A very Trolley Christmas

Good afternoon!

Grab a glass of eggnog and get ready...Friday is Christmas eve!!

Speaking of Christmas, I just wanted to let you know that our tour will be closed Friday December 24, and Saturday December 25.

We will reopen on the 26th.

Please make sure to let guests know that we will not be operating those two days.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

FAQ's

Good morning!

Many of you received this via email but I thought it would be helpful if I posted it here as well. Again, please let me know if you have any additional questions.



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Updated December, 2010


Question: On what days does the Signature Tour run?Answer: We run every day. If extreme weather forces us to close we will inform you.

Question: What are the hours of the Signature Tour?Answer 9:00am-4:00pm on weekdays
9:00am-5:00pm on weekends

Question: When is the last time a customer can take a full tour?Answer: 4:00pm on weekdays; 5:00pm on weekends

Question: How often does the Signature Tour run during the day?Answer: We have two buses and three trolleys operating the tour.
About 30-40 minutes separates the vehicles.

Question: Do Signature Tour ticket holders get free Hershey’s chocolate
and free Garrett popcorn?Answer: Yes.

Question: Are the Neighborhood Tours running?Answer: No. They operate Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Question: Can guests still purchase the Explore Chicago Pass even though the Neighborhood Tours are no longer running?Answer: Yes. The Explore Pass is still good for up to 3 consecutive days.

Question: Is the Park Shop open?Answer: No, it is open only from May to October.

Question: Has the free t-shirt offer expired?Answer: Yes.

Question: Does the Signature Tour have trolleys and
double decker buses and is the tour the same?Answer: Yes. We operate both kinds of vehicles. The tour is the same. We offer two ways to enjoy our tour.

Question: Are the trolleys enclosed and heated?Answer: Yes


Question: Do the Double Decker buses have an enclosed, heated lower level?Answer: Yes

Question: Are all of the stops staffed?Answer: No, but all customers can get on our vehicles at any of our open stops. The driver will take them to the next location where they can get their tickets. Our staffers will be wearing red jackets.

Question: How many stops does the Signature Tour make?Answer: 15.

Question: Can customers get on and off at any of our stops throughout the time the Signature Tour is running?Answer: Yes, up until 4:00pm Monday through Friday
and 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday.

Question: Are the tours fully narrated by a live tour guide?Answer: Yes, on buses and trolleys.

Question: How long does the tour take?Answer: It takes just over two hours if the customer does not hop off and hop on.

Question: Are all trolleys and double decker buses which are out
on the street, part of the Signature Tour?Answer: No, the Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Company has a large variety of contracts and operations which use trolleys and double decker buses. These vehicles are not part of the Signature Tour, but often operate in and around the areas covered by the Signature Tour. All of our tour vehicles will stop at the designated tour locations.

Customers should look for the bright red trolley or double decker bus. Some of our stops have staff working at them; they will be wearing bright red jackets. Our drivers wear red jackets or black fleece jackets, all with the name Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Company. Some of our vehicles have advertising on them.

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/FEEDBACK
Trisha Carey
773-890-2061
trisha.carey@coachusa.com

Last Tour

Good afternoon,

Please make sure to note that the last time to board a vehicle Monday through Friday is at 4pm. This will be the last time guests can board to take the tour.

Saturday and Sunday the last tour will begin at 5pm.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this new change.

Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!!

New Changes

Good morning!

I hope everyone has had a good week. There are a few new changes to mention.

Sunday is the last day that the free t-shirts will be available. After Sunday the Park Shop will be closed. Please make sure to let your guests know that if they want a free t-shirt to get it before Sunday at 5pm.

Sunday is also the Chicago Marathon. As many of you know this is a crazy day. We will still be operating our tour route with some minor changes. Instead of starting at 9am we will beginning our tour at 10am. Our sales people will be out on the street about 9:00am.

We will not be stopping at the Museum Campus. If anyone wants to go visit the museums they will have to get off at our Hilton Chicago stop (#6) and walk. There will be signs on our vehicles and our tour guides will be reminding the passengers as well.

Please make sure your staff is aware of these changes so that they can inform the guests.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or our office and we will be happy to help.

Thanks and have a great weekend!

No More Neighborhood Tours

Good afternoon,

I hope everyone is having a good week. This is just a reminder that there are NO MORE NEIGHBORHOOD TOURS.

Please let your customers know so that they aren't expecting them. We have gotten a couple of complaints from customers saying that concierge's told them they were still able to take the Neighborhood tours. Customers are still able to purchase the Explore Chicago Ticket (good for 3 days) because with that ticket they can still get their free t-shirt. So feel free to still sell those. Just make sure they are aware about the Neighborhoods.

Thank you so much. And please let me know if you ever need anything. I am more than happy to help.

Have a great weekend!!

Good Afternoon

Hello!

I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend and a nice short work week.

I just wanted to remind everyone that guests that purchase the tour from your hotel are not allowed to board first before anyone else. There is no Preferred Boarding.

Please make sure your staff is aware of this in order to avoid any more confusion.

Thank you.

North Tour

Good afternoon,

Please note that we will not be running the North tour for the rest of the week. There are home Cubs games. Please make sure to tell your customers so they will not be looking for the North Tour.

Thanks!!

North Tour

Good morning!

Just to give you a heads up. Our North Tour will be abbreviated today due to a night Cubs game. Please let your customers know.

Starting tomorrow, the North Tour will not run until Monday. There are day games scheduled and we will be unable to get through the area.

If you could please relay this to your guests that would be great!

Thank you!

Blackhawks win!!

Good morning!

I hope everyone is celebrating the big Blackhawks win! The parade will take place tomorrow morning and our double deckers will be in it!! Because of this, we will be cancelling our route. The street closures will be too numerous to try and run our tour route. Please make sure to tell your guests that they will be unable to take our tour tomorrow, Friday June 11. If they purchase an Explore Chicago Ticket their ticket will be good for an extra day in order to make up for the day they lost.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am more than happy to help.

It's summer!!

Good morning!

I hope everyone is ready for Memorial Day. From our end it looks like it should be a great weekend!

I just wanted to remind everyone that our new ticket prices go into effect today.

They will be:
Explore Chicago Adult/Senior Ticket - $35 - This ticket will be good for up to 3 consecutive days. Guests will be able to hop on and off the Signature tour as well as all 3 Neighborhood tours. They will also receive a free t-shirt, free hershey bar, and a free sample of Garrett's popcorn.

Explore Chicago Child Ticket - $17 - This ticket will include everything the adult ticket does.

Adult Signature Tour Ticket - $29 - This ticket includes the Signature tour only. Guests will only receive the free hershey bar and popcorn. They will not receive the t-shirt or be able to take the neighborhood tours.

Senior/Military Signature Tour Ticket - $24 - This ticket inlcudes the Signature tour only. Guests will only receive the free hershey bar and popcorn. They will not receive the t-shirt or be able to take the neighborhood tours.


Also as a reminder the Neighborhood tours will begin today:

The North Tour will not be running. Due to day Cubs games we will be unable to navigate through the traffic.
The South Tour will be running but on a very limited basis. Due to the Obama's being in town security is very tight, but we will due the best we can.
The West Tour will be up and running all weekend!

Please call or send me an email if you have any questions. I am more than happy to help.


Thank you so much and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

Happy Monday

Good afternoon!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I just wanted to remind everyone that starting this weekend we will begin using our new ticket prices.

We should also be getting new brochures soon as well as boarding passes.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

Good Morning!

Good Morning!

Just as a reminder we will be running every 20-25 minutes today. Please make sure to tell your customers.

Also, as another reminder, the new ticket pricing does not go into effect until May 28th. That is the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!

No Double Deckers Today

Good Morning!

Due to the weather we will only be running trolleys today. Please make sure to tell your customers so that they will not be expecting to ride a double decker.

Thank you!

New Tickets

Good afternoon!

By now you have all received either an email or a fax regarding our new tickets. Like I stated previously, this will begin May 28th. That is the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

The new tickets will be:

Explore Chicago Adult/Senior Ticket - $35. This will be our new 3-day ticket. With this ticket the customers will receive the free t-shirt, free Hershey bar, and the popcorn sample. They will also be able to take the 3 neighborhood tours.

Explore Chicago Children's Ticket - $17. The children's ticket will include everything the adult ticket does.

Adult Signature Tour Ticket - $29. With this ticket people will be able to hop on and off the Signature Tour only! They will not be able to take the neighborhood tours. They will receive the popcorn and the Hershey bar. They will not receive the t-shirt.
Senior Signature Tour Ticket - $24. Will be able to receive everything the adult ticket offers.


Please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any questions. I will be more than happy to answer them.

Thank you!

Trisha Carey
773-890-2061
Trisha.Carey@coachusa.com

No Double Deckers Today

Good Morning!

Unfortunately today we do not have any double deckers out due to the weather. We will only be running trolleys. They will be about every 20 minutes throughout the day.

Also, a correction to yesterdays post: We will have our land yacht picking people up from downtown. The location and time is still to be determined. But I will let you know as soon as it is decided.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I will be glad to help.

Thanks!

Golf Outing

Good afternoon!

Please follow the link below and join your fellow concierges for a day of golf and fun!

Our vehicles will be shuttling people back and forth between downtown and the course.

It sounds like it should be a great day!

http://www.midwestmarketingagency.com/web-content/Golf%20Now/2010%20Concierge%20Golf%20Outing/GolfNowApr105.htm

Lots of vehicles!

Good Morning!

I hope everyone has a great day. We have 13 vehicles out today so the wait time between vehicles should be about 15 to 20 minutes. Please make sure to tell your guests.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns regarding the tour. I would be more than happy to answer them for you.

Thanks!

Happy Friday!

Good morning!

We are now stopping at the John Hancock. Please feel free to send your customers there to pick up our tour. There is a salesperson in a booth that will be staffed there.

Please let me know if you have any other questions regarding the tour.

Thanks!

Concierge Preferred Event

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We have 8 vehicles out today which means we will be running about every 15 to 20 minutes today. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding the tour.

On another note, I hope to see everyone tomorrow at the event at Navy Pier. It is my first time attending and it sounds like it should be a good time.

Have a wonderful day!

Trisha

Good Morning!

Good morning!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Just to let you know, we have 9 vehicles out today. The wait time between vehicles should be no more than 20 minutes at each stop.

Please let us know if you have any questions!

Have a wonderful Monday!

The boarding passes are in~

Hello,

I hope you've had a wonderful day so far!

I've sent out an email as well but I thought I would let you know here too.

I have just received the Preferred Boarding Passes. I will be around tomorrow and Friday to deliver them.

Please let me know if you haven't already if you need some.

Thank you!

Just a reminder...

Hello everyone!

Just a reminder if you are filling out the Preferred Boarding Passes please make sure you write down what hotel you are from. It makes it easier for us to see where our customers are coming from.

Thank you! Have a wonderful Monday and Go Cubbies!!

Happy Wednesday!

Good morning!

Due to the inclement weather we will only be running trolleys today. There will be no double deckers on the route.

Please let your customers know so they will be able to plan their day.

Thank you and have a great day!

Happy Monday

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

We are still running every 20-25 minutes throughout the day. Customers can hop on and off our tour until 5pm.

We are no longer stopping at Union or Ogilvie train stations, Shedd Aquarium, or the John Hancock. I will let you know as soon as it has been decided when we will be returning to these stops.

For any that didn't recieve the email, my direct line is 773-648-2061 and my cell phone is 773-908-7219.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

It's officially spring!!

Good Afternoon!

Hopefully your day is going well. If you haven't been outside yet, make sure you get out there. It's gorgeous.

Today is perfect tour weather! And our customers can enjoy our tour longer. We are running until 5pm. That is the last time customers can board the vehicles and still get a complete tour.

Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a great day as well. Because of this, we are planning on adding another vehicle in the route. So just for tomorrow we will have 8 vehicles. The wait time will still remain about 20 minutes between vehicles.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Happy Thursday!!

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog!

My name is Trisha Carey and I am the new Marketing Manager for Chicago Trolley Co. Many of you already recieved an email about me but I wanted to reintroduce myself.

I am really excited about Concierge Updates--designed to provide you and your guests with up-to-date information on our tours, route times, reroutes, delays, and other breaking news. Please feel free to subscribe to the blog. It's free and really easy.

We greatly appreciate your business and I look forward to improving our relationship. I welcome any suggestions you may have for future posts!

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.