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Information for Reunion Planners

Lines from Lynn:

Double Tree Ontario Airport Hotel

By Lynn Tegtmeier Valdez ‘65 – CHSAA Reunion Liaison

When I began serving as Reunion Liaison for the Alumni Association many years ago, one of the first things I did was visit Ontario area hotels to make personal contact with their event coordinators and group booking agents. As with everything, some of the folks were very helpful while others showed virtually no interest in booking reunions. I have also made it a point to ask for feedback from the various class reunion chairpersons relative to pros and cons of the various venues.

Not surprisingly, the Double Tree Ontario Airport Hotel has proven to be the most popular venue for those classes opting for the traditional “dinner/dance” reunion format. Over the years I have consistently received very positive feedback about the facilities at the hotel in general and more specifically about Rafael Solis (909 418-4842), the special event coordinator.  In 2015, as co-chair of the Class of 1965’s fifty year reunion committee, I had the opportunity to work closely with Mr. Solis.  Every step of the process, from preliminary discussions about booking the ball rooms right through the evening of the event, Mr. Solis was always available to answer questions, offer advice and assist in any way he could.

We also had the opportunity to work closely the Double Tree’s group room booking agent, Katherine Wilson (now Teresa Lozada – Teresa.Lozada@hilton.com – 909 937-0900). The Double Tree typically guarantees a number of rooms to be set aside at a reduced group rate when the ball room contact is signed. The Class of 1965 was given 25 rooms at $89.00 per night.  When we had a classmate who contacted us and told us that he was not given the group rate, we contacted Ms. Wilson who took care of the problem and asked us to include her direct phone number in future communications with classmates so she could personally handle the bookings. We also had a glitch or two with billing during the reunion weekend and she resolved the issues quickly.

Other information:

Hotel:
The Residence Inn by Marriott in Ontario Airport has offered excellent rates on room blocks to classes holding reunions. All rooms are apartment-style suites with fully equipped kitchens. Complimentary hot breakfast buffet is available daily and there is a social hour Monday-Thursday. Contact Tiffany Savaglio, Sales Manager at 909-937-6788 or ontariosm@ih-corp.com. The hotel is located at 2025 Convention Center Way in Ontario and offers free shuttle service from Ontario International Airport.
www.marriott.com/ontvy.

Venue:
For a casual reunion, try La Villa Bella at San Antonio in Upland. Located in the bottom floor of the stone building at the southeast corner of West Arrow Highway and San Antonio Avenue, the site was the original building for San Antonio Hospital when it was first founded. You may also remember the site as the home of Astara or Upland College. Susan Higgins D’Amico can accommodate groups ranging from 25 to 200 people in a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces. Susan had caterers she works with, or you can use your own. Contact Susan at 909-263-1641 or susan@lavillabellasanantonio.com. www.lavillabellasanantonio.com

Campus tour:
To arrange for a 2-hour tour of campus, contact me (Lynn Valdez) at fvaldez5400@aol.com. The tour is from 10 am to noon and includes Chaffey Memorial Library, Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium, North Hall, the boy’s gymnasium (basketball gym) and Graber Field. The tours are conducted by me, Tom Duncan ’65 (former CHS teacher) and Mike Harrison ‘65 who is in charge of facilities at CHS.

Helms Bakery Guy:
Mike Lambert has outfitted a 1966 panel truck to look exactly like a Helms Bakery truck, complete with the wooden trays that hold baked goods. He will bring the truck to your reunion filled with 7 dozen donuts and dressed authentically as a Helms Bakery driver – complete with whistle. Contact Mike at mykeys66@verizon.net or 909-391-3396. Be aware that Mike is also a professional Santa, so may answer his phone “Santa Mike”.

Photo booth:
Dave Lee of Upland owns Code Blue Photo Booth. He will bring a real photo booth to your reunion to take photos of classmates – as many as you can squeeze in the booth. You can also make arrangements to have a special photo border on the pictures. Contact Dave at 909-912-4538 or626-482-4246 or e-mail codebluephotobooth@gmail.com.
codebluephotobooth.webs.com

Caricature artist:
Dave Stephens will draw caricatures of classmates during the reunion. He will provide samples so you can see his style, and he is particularly kind to graduates holding their 40year reunion or beyond. Contact Dave at 619-807-7287 or dave@caricaturesbydave.com.
www.caricaturesbydave.com

If you have something you would like to share with other reunion committees, contact me and I’ll see that it is published in the Tiger Rag.

Lynn Tegtmeier Valdez
CHS Alumni Association Reunion Coordinator
(909) 983-5400 or Fvaldez5400@aol.com