Rosebuds Blog

More than two years ago The Rose Hotel embarked on a campaign that few hotels – particularly boutique hotels – were paying much attention to: A social media strategy. Clearly, social media was exploding at the time, but companies in many lines of business didn’t see the relevance. We did. That’s not to say that we considered our strategy a blue chip business plan. We weren’t even sure how we could accurately measure the success. This much we did know: Social media was more than just marketing to us, it was an extension of our customer service. So we…

It’s called The Wine Seeker’s Guide to Livermore Valley. We’d like to get a copy in your hands. Here’s why. While wine lovers the world over flock to the San Francisco Bay Area to sample, discover and buy some of the best wines anywhere, they often overlook the Livermore Valley. That’s a major oversight because Livermore Valley – home to Wente Vineyards, the state’s oldest winemaker, and more than 40 other wineries – has become a maker of superb blends and varietals. At this point we’ll yield to a voice far more authoritative than our own, Sunset magazine Wine Editor Sara Schneider, who is quoted on the book’s cover saying…

When travelers visit the San Francisco Bay Area a drum roll of locales easily roll off the tongue. San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Napa and Sonoma wine country, Muir Woods, Pier 39, The Golden Gate Bridge – the list rolls on and on. So it must have been more a little surprising when the New York Times came out with an article titled The 45 Places to Go in 2012, and none of the above selections were in evidence. The list did include one Bay Area hotspot, though, that no doubt made many readers’ eyebrows jump. Sitting at No. 5 on the list, just behind London, is the City of Oakland. Yes, that Oakland – the city that has made national news because of rowdy Occupy Oakland protests, crime problems, allegations of law enforcement misconduct. That’s what gets reported about Oakland. Now here’s what doesn’t normally get reported…

It’s that time again when we share with our readers the remarks our clientele leaves on our Guest Comment Cards. It’s one of the things we value most at The Rose Hotel, and we’re happy to say the vast majority of comments we receive are positive. This week we share some of that guest feedback, as we occasionally do, to give you a more intimate sense of The Rose Hotel and the people that frequent our establishment. Here are some of the handwritten comments we’ve received from our Guest Card program…

Online communication is going global and mobile – and so is the hotel business. In just four years the number of internet connections is projected to zoom from 10 billion to 19 billion worldwide, according to research conducted by Cisco Systems. That will be more than two internet connections for every man, woman and child on the planet. Why so many? Because of the proliferation of mobile devices that often require that working people on the move need separate connections for their work computer, tablet and smart phone. There has been an explosion in mobile internet traffic, and the impact of that trend is being felt right here in the hotel business. Here’s how we’re accommodating them…