Great Job John!

Exceptional Service at the Hotel Griffon

Please see this outstanding review below for the Hotel Griffon. Greystone Hotels would like to recognize John Judan, the Guest Service Agent at the HG, for providing Exceptional Service by going above and beyond and changing a tire for a guest!

Great location and staff
"We stayed for three nights and found HG to be quiet, comfortable and with great proximity to Embarcadero, the Wharf, Financial District and AT&T Park. The staff was extremely helpful. In fact, when my daughter arrived for a day visit from San Raphael, her tire went flat just as she pulled up to the front of the hotel. The valet parking staff CHANGED her tire for her. Unreal! Perry's Restaurant adjacent to the hotel lobby was perfect for breakfast and lunch (we at dinner elsewhere)...."

SF Cluster at the SF Jazz Concert

The SF Cluster Sales team took some of our clients out to an SF Jazz Concert on Friday June 10^th.  The sold out concert was held at Davies Symphony Hall and was a New Orleans themed night, A Night in Treme.  

Clients included:

Ryuzo Hirano – Consulate of Japan

Riena Sarojo – Consulate of Indonesia

Michael Whatmore and his wife – BNI Meetings

Steven Suen and his wife – Biscuit and Blues

The evening was big hit with our clients and we attended an exclusive after party with the artists from the show.

Below are some great pictures from the after party!

And here are more details about the concert…

A Night in Treme

David Simon and Eric Overmyer’s acclaimed HBO series Treme (pronounced Tre-may) isn’t about the New Orleans music scene per se. But as a gritty, affectionate and ground level post-Katrina character study centered on the Crescent City neighborhood that gives the show its name, infectious New Orleans grooves tie the drama together and shine a welcome national spotlight on a place where music is inextricably woven into the fabric of every day life. “A Night In Treme” showcases several of the irreplaceable artists who have appeared on the series as themselves, including the powerhouse Rebirth Brass Band, an institution for nearly three decades. Rebirth will be joined by other New Orleans mainstays, such as vocalist and trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, clarinetist Dr. Michael White, Mardi Gras Indian chief and alto saxophone star Donald Harrison Jr. and trombonist Big Sam Williams. Wendell Pierce, who plays the smooth talking trombonist Antoine Batiste on Treme, provides narration on the neighborhood’s history and the struggle to rebuild houses and lives after Katrina. It all adds up to a vivid musical portrait of a city that has shaped American (and international) music for more than a century.

Royal Running Challenge

On Thursday, May 26th, approx. 20 members of the SF Cluster hotels participated in a team building outing @ Kazar Stadium where the San Francisco 49'ers played football for many years.  It was a fun and friendly competition called the "Royal Running Challenge."  The weather was gorgeous and prior to the event everyone one had a chance to relax and play catch (baseball) while others enjoyed kicking the soccer ball around on the open field.

Running competition consisted of:

Team Griffon: Norbert Mede, Cathy Estelle, John Judan and Mark Horodas

Team King George: Bertrand Newson, Sanjay Stokes, Nathan Koren-Levine and Juan Bran

The key marquee event was the the 4 x 400 meter team relay (each team member ran one full lap).  The race initially started out close for the first two legs, but Cathy put the her team ahead for good with a MVP performance out running Nathan on the 3rd leg (heroic performance).  Mark brought to victory home with a strong 4th leg for the victorious Team Griffon!  Congratulations to all participants as everyone had a great time.  We enjoyed  a great lunch organized by Janel Barnes.

Norbert and Bertrand will put together a employee based committee to help plan the SF Cluster Summer picnic in Aug.11 (date TBD) along with a re-match of the Royal Running Challenge.

Award Ceremony

Winning Relay Team

2nd Place Relay Team

Great Review for the King George!

The King George Hotel Gets the Crown! Check out this great review a guest wrote on TripAdvisor about the Royal treatment he received!

Best Part of the City by the Bay
I had an opportunity to visit San Francisco for an international trade show and booked my hotel room at a large, franchise hotel in the City. That hotel didn't have availability on my first night, so I booked a room at the boutique King George Hotel on Mason. Before I even arrived, I had canceled my room at the large franchise and extended my stay at the King George. Why? Because I could tell from the first conversation that the people at the K.G. were there to make my travels more enjoyable and hassle free!!

Upon arrival at the hotel I was treated like a King -from friendly front desk staff and a great concierge to a great bartender! My room was very comfortable - and they really support the entire "SUSTAIN-ABILITY" motto of the City - from environmentally friendly amenities to a recycling program.

Every morning I came downstairs, the desk staff took the time to see how my stay was and if they could offer any advice on directions etc..... Right next door is a great diner - Lori's! Breakfast was very good each morning - a great way to start the day!

The hotel was convenient to everything - from the cable cars to

Union Square

. Nearby there were liquor stores, convenience stores, a Sushi restaurant and even a Jack In the Box.

I would definitely recommend the King George Hotel to anyone traveling to San Francisco!

- by Guest

Francisca Saves the Day!

Recently, the Bristol's Francisca Salgado (room attendant) was cleaning a vacated guest room after the guest had checked out. She found $250.00 cash left in a drawer, and immediately turned it in to Lost & Found.

Later that same day, the guest came back to the hotel in a panic, asking if the money had been found. The guest was visiting from Europe and had planned on leaving for LA to meet her brother. The $250.00 was ALL the money she had left.

As you can imagine, she was extremely grateful for Francisca's honesty and integrity. No one here at the Bristol was surprised to hear it was Francisca - she's an exemplary employee and, by the way, our May Employee of the Month!

Extreme Team Building

One day while having lunch together in the team member break-room, David Loc (Guest Service Associate) and Bertrand Newson (GM) the topic of wish list/buck-list items came up.  David had "skydiving" on his list of things to do (Bertrand had already jumped once before).   The two of them spread the word with fellow co-workers and had a few other people say they were interested and the date was set!  As each day passed everyone with the exception of David and Bertrand got cold feet.  On Sat 4/23 David and his brother Allen along with Bertrand made their way to Hollister, CA and JUMPED!  It was a great experience and fun had by all!

Brain Tumor Walk

On May 6, 2011 team members of the Hotel Griffon, King George and the Inn at Union Square participated in the Brain Tumor walk to raise money and awareness of this devastating disease.

The event took place at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park. Through donations, Team Griffon raised over $2000!! Participating members on the team were Bertrand Newson, General Manager King George Hotel; Norbert Mede and his wife Annette, General Manager  Inn at Union Square and Hotel Griffon: Ofelia Juan and her daughter Jen , Executive Housekeeper Inn at Union Square; John Judan, Guest Service Agent Hotel Griffon.

Congratulations to everyone who participated!

Check out the great pics!

Kudos to the Inn at Union Square!

Hi Greystone Family! We just wanted to share this review with our team this morning- how about this for great service... they get your elevator ready for you at the Inn at Union Square!

Kudos to the team at the Inn at Union Square; it is your remarkable service that has made the Inn at Union Square a place of legend!

 

Here's a happy dance from us to you! 

Thank you Inn at Union Square Staff!

 

L.S.

Washington, DC

6/4/2011

I had an absolutely fantastic stay for 5 nights at The Inn at Union Square. My boyfriend and I thoroughly researched hotels in the area, so we knew exactly what we were getting. The reviews below are correct that the elevator is slow, our room didn't have a view, and the room/bathroom is smaller than you might find elsewhere. We knew this going in, and were ok with these trade-offs in exchange for the other benefits of this charming boutique hotel. It's in an excellent location near cable cars, sightseeing buses, major city bus lines, a taxi line, great restaurants, and walking distance to a lot more.

This hotel delivered everything they promised with gusto. The continental breakfast, wine & cheese hour, and cookies late at night were all very impressive. It's a small area where food is laid out, which gives you a surprisingly pleasant opportunity to chat with other guests.  They also left out bottled water in the rooms and common areas for guests to take. The hotel didn't skimp, especially compared to what other similarly priced hotels offer. The room was charming, and in good shape.

The staff were all friendly, professional, and helpful. When my boyfriend had a question about using the available computer/printer, the concierge was quick to help. We found whoever staffed the front desk to be incredibly helpful. They followed through making good dinner recommendations and taking care of reservations for us, calling a cab, and helping my boyfriend have beautiful flowers delivered for my birthday. I felt they also went the extra mile on the "little" things. For example, when they saw us walking up to the door to enter the lobby, they would quickly press the elevator button to call open the elevator for us. It's a small staff, and they smile, look you in the eye, and greet you when you enter/exit. It felt very personable.

Overall - I would highly, highly recommend this hotel, as long as you've done your research and aren't expecting something this hotel can't offer (like extra room in the lobby and sweeping views of the city). I bet we'll be back

Greystone Customer Service Award

                                        Congratulations Luis!

We are proud to announce another GM who has won the Greystone Customer Service Award- Luis Carreno, the General Manager of the Creekside Inn! Luis is a vital part to the success of the Creekside Inn and the overwhelming positive feedback guests frequently convey in hotel reviews. This Customer Service Award means that Luis received 100% satisfaction from his staff!

Luis has been very involved with the “Greening” of the Creekside Inn. As you all know, two electric car charging stations were recently revealed on property. Luis was host to many members of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, residents from the area, and the mayor of Palo Alto for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Luis has also been active in Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce events, and also has been proactive in establishing a relationship with Palo Alto Green.

Greystone Hotels is very happy to present Luis with the Customer Service Award.

Eric Horodas: “Excellent work and congratulations Luis! We thank you for making excellent service and good relationships such a priority for the Creekside Inn. It is an accomplishment to receive this award, as your staff, peers and associates within Greystone Hotels recognize the hard work and dedication you put into providing an Exceptional Service experience for guests visiting the Creekside Inn.”

Jennifer Langham: “The positive feedback that the Creekside Inn often receives is due to the customer service provided by Luis and his staff. We are proud to have another General Manager win this award and Luis is very deserving! Congratulations!

Scott Woods: “Congratulations Luis for gaining the recognition of your staff that customer service is a top priority at the Creekside Inn! This recognition earns you the Greystone Customer Service Award for 2011 which is well deserved. Luis and his team always strive to provide exceptional service to the guests of the hotel and they should be very proud of their outstanding customer service”

Lindo Perez: “His innate talent to lead by example and professionalism make him an exceptional General Manager.  We are lucky and honor to have him as our leader. He is very hospitable & respectful. He has encouraged me to ‘sharpen the saw’ and helped me improve my hospitality knowledge & skills.”

John Omar: “I’m not surprised that Luis would win this prestigious award.  Luis is a very driven individual who has restructured my outlook on what ‘customer service represents’.  He believes that we always room for improvement…even after all the positive feedback (we usually receive).”

Toya Barnette: “Luis is one of the best GM’s I have ever had the pleasure of working with; he epitomizes customer service – always willing to go the extra mile for the client including his ability to see the big picture from a sales perspective”.

Emily Johnson: “I have always appreciated working with Luis. He is a very personable GM, and his staff respects him very much. One thing I always notice about the Creekside, is that under Luis’ stewardship, the hotel employees always seem to be smiling! Thank you, Luis for your service to Greystone Hotels, Creekside Inn and all our employees there.”