Hotel Council of San Francisco
2012 HOTEL HERO AWARDS

SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE NOW
REGISTER TODAY!



On February 28, 2012, the San Francisco Hotel Industry will honor and celebrate the achievements of San Francisco’s hotel employees – our Hotel Heroes.  As a member of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, we would like to invite you to join us as at the 9th Annual Hotel Hero Awards to be held at the Marriott Marquis San Francisco.  We have several sponsorship levels available; please click here for more information.      
 
Over 65 San Francisco hotels will participate in this Annual Hotel Hero Awards Program with over 150 nominations of employees who have made outstanding contributions to customer service.  Five judges representing respective partner communities - tourism, business, restaurants, education, and media/press – review and rate each of the nominations independent of each other – then meet as a group to vote for the five finalists in each category.  Much like the Oscars® or Grammy’s®, the winners will be announced at the event on February 28th when we expect over 600 guests present to salute San Francisco’s Hotel Heroes. 
 
The Hotel Hero Awards Ceremony is San Francisco’s opportunity to publicly salute the dedicated hospitality professionals whose generosity of spirit and commitment to their hotels and guests continue to make San Francisco the #1 destination in the United States.   It is the generosity of our sponsors that help make this Hotel Hero Awards Ceremony a memorable experience for each winner. 
 
As a member of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, we hope that you will be able to join us in saluting the heroes of the hospitality industry by becoming a sponsor of our largest event of the year, the Hotel Hero Awards.
 
If you have any questions or would like to confirm a sponsorship please contact Mary Maxwell, Director of Events and Administration, Hotel Council of San Francisco at mary@hotelcouncilsf.org  or (415) 391-5197.

Upcoming Events

January 18th 2012
Board of Directors Meeting
Marriott Marquis
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
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February 8th 2012
ADA Seminar
Fairmont Hotel
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
www.hotelcouncilsf.org/content/ADARequirements.asp
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February 15th 2012
Board of Directors Meeting
Hilton SF Union Square - Franciscan A
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
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February 28th 2012
Hotel Hero Awards
Marriott Marquis
6:00 p.m.
www.hotelhereoes.com
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March 28th 2012
Board Of Directors Meeting
TBD
9:30 -11:30 a.m.

Member Luncheon
11:30 - 1:30
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New ADA Requirements for Lodging Reservations

The Hotel Council is partnering with Access Northern California to host a seminar on Febrary 8th, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the Fairmont Hotel
Hotel Council Members $20
Non-Hotel Council Members $30

Is your hotel ready?
 
The date is fast approaching when places of lodging, as defined by the American's with Disabilities Act, will be required to comply with several new regulations relating to reservation policies. These new regulations were adopted in July 2010, but the industry was given 18 months to bring their reservations policies and procedures into compliance. Do you want to know more about these new regulations and how they affect your property?  Have you incorporated these changes but want to ensure you are in compliance? Attend this educational seminar to learn how you can prepare for this change and avoid a disability-related claim.  
 
February 8, 3pm-5pm
Location: Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street
Hotel Council Members $20
Non-Hotel Council Members $30
 
Some highlights of the new regulations are:

Individuals with disabilities can make reservations during the same hours and in the same manner as individuals without disabilities.

Identify and describe accessible features of your property such that someone that requires an accessible room can independently determine if a particular property meets their needs.

Guarantee that a specific accessible guest room, once reserved, is held for the reserving customer. 

About the presenter: Bonnie Lewkowicz  has worked in the tourism industry for over 25 years specializing in lodging accessibility, conducting customer service trainings with a disability focus and as an accessibility information specialist; she authored four Accessible San Francisco travel guides, A Wheelchair Rider's Guide: San Francisco and the Nearby Coast, and two websites addressing accessibility in California (www.wheelingcalscoast.org, www.accessnca.org). For eight years she worked as a travel agent specializing in travel for people with disabilities and seniors.

To register, please go to https://www.hotelcouncilsf.org/payments/ and enter "ADA Seminar" in the Additional Notes section.
 

California Hotel & Lodging Industry

New Year, New Laws—January 18 at the Palace Hotel 8:30am – 11:30am
The 2011 legislative session brought both good and bad news for the hotel and lodging industry and business in general.  Life gets a bit easier thanks to a bill that will increase the number of places where food handlers can get certified but another law prohibits you from doing credit checks on most new hires.  Menu labeling will now mesh with federal requirements and cities can’t force you to use E-verify but are you ready to install your carbon monoxide detectors?  These questions and many more will be answered during this informative discussion on the first year of Governor Brown’s term-in this decade. Take the time to get informed – it will save you time and money down the road.
 
Part two of this seminar session will cover the many new changes to the ADA regulations.  Some of these new regulations are already in effect (did you know, for example, that the only animals that now qualify as service animals are dogs, but that you also have to accept miniature horses?  Or that your web sites need to be accessible?  Or that people can ride Segways in your hotel?!)
This session will also cover the critically important March 15, 2012, effective date for the second part of the new regulations and standards, which will: require you to change your reservations and room booking procedures, substantially change the standards for making your facilities accessible; and require that your recreational facilities are accessible. Register today!
 
Speakers include: Randi Knott, Vice-President of Governmental & Legal Relations, CH&LA and Jim Abrams, CH&LA's Legal Advisor
Would you like to advertise in the
Hotel Council of San Francisco's Newsletter?

The Hotel Council of San Franciscio's Newsletter provides a wonderful platform to display services and products to potential purchasers in the Hotel Council of San Francisco family.  We offer a variety of sizes. 

Please contact info@hotelcoucilsf.org for more information.

National Groundhog
Job Shadow Day

February 2, 2012 is National Groundhog Job Shadow Day.  We use that day to introduce high school students to our San Francisco hotel industry and get them interested in pursuing a hospitality program in college or going from school to career.  Our industry needs good, interested people, now and in the future, and this program serves that need.  Your participation may be the start of a future hotel industry leader’s career and they will never forget you. 
Please click here for more information.

To participate, a simple form is completed with information on who to report to and the department(s) where students will be placed, in order for the teachers to place the most appropriate student to the opportunity. 

The Chancellor Hotel has participated in the program for several years and Wes Tyler is available to answer any questions you may have about how the program has worked.  For more information, feel free to call or email Wes at wtyler@chancellorhotel.com or 415.248.2461

Please Welcome New Allied Member:

ACE PARKING
 

Congratulations to the Ritz-Carlton!

The Ritz-Carlton recently opened their new Restaurant, Parallel 37.  Stop in to experience Chef Ron Siegel's delicious meals featuring meats, fish, fruits and vegetables from the bountiful region found locally in and around the San Francisco Bay area.