Major Hotel, Attraction Join Hot Moscone Neighborhood

Development continues apace in Yerba Buena, the area surrounding the Moscone Convention Center. The latest: A new 423-room hotel, W San Francisco; and Metreon, the city's newest, largest off-site events center, opening June 16.

W, the semi-boutique brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, opened a 31-floor tower at the corner of Third & Howard streets in early May, across the street from Moscone and next to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The W is the first newly constructed hotel in the city since the Marriott opened near Moscone in 1989, noted Melinda Speck, director of sales and marketing.

It also may be the highest-tech hotel in the city. There isn't a dataport in sight, Speck said, because modems are ancient technology. The entire property, from lobby to guest rooms and meeting rooms, is wired with high-speed T-1 lines, giving guests instant, always-on Internet access.

"We're combining style and real substance in W," Speck said. "There are a lot of boutique hotels with style, but meeting planners shy away because they just don't have the facilities."

A special service feature: Every guest phone has a "whatever, whenever" button that connects directly to a special services department set up to handle the impossible without breaking a sweat — not visibly, at least.

"If you're a planner and get a program change or a special equipment request at 3 a.m., we'll take care of the practical problems," Speck promised. "You'll be getting someone who is trained to find solutions."

Rates, as with every other property in San Francisco, will be on the high side. Advance bookings are strong, Speck reported — not surprising for a city that has sold-out dates every month of the year.

Overall occupancy in San Francisco will run 80 percent this year, according to PKF Consulting, at an average rate of $155 at business-class properties.

Metreon, meanwhile, is counting on continuing high hotel occupancy rates, too. The 335,000-square-foot Sony entertainment and retail center is looking for healthy special events and meeting business to keep the halls buzzing, even during off hours.

Hotel occupancy counts for Metreon, because the four-level complex sits on top of underground meeting space at both Moscone and the Marriott.

"Moscone and Marriott are really just the start of our relationships," said Angie Kalousek, Metreon's manager of group sales and special events. "We're expecting some kind of special event just about every day. I'm fielding inquiries through 2001 while we're still in construction."

The entire complex is available for buyout, but Kalousek said she'd