Smart Meetings

Next time your groups are meeting in San Francisco, organize a private event at the Fifth Floor Restaurant located on the (you guessed it) fifth floor of the Four-Diamond, 195-room Hotel Palomar San Francisco. Consistently rated one of the top restaurants in San Francisco, the Fifth Floor not only offers award-winning cuisine, it is in the heart of Union Square, right next to the Powell Street BART station (for easy transit), and walking distance from San Francisco’s largest meeting venue, the Moscone Center.


   Private event in the MOMA Room.

All food and beverage for the hotel and restaurant’s meeting and event spaces are provided by the restaurant, headed by Executive Chef Jennie Lorenzo, who focuses on seasonal, local ingredients and the cuisine of Gascony, France as conceived by Culinary Director Laurent Manrique. Your guests can dine on English pea soup with crab or a scallop and fennel salad with a citrus-saffron vinaigrette (pictured below).



Hotel Palomar features many works of art, as does their meeting spaces, which are named after local museums. The property is currently showing a Marc Chagall exhibit in conjunction with the nearby Contemporary Jewish Museum. The Gallery Room can accommodate up to 38 for a seated meal, the MOMA Room can seat up to 48 and the De Young Boardroom can host up to 15. The restaurant itself offers the posh Chef’s Room for intimate dinner parties for 8–14 people, and the lounge for groups of up to 45.


   De Young Boardroom.

Until the end September, the hotel is running a “Concessions for the Recession” special that includes complimentary room rental based on an agreed F&B minimum and a complimentary lemonade break for day meetings. See their website for more details. Offer is subject to change.

Working for Smart Meetings often takes us on the road to conferences, conventions, press trips and client meetings, and our sales people are often out of the office. Michael Gardner, regional advertising manager, just got back from a whirlwind trip to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. His trip started out on Sunday June 14th leaving from our home airport, SFO, to Spokane, Wash where he hopped in a stylish PT Cruiser. His trip to these naturally beautiful states took him through 1,200 miles of winding roads and wildlife. Once he caught his breath, I took a moment to chat with him about his visit to a state I have yet to see.

   View from guest room at Coeur d'Alene

Q: Can you describe your trip?
A: I met with clients and stayed at some great locations and some not so great! I stayed at the fabulous Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho, Averills Flathead Lake Lodge and Holiday Inn Bozeman, both in Montana, Snow King Resort, Jackson Hole Wyoming, and Sun Valley Resort in Idaho. I traveled through Yellowstone Park and the Grand Tetons. Had lunch in the super campy town of West Yellowstone.

   Cabin at Averills Flathead Lake Lodge

Q:What was the highlight of your trip?
A: It’s a toss up between seeing a bald eagle in Yellowstone Park, a trail run on Coeur d'Alene Lake with thunder and warm rain, dinner with my dear Aunt Kay in Bozeman, Montana and watching the horses at Averills Flathead Lake Lodge.

   Buffalo at Yellowstone

Q: What do you wish people knew about Idaho and Montana?
A: Great people, way slower pace of life, amazing landscapes...great options for corporate retreats and team building.

   View from the road in Montana

Q: What is the buzz out there?
A: Rodeo! I saw rodeos all over, they are like football in the Rocky Mountain Cowboy States, except there are lots of girl riders.

   Geysers at Yellowstone

Q: In your opinion, are these areas getting more business because of their relaxed and not luxury perception?
A: Yes and no. The region is very family friendly and relaxed with many budget options, but the iconic luxury resorts in Idaho, Coeur d'Alene Resort and Sun Valley Resort are also very relaxed and family friendly!

As everyone knows by now, Clear—the program that allows you to zip through airport security—has ceased operation. As a Clear-card holder, I’ve had mixed feelings about its benefits, not to mention rationalizing its expense. My departure gate is SFO, which is one of the easiest, most organized TSA airport checkpoints in the country, so the lines move quickly there. However, the Clear attendants in San Francisco were consistently rude, and the experience was always a hassle, as my eye scan never worked nor did my thumbprint—which they insisted I try first. And, during the entire time of my membership, I never flew back to SFO from an airport with a Clear lane. So, was the “time-savings” worth the $199 fee?
    Refunds, anyone?    

Flying these days can seem like a leap into the great unknown. You don’t know if the security lines are going to be long (and now that the Clear Lanes are kaput everyone has to wait), you don’t know if you are going to arrive on time and you don’t know what extra fees you are going to be charged. It’s like a whole new traveling checklist: booking fees, check; baggage fees, check; charge for a meal on a 6-hour flight, check; more fees, check, check and check. It appears that there is a fee for everything these days and these once-included services don’t come with any better guarantees. You can still pay $15 to check your bag and there is no extra promise that it won’t get lost. That $15 covers extra insurance, right? Wrong!

USA Today has been sensing the traveler grumblings in its recent article “Struggling airlines launch more 'a la carte' fees at fliers.” While airlines are strapped for cash amid rising fuel costs, fewer travelers and increased costs of doing business, many travelers feel that they are not being transparent with passengers. These “a la carte” charges are not going to go away anytime soon because the airlines need to offset decreased revenue. So, if you hate being charged for the extras, avoid them. Pack light whenever possible, bring a snack for those longer flights and make sure you have the correct dates before you book a flight to avoid charges (stay tuned for travel savings tips in July’s Top 10 column).

USA Today has also made a great breakdown of many major airlines and the fees they charge for various services. To see who is charging for what click here.

When you’ve got a great story to tell, sometimes you just have to take it on the road to tell it. That’s the premise behind the new “road show” launched this past week in San Francisco by the Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities CVA, the first on a national tour.

I recently joined Rob Enriquez, senior vice president, sales and marketing for the CVA, and his group of luxury resort reps for their meeting planner reception at the St. Regis San Francisco, a great way to deliver all of their significant news.


   Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa

Their story is a good one: $2+ billion in new and renovated properties over the past couple of years (see Smart Meetings’ story in the February 2009 issue), transforming the fun but dated desert destination into a serious contender for meetings and conventions.

Plus, there’s a NEW story to add. Recognizing the challenges that planners and attendees are facing today, the CVA is offering a program dubbed “We Put Our Money Where Our Mouth Is.” This initiative offers $100 for each room on your peak night, which can be given to your company or directly to attendees. (Talk about value!) The group must sign by December 31, 2009 and actualize by December 31, 2010, so there’s still time for you to pack your bags for a site visit and get a contract going.

For more information about the program (and other cities on their road show), call the CVA’s sales team at 800-967-3767.