SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Last-minute travelers who plan on ringing in the New Year in San Francisco can still secure a hotel room in the City by the Bay … but their procrastination will cost them. A comparative survey reveals that establishments in the city are increasing their rates by as much as 450% December 31, 2011 into January 1, 2012.
That analysis uncovered more than 50 San Franciscan hotels that still have vacancies on New Year’s Eve, but all of them have posted substantial rate increases for the holiday privilege of staying there. The average price hike is 140% based on a comparison with regular rates, but many hotels will cost visitors substantially more.
In descending order, the top two biggest jumps in price were found at the 3-star Cova Hotel on Ellis Street, where $124 hotel rooms are going for $460 on New Year’s Eve, representing a 270% spike; and at the 2-star Nob Hill Hotel in the Union Square area, where normally priced $109 rooms are listed at $599 this December 31. That equates to a 450% rate hike.
Budget travelers to San Francisco who waited until the last minute are too late. The cheapest available accommodations are more than twice the usual going rate in the Cultural District, at $170 for the night, while the same rooms are even as much as $200 in Union Square.
While 2-star and 3-star San Francisco hotels have posted 200% and 165% average cost increases respectively, 4-star hotels in the city have elevated their rates by only 30%. And interestingly enough, luxury hotels have upped the ante only a modest 12%.
As a result, savvy San Francisco New Year’s revelers can snag a room at the Ritz Carlton or Mandarin Oriental for just $100 more than the $350 they’d have to spend for a no-frills 3-star accommodation in the city.
