FALL 2021 PARLOR SALE

Dear Owners and Friends,

The Board of Directors is pleased and excited to announce an opportunity for you, your family, or friends to buy a parlor from the inventory of Association–owned shares. These shares have been deeded back to the Association by their former owners. And rather than adopt them, the Board has decided to sell them immediately for the price of $1 per share. In doing so, the Board hopes to add committed owners to our Association and to avoid the loss of assessment revenue that this large inventory creates.

If you decide to buy one of the fourteen shares being offered, you must also pay an escrow fee of $250 as well as the 2021 assessment of $1,372. You can start to use the new share while the escrow is in progress, once you pay the annual assessment. The initial share year will run from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, allowing seven days of use.

Then, after you pay the 2022 assessment which is due on January 1, 2022, you will have seven more days, based on your annual share year, meaning that you could potentially have two weeks available at the Suites within the year of purchase.

The parlor sale begins on August 18, 2021, and will end on September 1, 2021.

We will accept email requests for the sale during normal reservation times until 12 noon PST on Monday, August 29.  All names received will then be pooled, and a drawing will be held on Tuesday, August 30.

PLEASE NOTE: Payment in full must be received by September 30, 2021.

Thank you in advance for your interest and participation in the Fall Parlor Sale.

Best Regards,
Cynthia Reid
General Manager
San Francisco Suites

August 20, 2021: San Francisco requires proof of vaccination for many venues

The sounds of San Francisco have returned this month with the constant hum of the cable car tracks on Powell Street and the thrilling sounds of the cable car bells ringing out as each conductor tries to best the next. Returning to the Suites at the end of the day, you will hear the moaning warning from the foghorn out on the Bay, and then there is the cawing of the occasional seagull flying overhead. Cable car bells, fog horns, and the cry of seagulls is Jazz San Francisco style.

The Broadway musical hit,” Hamilton” is performing at the Orpheum until September 5

The SF Giants play the Oakland A’s today at the Oakland Coliseum. Orange and black are definitely the colors of the day at the SF Suites.

The most coveted reservation at this time is for the elegant new Empress by Boon in Chinatown where the Empress of China restaurant of long ago was located. The stunning décor, views, and exciting menu from the Chef from Hakkasan makes finding a reservation impossible unless you book 3 months in advance. However, the secret is that they allow “walk-ins” to have a drink and order off the menu in the lounge.

Mayor Breed has announced that this Friday, August 20, there will be new vaccination verification requirements that will take effect in San Francisco for patrons of bars, restaurants, clubs, theater, entertainment venues and gyms.

At this time, the Suites are not requiring vaccination verification however you are required to wear a mask on property. You can also be reassured that all staff has been vaccinated.

So, bring your vaccination card or get your vaccination if possible so that you can enjoy all that San Francisco offers and don’t forget to order the warm Quiche Lorraine off our breakfast menu.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we join to stem the tide against the spread of Covid-19 and its variants. San Francisco Suites will continue to follow the local government guidelines including mask requirements.

I look forward to welcoming you home,

Cynthia Reid
General Manager
San Francisco Suites

 

 

 

 

 

President’s Letter August 2021

Greetings to all Owners and Friends of the Suites,

The San Francisco Suites City Share Owners Association was incorporated in January 1983 soon after the conversion of what had been a nondescript apartment building at 796 Pine Street into the San Francisco Suites on Nob Hill, with a more prestigious address at 710 Powell Street. The developers’ intentions had been to create a full-service, luxurious urban timeshare in a style mostly evocative of the Edwardian era, but with contemporary conveniences (jacuzzi tubs, stereo systems with turntables) and modern flourishes (art-deco stained glass). To accomplish their stylistic goals, they embarked on a shopping excursion to England to purchase antique furniture and period artwork which was shipped to San Francisco in large crates. Many if not most of these acquisitions still grace our facility, from the elegant chandeliers and a large grandfather clock to the variety of English paintings, prints, and watercolors throughout.

As we approach our 39th year of operation, we can point to the high standards of accommodation and service which have endured despite obvious changes in management, Board direction, and even artistic taste. But what I would like to focus on in this letter is a change that we are experiencing now, which may have significant and exciting consequences for our future, namely the changes in our ownership population.

The first members of the Association, who purchased their shares directly from the developers, paid generously for ownership at the Suites; parlors and masters both sold in five-figures. Many of these owners are still members, loyal, even protective of the Suites’ ambiance and traditions, and actively involved in its governance. But thirty-nine years is a long time, and we are witnessing a kind of transformation whereby these original owners are passing on their shares to younger friends and family members, selling their shares, or deeding them back to the Association if they are free of any legal or financial encumbrances. And what we are also seeing is a new kind of owner buying into the Association. These new owners are often from a later generation whose attitudes, taste, and service expectations may differ from those of 1983. Admittedly, they may have bought into the Association precisely because they like the Suites the way it is and would prefer that it not change to suit them. Even so, the large question remains: how do we balance the Suites’ long-standing traditions and old-fashioned ambiance still enjoyed by most owners against some features of modern life deemed essential by many newer and some long-time owners?

Sometimes technology forces our hand, from installing and continually improving Wifi to upgrading our computer-based reservation system. But almost any alteration in amenities or accommodation is met with some resistance. I remember some concern when the smaller televisions discreetly hidden inside the entertainment consoles evolved into larger outside flat-screen sets; or complaints about the remodeling of the kitchens and bathrooms which necessitated the removal of the brass fixtures and oak-paneled cabinets; or the dismay expressed by some at the newer, “busier” reupholstered window-seat cushions which replaced the older, faded, plainer ones. And who can forget the outrage expressed by many owners at the removal of the beloved stained glass windows, allegedly for safety reasons, when the exterior of the building was remodeled? To illustrate a more recent difficulty in balancing comfortable tradition with modern convenience, the possibility of allowing owners to access their share time use and to reserve directly online has been countered by considerable pushback to keep the personal connection of speaking to the Front Desk to do the same.

Being able to respond carefully to the demands or benefits of modern life keeps the Suites relevant, but seeing familiar faces in the lobby and in the hallways, knowing the light and sounds and comforts of a particular suite, being pampered by the staff who seem to know exactly our needs or preferences – these are the qualities that keep us as members, not the strength of our Wifi signal.

I personally believe that participating in this discussion of old versus new to be the most interesting part of my role as Board President, and that the decisions the Board makes on “change” might be the most important legacy they leave to the Association.

I welcome you back to the Suites,

Geoffrey Bellah
President, Board of Directors