Every Friday, I showcase a different city to highlight five new things of special interest to meeting, convention and event planners.
Last week, we traveled to San Diego so this week I thought we'd head to another "San" city on the opposite end of the state, San Francisco.
Event professionals who rely on the city's famed cable cars to get groups around should take special note of this - system improvements will cause closures from January through July.
©SFMTA
The California Street line will be completely closed for the first six months of 2011 while the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines will still be available to riders, outside of a handful of yet-to-be-determined dates.
Executives with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency are making sure riders aren't left in the lurch, though. They've secured shuttle buses to transport passengers throughout the shutdown. Pick-up/drop-off locations will be the same, or very close, to regular cable car stops, construction permitting.
The Grand Hyatt San Francisco is in the midst of a renovation project that will infuse new life (as well as a new look) into guest accommodations, the fitness center and the hotel's Grand Club Lounge.
©Grand Hyatt Hotels
In addition to a revitalized decor (as shown above), rooms will also receive the now expected standard amenities of flat-screen TVs and WiFi. Planners will be especially interested to hear that both the size and flexibility of the hotel's meeting spaces are also being reconfigured. Expect to see a whole new property by August 2011.
Inside tip: Some newly remodeled rooms are available now. Just ask for the "Grand Experience" when securing reservations.
Just a few weeks ago, SFO's Terminal 2 achieved a huge honor by becoming the first LEED Gold-certified terminal in the US.
©San Francisco Intl. Airport
The recognition comes as part of the terminal's on-going renovation, expected to be complete this coming April. In what should be an amazing boon for travelers, the airport terminal will feature locally sourced food and wine at many of its retail and dining venues.
A spate of new air routes, including daily non-stop service to Mexico City, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Aspen, provides good news for event professionals trying to coordinate attendee travel plans.
In case you haven't heard yet, the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) will soon be no more. Not in function, but in name.
There's a new name to know with the soon-to-be San Francisco Travel Association, too.
©San Francisco Travel
Janice Wong-Perez (shown above) is the new convention services manager for the city. You'll want her in your rolodex for meetings that occur outside of Moscone Center and that book more than 500 rooms per night. Wong-Perez comes from the Hilton Corporation as an event and sales manager in Las Vegas so her name may be familiar to some. In her new role, she'll help assist with site inspections, attendance-building programs, and more.
©San Francisco Travel
SFCVB directors voted to change their name to the San Francisco Travel Association (San Francisco Travel, for short) beginning just over a month from now on January 11, 2011. The new logo is pictured above. Expect to see a new website in January as well.
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