We all tend to let our hair down in summer—even the hotel industry. This month’s column has all the standard information on openings and renovations, but the real story is the new restaurants and festivals in the works for the summer through the end 2012.

From a city-wide philanthropic initiative to new ways to be dog friendly, keep reading for all the June to July hotel news you can use.

July Hotel Spotlight

The hotel industry is an environment that breeds intense competition, but despite vying for business, 80 properties in San Francisco have found a new way to work together. This month, the Hotel Council of San Francisco has partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to raise $1 million for the organization.

This is the first time the Hotel Council has committed to a month-long industry-wide fundraising project. In less than five months, the council built a website, produced a YouTube video (that plays in room in partner hotels) and launched front and back of the house fundraising efforts designed to reach the $1 million goal.

Right, now 70 percent of the efforts are open to the public. Anyone can bid in the online auction which has over 100 experiential packages. On a smaller scale, guests at affiliate properties can purchase special food and beverage items with donations attached. And one can even choose to donate when booking a partner hotel through Expedia. In the back of the house, staff have put together spare change days, bake sales and raffle drawings.

Thomas Klein, the Regional Vice President for California for the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, notes that with 78 cents of every dollar raised going directly to research, “every day and every dollar is the greatest reward.”

In hotel industry in San Francisco is the second largest employer in the city so, “in an environment that breads pressure,” Klein notes, “it important to take step back to see what we can do to help others.”

For more information, watch the Million Dollar Mission video on YouTube. And you can donate directly here or by check to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with note “Million Dollar Mission”
Mail to:  LLS – 221 Main Street, Suite 1650, San Francisco, CA 94105

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