San Francisco Vacation Rentals - Expectations for the 2010 Travel Season

September 2009 – San Francisco vacation rentals are poised for a rebound. The 2009 vacation season has seen a significant drop in hotel and San Francisco vacation rental numbers in cities across the U.S.  Tourist numbers in San Francisco remained relatively stable in comparison despite this trend.  Golden Gate Vacations, a member of the Vacation-Renter Inc. travel family which specializes in vacation accommodations in the San Francisco area, is now seeing a rebound in occupancy rates.  With 2010 just around the corner the San Francisco travel industry is expected to experience reinvigorated tourist numbers, raising hopes amongst travel providers for the San Francisco area.

Although Golden Gate Vacations saw a severe drop in occupancy rates at the end of the 2008 and beginning of 2009 season, these numbers are steadily coming back up.  This drop, a reflection of the economic recession it its consequential effects on tourism, has allowed Golden Gate Vacations to remain viable where others have floundered.  The reason for this is twofold; firstly as mentioned, San Francisco tourism has seen higher tourist numbers in comparison to other cities, and secondly Golden Gate Vacations has been able to effectively implement the progressive Vacation-Renter Inc. business model to take full advantage of increased tourism.

San Francisco has always been a tourist hot spot, as a dynamic city it has something to offer for the every vacationer and business traveler.  Visitors to the city can enjoy trips to the Aquarium of the Bay, Fisherman’s Warf or a hike at Presidio National Park.  There are unlimited restaurants and fine dining experiences, architectural tours, cruises and tours to Alcatraz, or a day trip to see the conservatory of flowers- a historic San Francisco landmark right in Golden Gate Park.  And with Napa Valley and Yosemite right in its backyard, travelers to San Francisco can enjoy wine tasting and outdoor recreation as well.  With so much to offer right inside the city, tourism numbers have remained relatively high as hotels and rental accommodations have offered incredible deals in addition to the appeal of the city.

Hotels have kept occupancy rates up by offering such enticing deals however many did not turn enough of a profit and occupancy rates still were lower than normal.  In June of 2009 a typically busy time for summer travel, occupancy lost 12% in comparison to last year at the same time.  One consequence of this is seen in the 97-year-old Renaissance Stanford Court on Nob Hill which defaulted on an $89 million loan on July 8, 2009.  And At the end this August, the 8-year old Four Seasons Hotel on Market Street missed payments on its $90 million loan.  These establishments are not alone, as seven major hotels are currently in default within San Francisco, and this number is expected to increase through 2010 despite the expectation of higher tourist numbers. The City of San Francisco is finding that a large part of its budget is being affected, due to the proportionate loss of hotel tax income. This is expected to decline by 9% in the coming year as tourist numbers increase.

The key to the success of Golden Gate Vacations and its anticipated growth lies in its strategic business model and value based packages and services, putting it in a position to capitalize on the upcoming reinvigorated 2010 year.  GoldenGateVacations.com offers on site booking of flights and car rentals for a convenient one stop shop for all guests travel needs. GoldenGateVacations.com also offers only available rental units that guests book in real time on the site.  And as a member of Vacation-Renter, Inc. Golden Gate Vacations partners with property managers and rental owners to offer a variety of 1, 2, or 3 bedroom units at great locations throughout San Francisco to cater to the guests desired accommodations.  The quality of the rental units available offered at competitive prices have kept occupancy rates higher than seen in typical hotels, as value is never sacrificed.

Exciting partnerships have allowed Golden Gate Vacations to incorporated new services into its business, as Matthew Doerner-Miller, principle of Vacation-Renter Inc., explains “The economic downturn has forced us to look beyond our previous business model. The San Francisco vacation rental market is becoming saturated with an increasing amount of online listing companies and websites. Our challenge is that we need to separate ourselves from these other sites and let people know that we are not just a listing service, but a “reservation and sales” service (unlike 90% of the other vacation rental websites out there).  By forging new and exciting partnerships with other segments of the travel/business world, we our positioning ourselves for an exciting, plentiful future."