Posted on 03/16/2005 4:22:42 PM PST by Citizen James
With a total of 4.2 million hotel guests in 2004, San Francisco's tourism market is gaining strength, while its share of business travelers still lags far behind the prosperous days of 1999.
And, an increasing number of tourists say they are unhappy with The City's homeless problem.
On Tuesday, just before the start of the annual San Francisco Hospitality Expo trade show at Moscone North, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau announced the results of its 2004 survey of 2,600 hotel guests staying at 51 hotels.
More than 43 percent of those respondents listed homelessness as their top dislike — a problem named by just 31.6 percent of the respondents in the 1999 survey.
"Frankly it is the biggest single complaint I've gotten in 18 years in this job," said John Marks, CEO and president of the bureau, who expressed confidence in The City's 10-year effort to end the problem.
However, The City is in need of a short-term solution. "We need some Visine — to get the red out today," Marks said.
San Francisco's ambiance ranked as the top "thing most liked" about The City in the survey.
The report also showed business travel has declined 29.2 percent since 1999 — troubling news for the hospitality industry.
"If our general business community were stronger, we would have more visitors coming to San Francisco for the purpose of doing business," said Marks
Bureau officials attributed that loss to corporate budget cuts, improved technology obviating the need for travel, and the exodus of some business from The City.
Marks predicted that newer businesses "incubating" in The City could increase corporate travel in five years.
In general, hoteliers who attended the presentation were upbeat about the findings.
"Rates are going up," said Lisa Wasserman of the Hyatt Regency. "More people are coming to The City. It's great news for all hotels in The City."
Chuck Johnson, concierge of the Donatello, wondered if The City might improve its travel prospects by focusing on entertainment for the guests.
The number of visitors staying in San Francisco hotels increased by nearly 9 percent from 3.86 million in 2003 to 4.2 million in 2004. All visitors — including Bay Area residents and guests staying outside The City — totaled 15.12 million last year, compared with 14.54 million in 2003.
All travelers spent a total of $6.73 billion in 2004 compared with $6.3 billion the year before.
While the 2004 average hotel room-occupancy rate of 73.2 percent is still well below the 80.7 percent rate enjoyed in 1999 the actual number of overnight guests is slightly higher than it was in 1999.
Several new hotels have opened since then, Marks said.
"Little Rock rounded up every vagrant within a 20-mile radius and shipped them to Outer Mongolia"
No, probably shipped them to San Francisco!!
Down the peninsula, the amount of vacant office space is not much different. I think they finally found a tenant for the Excite@Home building--might be Stanford Hospital, but I forget the particulars.
The office building where I work is about 40% vacant and has been for 3 years.
"When you can take the dollar from my hand, then you can achieve true wisdom, grasshopper."
SF subsidizes the homeless. Toss a McDonalds bag toward a public trashcan, and it will usually be intercepted before it gets there with the skill of Ronnie Lott.
When there was still some hiring going on around here, I used to run into difficulties recruiting anyone with a family who was not already situated either on the Peninsula or in The City. Not only was it (and still is) too expensive but the atmosphere of Lefty whackoism was a real put off to most normal people from other states and even ones from inland here. Any company that wants to hire people besides H1Bs (who will tolerate it here) is nuts not to either move inland themselves, or move out of state (the better option, given all the taxes and unbelievable number of regs, particularly vis a vis HR type stuff ...).
It is not that is is "nasty" so much as it is vital. Lots of dynamic Hispanis culture, Asian (of several flavors) and some black. It reminded me a lot of Roosevelt Ave. in Queens (NYC) several years back. There were damn few empty shops on Mission and a WHOLE bunch of really interesting looking restaurants.
SFO is a fabulous city. I had lunch at a harborside place. Alas, the politicians are trying to kill the golden goose. Everything is so expensive (except the bus ride - $1.25 one way but you a transfer for a free return trip if it's withing 4(?) hours- the transit people NEVER check) what with minimum wages, taxes and taxes.
All the negatives are true! But, it is still a wonderful place to be.
>>or move out of state
I'm considering that option. I feel like a hamster on a wheel here. I'd miss the weather and my friends, but that is about it. I almost never go into San Fran, but I've never been a big city-lover anyways and came out here for the work.
I swear to God, I saw that guy in NY. I tried to take a picture with him, but he wouldn't pose for the camera.
I just figured out how to reduce the homeless problem in Maine. We'll just buy the bums a nice one-way ticket to SF!
But the sad reality is the liberal policies do exact their toll on a city and SF is no exception.
It could be one of the greatest cities in America. It's perfectly situated with beautiful scenery and a mild climate. But when you actually have to deal with the homeless, the Tenderloin and North Beach, the restrictions, ordinances, and cost of living, well, it's a place to visit but not live, in my opinion.
Any county that voted 89% for Kerry is going to be an adventure.
Since my time in San Francisco has been drasitically cut, my meetings with them in the city have, well, obviously been cut as well. However, the last time where I've encounted homeless was around City Hall when me and my sisters (plus one of my sister's then boyfriend, now husband) went to see "Miss Saigon" the musical. While I didn't encounter any panhandlers, I did see a homeless person pushing his cart of stuff in the plaza over there. However, the WORSE encounter was in the stairs of the parking garage. Two homeless people were litterally making out in the stairway. Nasty.
One time before that, I remember walking by this one guy who was stripping in Chinatown. I was pretty young so I had no idea what was up then. Which could be a good thing.
I like San Francisco and all, but I agree, homeless (and liberalism) not good.
Yeah, at night it was. But it was convienient for getting around doing the tourist stuff. It was the Best Western...the pink one on 5th or 6th. Nice little place.
grasshopper
Actually, I think it was "glasshopper."
I am going to post my reply before reading the thread, so that I am not influenced by what other people think.
I love San Francisco. Because of my job, I get to spend two days each year there, and I and my cohorts make the very most of it. We love to visit the city, and so far, we have done something completely different each year (although, we did visit Muir Woods twice, just because I insisted!)
Anyhow, you could not get any of us to stay in the city on a dare. It's too scary - too many obviously homeless people accosting travelers at every stop. It is pathetic.
If San Fran would do something to clean out the street trash, we would probably stay there - as it stands, we drive an hour to Sonoma and stay there instead. And we will continue to do so.
SF rises and falls at the mercy of the Mayor and the City Council - when there was a conservative Mayor, the homeless problem abated somewhat, but after the endless years of our own Slick Willie, and now Pretty Boy and the outright Socialists on the City Council, it's getting really, really bad again. I avoid the city at all costs, these days, it's just not worth it - and with all the new bans on guns, smoking, and pretty much anything else but tourism, protesting and the homeless, I'll leave the place to the liberal yuppie maggots who've gentrified all the character out of the city during the .com boom. It's sad what they've done, it's all "Gourmet Ghettos" and "Gourmet Lofts" - or it's an area where you will and should fear for your well-being.
Liberal compassion kills.
Regards,
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