Credit: Adobe Stock Sergei Novikov
San Francisco Q1 2025 total daily cost: US$517
Average daily hotel cost: $330
Average daily taxi cost: $63
Average daily dining cost: $124
Total cost change from Q4 2024: +6.6%
Negotiation Game: San Francisco has had some tough times since the pandemic from a hospitality standpoint, but 2025 isn’t shaping up to be one of those times. According to the San Francisco Travel Association (SF Travel), the city will see a 70 percent rise in Moscone Center-driven hotel bookings for 2025 over 2024. Yes, S-E-V-E-N-T-Y percent, that’s 670,000 room nights this year, compared to a paltry 400,000 last year. Business travelers to the city—and business travel managers—will be competing with 32 major events on the books as they try to book their negotiated room rates (or agency rate or any room rate) in the downtown core.
The Approach: San Francisco consistently has one of the highest average daily corporate booked hotel rates in the U.S. In Q1 it was about $15 higher than in New York City, according to CTI data. Unlike New York, however, the hotel construction pipeline for San Francisco isn’t strong, thanks to some fallow years after the pandemic and a resulting reticence for hoteliers to invest in the city. As demand increases for the city, compression and even higher prices could be on the horizon.
Keep in Mind: As new hotels have slowed to a trickle in the city—and certain brands have left—it may be important to source renovated properties in the city. As demand returns, and bookings for Moscone Center at least look strong through 2028, the development situation may change and new options could open up.
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RELATED: Want to check out pricing in other cities? BTN’s Corporate Travel Index tracks business travel costs in 200 global cities. It is updated every quarter.
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What’s Happening in San Francisco
Embattled San Francisco, which was slow to recover from
the pandemic and in 2024 was beset by continuous hotel labor strikes and vocal
picketing throughout the fourth quarter at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott
properties, looks to have reset its hotel pricing in Q1. Hilton workers, the
last to come to the table, ratified on Christmas Eve a new hotel contract
brokered by Unite Here Local 2 union, securing wage increases across the life
of the contract, healthcare benefits and workload limitations.
San Francisco emerged from the fray in Q1 as the costliest city for business
travel in the United States.
That doesn’t look to be holding back major events in the city. Convention center-related business is driving hospitality recovery in San Francisco. Sports and tech are getting top billing. In 2025 alone, Moscone is expected to welcome the Game Developers Conference, RSAC Cybersecurity Summit, Microsoft Ignite, HumanX AI and Dreamforce. The NBA All-Star Weekend kicked off the schedule in February. As the epicenter of tech development, including the frenzied pitch of artificial intelligence technology, San Francisco and business travel are becoming synonymous again.
As tax revenue comes in from the city’s event and hospitality surge, the
city is set to invest in downtown revitalization plans. In addition to
public funds, a private organization called the San Francisco Downtown
Development Corporation has formed to support revitalization efforts as
well. New York has a similar model, with private individuals investing
millions each year to fund public initiatives that attract and retain
both residents and visitors to the city.
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RELATED: San Francisco is a big food town. BTN’s Corporate Travel Index tracks meal costs in 200 global cities. It is updated annually, and we have NEW data right now.
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That said, San Francisco may be more exposed to falling interest in bringing international meetings to the United States. International leisure travel decline will also hit San Francisco as a gateway city to the U.S. Still, investment in hotel properties hasn’t completely stalled in the City by the Bay.
The 236-room Timbri Hotel San Francisco
became part of Hilton’s Curio Collection at the end of 2024. Formerly
the Line SF, the Mid-Market neighborhood boutique hotel is now managed
by Highgate. The hotel underwent a minor refresh to the interior when
the rebrand announcement was made, but the hotel opened in 2022, so it
is still relatively new.
Union Square’s 110-room Taj Campton Place debuted completely renovated public spaces and meeting rooms as well as a complete refresh of its dining outlets in February.
The iconic Huntington Hotel, which closed as a result of the pandemic, is scheduled to reopen by the end of 2025 as a ground-up renovation. It will be an independent hotel—not flagged with a major brand—with 143 rooms. It is located in Nob Hill, traditionally one of the swankiest neighborhoods in the the city.
Related California has made one huge investment in San Francisco’s future, with plans for a 41-story office building and five-star, 200-room hotel located in the North Financial District and scheduled to open in 2030. Currently, an environmental study is underway for the development.
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