December 28, 2012
Celebrators who have their hearts set on ringing in the New Year in San Francisco will still be able to find a hotel room for December 31. But waiting to book one until the last minute will financially set them back a substantial amount more than usual. That’s the main takeaway of a new survey conducted by SanFranciscoHotels.net.
Currently, approximately one in five San Francisco hotels still have New Year’s Eve rooms available, according to the survey. As the final night of the year fast approaches, however, staying in one of them will cost, on average, 125% more than normal. Some accommodations in the city are price gouging eleventh-hour planners significantly more than that though.
For starters, the Nob Hill Hotel is capitalizing on its coveted location just five blocks away from Union Square. A room with two double beds that typically goes for $225 nightly will cost a whopping $1065 come New Year’s Eve. That represents a 373% rate hike. Percentage-wise, the Inn on Broadway is hitting December 31 guests even harder. Situated close to San Francisco’s Marina District, this hotel usually charges $89 for a Deluxe King room. On New Year’s Eve an overnight stay in the same room will cost $449, the equivalent of a 404% price increase.
Even the cheapest available 3-star hotel will put a dent in out-of-towners’ wallets. Indeed, travelers will currently have to pay $229 for a single night. That figure is more than twice the usual going rate. Budget travelers who want to stay in the heart of San Francisco will currently find the cheapest available 2-star hotel room in the Cultural District. There they’ll pay around $150 for the night. To break the $100 mark, they’ll have to search around the SFO airport, where rooms can be still be scored for around $70 on December 31.
The following table shows the 10 hotels with the biggest rate increases for New Year’s Eve in San Francisco. For comparison purposes, average rates for the same rooms during the month of January were established and determined as Regular Rates.
All rates were established December 26–27 via the leading hotel-booking sites.
| Name of Hotel |
Stars |
Room Type |
Regular Rate |
New Year's Eve Rate |
| Inn on Broadway |
2.5 |
Deluxe King |
$89 |
$449 |
| Nob Hill Hotel |
2.5 |
Deluxe Two Doubles |
$225 |
$1065 |
| Francisco Bay Inn |
2.0 |
Superior King |
$82 |
$320 |
| Hotel Mark Twain |
3.0 |
Deluxe King |
$129 |
$409 |
| Hotel Majestic |
3.0 |
Standard Queen |
$89 |
$248 |
| Powell Hotel |
3.0 |
Deluxe Room |
$111 |
$299 |
| Sir Francis Drake |
4.0 |
One Queen |
$186 |
$469 |
| Cartwright Union Square |
3.5 |
Traditional |
$134 |
$249 |
| Holiday Inn Golden Gateway |
4.0 |
Standard Queen |
$142 |
$287 |
| Civic Center Motor Inn |
2.0 |
Standard Double |
$89 |
$181 |
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