PCI Standard Compliance

The Chancellor Hotel just took the next step toward guest data security and it takes a little getting used to. We upgraded our computer system to be Payment Card Industry (PCI) Standard Compliant which protects guest credit card information through encryption and limited access. From now on, when a desk agent enters a credit card number, once they enter the number, it can no longer be seen by anyone. There is only one person at the hotel that has the password to view credit card numbers. In the past, anyone that had access to the hotel system, could view an account and see the credit card number. Now, no credit card information can be viewed in the system at all. We also, no longer take a physical imprint of the card so we do not keep paper copies of the information anywhere. While this new system will provide much greater data security, if we need to re-enter a credit card number or something, we must call the guest to get it because we have no back up. Every once and a while, there is a glitch when entering credit card information and we would have to re-enter it from the imprint or from what was in the computer...no more!
If we have to ask for a number again for some reason, please bear with us, it is because we are protecting your information to the best of our ability.
Thanks for your understanding.

Ready, Set, Crack! The 7th Annual Union Square Celebrity Crab Festival.

Unbelievable! What a great day! The Rain Gods were on our side. We have had day after day of rain and the clouds parted for a beautiful day in Union Square for the 7th Annual Celebrity Crab Festival last Saturday. We have participated every year and it gets better every year.

We are proud to announce that our Chef, Darren Lacy, won the Celebrity Crab Cracking Contest. We are very proud and look forward to him defending his title next year.

Here are some of the Celebrity participants:

They include three 49er players, CBS 5, Miss Chinatown, The Fire Chief, Gold Rush Dancers, and 107.7 the Bone radio personalities.
Here is the set up waiting to get going


Here is the contest in full swing with Chef Lacy and his 49er partner

Chef Lacy Wins! Here he is with his sour dough crab crown and then back at our wine booth

A big crowd was on hand to witness the Chef's Crab Cracking Mastery

We were pouring some great Kenwood Wines and serving one of the Chef's signature items, crab cakes. People told us all day, they were the best!

Sour Dough Sam, the 49er mascot came by to congratulate us and check out the wine.
The crab items being served were great! Here are a couple samples...

What a great time! We are looking forward to next year.

Nice guest note with pictures

A guest of ours sent me the following note with some pictures, and I thought I would share the note and pictures with everyone. It really is nice and uplifting when people do things like this.

Thanks!

Dear Mr. Tyler,

Enclosed please see the photo album and please pass it to your staff. I had a wonderful staying in Chancellor Hotel and most of your hotel staff are very helpful.

Matt is a character and very cheerful!!! Rory and Michael M. at the front desk are
very helpful. The most funny thing was the last day of my staying, I found Rory working at the hotel bar. :) So I had to take a pix of him.

Susan, Alicia, Lawrence, Harris, a black guy who handles housekeeping~ they are wonderful.

For sure, I am looking forward to staying in your hotel if I go to SF in the near future.

Take care and have a nice day!

Eccentrics of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast …a magical escapade!

The Chancellor on Hotel Union Square is home to the San Francisco Magic Parlor and I wanted to share this news with everyone on my blog:

Great San Francisco news to share— welcome a new performance venue to the Bay Area!

Join us for our Grand Opening April of 2009 the charming and historic Chancellor Hotel on Union Square is home to “Eccentrics of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast …a magical escapade! ” Celebrate San Francisco’s wild, wacky, and romantic past, with world-class entertainers Spinning Tales and Weaving Enchantment.

Garnering a warm reception each time “Eccentrics of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast”…a magical escapade! has been presented, the highly praised show is now permanently housed within the San Francisco Magic Parlor at the Chancellor Hotel, 433 Powell Street, right on Union Square.

Share libations and delicacies one-half-hour before the show in our elegant and intimate theatre every Friday and Saturday Evening at 8:00pm sharp. Performance-artists Walt Anthony, David Miller, Brian Scott, and Ruth Fraser deliver wonder and wizardry to savor, bringing to life memorable portraits of wild-and-woolly characters from San Francisco’s colorful and notorious past!

Our Victorian Parlor will be elegant yet informal in ambiance —a comfortable room where both tourists and locals can experience distinctive magic with a classic theatrical flavor— without totally emptying their pocketbooks. An intimate velvet-draped stage will be the focal point of the salon, the cozy theatre seating only about three-dozen guests.

Audiences will gather for a ninety-minute show abounding with local anecdotes and lore presented by captivating and consummate conjurers and tale-tellers. We’re partnering with the terrific folks at the Chancellor Hotel to re-establish the San Francisco Magic Parlor in a perfect location accessible to both residents and visitors!

We truly hope our long-term venture will send folks back home from the Bay Area with very magical memories of their California visit! Reservations are highly recommended due to the intimacy of our theatre, and tickets are available from: http://www.brownpapertickets/.com or 1–800–838–3006.

Further details at http://www.sanfranciscomagicparlor/.com.

AT A GLANCE…

WHAT: “Eccentrics of San Francisco’ Barbary Coast”…a magical escapade
WHERE: San Francisco Magic Parlor in The Chancellor Hotel Union Square
433 Powell Street (between Post and Sutter Streets)
WHEN: Every Friday and Saturday Evening, at 8:00pm sharp
Year-round - Opening April 2009
TICKETS: $30 Entertainment Charge - Refreshments Available Before Show
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/ or 1-800-838-3006
INFO: http://www.sanfranciscomagicparlor.com/

It's Official...

San Francisco Hotels voted in a Tourism Improvement District plan yesterday at the Board of Supervisors Meeting. Therefore, effective January 1, 2009, there will be a Tourism District Assessment that hotels will pass on to guests that is based on room charges that will generate millions of dollars to add to the promised City funds over the next 10 years for the repairs, improvements and expansion of the Moscone Convention Center in addition to the sales and marketing efforts of the Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Visitors to downtown San Francisco, beginning in 2009, should expect to pay 1.5% of guest room charges as an assessment fee in addition to the 14% occupancy tax. Hotels in the West Side and far South of the City will be assessed 1% of room charges.

Chancellor Hotel's Holiday Reception

The Chancellor Hotel hosted a Holiday Reception for our guests and the Union Square Association for the 2nd year in a row on December 4th. The tradition has grown out of the Holiday Stroll that used to be held in the Union Square Area and features great food, wine, beer, mulled wine and the special "Grinch" drink to benefit the family our sponsor family. Invitees were also asked to bring non-perishable food for our annual food drive.

Gen and Monica Served up the "Grinch" for our sponsor family.

We offered a free specialty drink called the "Grinch" shaken with care by Monica and Gen. All tips were matched by the hotel and used to purchase gifts on our sponsor family's wish list so they can have a better Christmas in these hard times.

We cleared out the Luques Restaurant and set up some stand up cocktail tables with a wine bar and some great food stations

Chef Lacy dished up some great food and was the hit of the party.

Above: Florinda serves some Delicious stuffed mushrooms

Kevin and Tony man the beer and wine bar

We were lucky enough to be visited by Mr. Scrooge. Unfortunately, no Bah Humbug here!

Here is Mr. Scrooge and Donna from the Union Square Association

The Dickens Fair is at the Cow Palace until December 21st

Here are other great pictures from the event

A few shots of the Chancellor Staff

Here are some random shots from the reception

Hotel Scam Warning

Here is a scam warning I heard about a while ago and posted onto the Inside Pages on TripAdvisor. I just received a bulletin from the hotel security directors association that indicated the scam was just perpetrated again at a local hotel.
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There is a scam where people call hotels and ask to be connected to a room. They often ask for a common name like Smith, Jones, Wilson, etc. However, if someone calls a hotel and just asks for a room by the number, they are often connected without any screening procedures by the hotel. When the guest answers the phone in the room, the caller claims to be the hotel manager and says there is a problem with the credit card information at the front desk. The caller then asks the guest to repeat their credit card number and address. Some people have fallen for the scam and found thousands of dollars charged to their cards within minutes. Again, do not give out your credit card number to anyone who calls you. If the hotel management needs to verify your credit card information, tell them that you will go down to the front desk to do so.