Picture from Thanksgiving

Weekly - Nov. 25

Thanksgiving The Seattle Tours Management Team wishes all of you a safe and meaningful Thanksgiving. We still have a need for volunteers who want to serve the homeless at Cafe Amore on Thanksgiving at 11 AM. Even if you can only give a few hours, please let us know. Right now the list from Seattle Tours is:

• Dan, Alice, Peter and Ben
• Mark and Susie Weber
• Steve Powell
• Jean Marc Gauthier

I also posted the invite for my main group on Meetup.com (Whim Tours in Seattle) and 20 volunteers have RSVPed back their "Yes". There is a big article in Section 2 of the Post Intelligencer on Thanksgiving day about chef Sean Langan's history and motivations. We even got mentioned ... somewhat. We'll be using one of our coaches to also transport food to several parks throughout Seattle. Sounds like a fun core group! Join us if you can give an hour or five. Want Extra (Paid) Hours? If you are looking for extra hours, consider lending your energies to buffing the coaches. Mark Weber is heading up this effort and has big plans to work through our entire fleet this winter. This detailing of the outside and inside will make us that much more presentable, and can help us to stand out even more than we do already from the other tour companies. But he needs help! Contact Mark by phone or email (markw@seattlecitytours.com). Our fleet is going to be AMAZING come March 1st. Review of Driving Record Liz is heading up a review of our Audit process: coach records, driver's records, etc. This year we are doing a internal audit, not a real one by the State, to insure that our records are in order and our procedures effective. If you come into the office for a tour, you'll see a Violation and Review Record form to complete; if you are not scheduled to come in until next spring, you will be receiving a form in the mail. Please fill this out conscientiously and thoroughly and return it promptly. Remember that when you do get a moving violation on or off the job, you must inform us immediately. And of course, stay on top of your anniversary dates for your driver's license and medical card. Mail or bring us a copy when you renew these documents. Outlet Casino Shuttle As you can see on the schedule there are lots of openings for this Shuttle after Dec. 2nd. It will probably take awhile before we run these consistently every day, but sign up for one on a day you don't have another tour scheduled. Be sure to call in that morning to check on status. Call: 7:30 AM; Spot time: 8:30 AM.

Weekly - Nov. 18

Boeing Tour is back at it! Boeing settled their strike and we began running tours again this past Monday. We are leaving downtown Seattle at 9:30 AM for the 10:30 AM tour (spot time: 8 AM), though we have moved pickup times for a few hotels up to help the drivers get out of town on time. We are also working on an update of the Manual which will feature maps and increased Talking Points. That should be ready to go by Dec. 1st. Premier Outlet Shopping / Casino Tour/Shuttle We are moving ahead to have daily tours/shuttles up to the Tulalip Casino and Seattle Premier Outlet Shopping. We have ordered brochures and hope to begin marketing this week and will start the tour this coming Friday or Saturday. It is marked "OC" on the DRIVERS' CALENDAR.

• The spot time for this tour is 8:30 AM. If there are early pickups in the South-end, our 10 PM guide will often be able to bring them into downtown.
• We are shuttling people up to the Tulalip Casino and Seattle Premier Outlet Shopping outside of Marysville, WA. We leave Seattle at 10 AM, arrive there at 11 AM, and come back at 3 PM.
• The cost is $36.00; we will take payment as soon as we arrive at the destination.
• Whether this is a shuttle or a tour will depend on YOU. We, of course, will encourage cross merchandizing of our other tours, and therefore you should not simply talk about the same things that you talk about on the Boeing Tour. We will be working on a Talking Points Manual as soon as we have some experience and discover what people want.

Thanksgiving Volunteerism Would you be willing to help feed the hungry on Thanksgiving Day at Cafe Amore? We are starting a list. Sean, the owner, would like to have 20 people help from 11 AM to 4 PM serving and waiting on tables. Email stevep@seattlecitytours.com to sign up. Thanks.

IRA and Direct Deposit This is a continuing reminder to particpate in our SIMPLE-IRA Plan. Just use the forms that Dan sent out to everyone last month. And contact Steve if you'd like Direct Deposit of your pay check into your account stevep@seattlecitytours.com (and bring in a VOIDED check). Marketing and Meetup We have started a number of initiatives to increase our tour numbers over the winter. One way we are trying to reach the local populace (and their holiday visitors) is through participation in Meetup.com. Our groups there are Whim Tours in Seattle, Visitors, Family and Friends of Meetup in Seattle, and Point A to Point B. Check out the site, it's rather intriguing.

Office Staff Winter Calendar

	23-Nov	24-Nov	25-Nov	26-Nov	27-Nov	28-Nov	29-Nov
	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Opening	LF	LF	LF	SP	Hol	SP	SP
7 AM	x	MW	MW	x	Hol	MW	MW
8 AM	RL	x	x	x	Hol	RL	RL
10 AM	x	RL	DD	DD	Hol	x	x
Mgr Mt	x	><	x	x	Hol	x	x
Noon	x	x	x	x	Hol	DD	DD
5 PM	RL	x	x	JA	Hol	x	RL
7 PM	x	Joy	Joy	x	Hol	Joy	x

	30-Nov	1-Dec	2-Dec	3-Dec	4-Dec	5-Dec	6-Dec
	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Opening	SP	SP	SP	LF	LF	LF	LF
7 AM	x	MW	MW	x	MW	MW	MW
8 AM	RL	RL	x	x	RL	RL	RL
10 AM	x	RL	DD	DD	x	x	x
Mgr Mt	x	><	x	x	><	x	x
Noon	DD	x	x	x	DD	DD	x
5 PM	RL	x	x	JA	Joy	RL	RL
7 PM	x	Joy	Joy	x	x	x	x

Guidelines

Introduction The Seattle Tours Weekly is intended to enhance communication among us all, to help us fulfill our mission of providing extraordinary tours with exceptional service. We will post a new (two week) CALENDAR by Monday morning every week. We will post a WEEKLY BRIEFING by Tuesday morning every week.

Comments

Feel free to comment on particular posts. They will be seen by everyone and you will be identified. Do not use comments to get immediate action. If you see an open tour date, pick up the phone and call immediately.

Search

If you use Firefox as your browser, you can type a Ctrl-F and get a search box where you can type your initials, then click "Highlight all" and very clearly see the tours you have scheduled for the next two weeks.

Printing

I would suggest copying any content (including the Calendars) and pasting it into Word and then printing, so you can avoid using ink on the color of the background.