still unhappy. It did not cool the room enough, it was broken or even when it was working properly, people still were not cool enough. The reality is, we would probably get the same number of complaints if we had air conditioning as we do without it. Thus, with our climate, the fact that we would get some complaints regardless of whether we had air conditioning or not, and it is much better for the environment, we do not plan on having air conditioning anytime soon...or ever.

If the thought of getting caught in one of our heat waves without air conditioning would ruin your trip, don't risk it. Book another hotel that has air conditioning - it's better for everyone.

Sold out!

The Giants Playoff Package was a very hot item. We sold out right away. If the Giants don't sweep it, I Hope it will go to 5 games and the Giants will return to San Francisco to win the last game on Wednesday. Of course, if that is the case, we will have packages available.

As a matter of fact, as long as the Giants are in the playoffs, we will have playoff packages available.

Go Giants!

San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves Baseball Playoff Package

We are very excited about the San Francisco Giants going to the playoffs against the Atlanta Braves, and the best part about is that we have tickets!

We have put together a great package that includes:

• A beautiful room
• Valet Parking
• A $25 food and beverage credit and
• Two lower box seats in Section 129 Row 19

All this for only $500 including all taxes and fees.

Call us toll free at 1-800-428-4748 if you are interested

First come first serve!

Go Giants!

SF Chefs Food.Wine Event in Union Square San Francisco

Our own Luques Restaurant located inside the Chancellor Hotel on Union Square Participated in the SF Chefs Grand Tasting Event in Union Square last weekend.

We served a rendition of our best selling lunch item, the Thai Style Shrimp and Papaya Salad topped with crispy shallots and chili lime dressing.

We were sandwiched in between the Grand Cafe and the restaurant from the 5 star Awanhee Hotel located in Yosemite Valley.

The entire plaza of Union Square was tented and hundreds of people bought tickets to wander around and speak to culinary experts and chefs while being able to sample their talents. There were several wineries, liquor companies, top restaurants, and culinary vendors all under one "roof" making the event a very special opportunity for fans of food and drink. I am looking forward to next year already.