<H1> Bay Briefs</H1>Business Center Renovation
The Mandarin Oriental San Franciso, ranked as the best hotel in San Francisco by <I>Institutional Investor</I>'s 1996 readers, recently completed a renovation of its business services.
The property's business center is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and offers a free computer workstation. In addition, a conference center is available for small meetings, with the first hour free and a $25-per-hour fee thereafter. The hotel also offers laptop, cellular phone and pager rentals. The Mandarin also is renovating its lobby lounge, set to be finished by Thanksgiving. Plans for next year include room renovations and other soft-goods improvements.
Dial-Up Travel Info
The Bay area's travel industry took another step into the future with the Sept. 30 inauguration of TravInfo, a state-of-the-art travel information service that collects and distributes up-to-date data on public transportation, route schedules, van and taxi services and traffic conditions throughout the San Francisco-Oakland area.
The travel information service, a federally funded program run by Intelligent Transportation Systems, is jointly managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the California Department of Transportation and the California Highway Patrol. Travel information can be accessed by calling 817-1414 within the Bay area.
New Biz Center
Pan Pacific Hotel San Francisco has announced the opening of a new business center at its 329-room property. The facility includes a fax machine, computer rental, printer, secretarial services and a private conference room. In addition, each room includes fax machines, computer hook-ups and large desks.
Quick-Fix Venues
San Francisco's Renaissance Stanford Court Hotel is offering Meeting Express, a "one-stop shopping" program for corporate planners, according to Meeting Express manager Kara Smith.
"Designed as a resource for busy clients," Smith said, "Meeting Express is a comprehensive program which combines full-service and prompt attention to all aspects of planning an important meeting for small groups and is ideal for planners who need to secure a first-class facility on short notice."
The property offers seven meeting rooms that accommodate up to 45 people, three executive boardrooms with audiovisual facilities, four breakout rooms and several private dining rooms.