A confluence of events all hitting San Francisco the first week of October means that things are about to get more crowded than usual. Hardly Strictly starts Friday and lasts through the weekend, Fleet Week starts Monday and lasts all week, and Dreamforce runs October 4 through 7. Taken together, that means a lot of tourists will soon be gracing our fair city.
Just how many? Well, if you wrap in the Treasure Island Music Festival happening later in the month, the Business Times says we should expect 2 million people to pass through SF over the next few weeks. And with only roughly 35,000 rooms in our city's hotel inventory, those looking to book a hotel may find themselves in a tough spot. Those renting out rooms via Airbnb, however, may have chance to make some serious cash.
Maybe.
The idea of Airbnb hosts cashing in on a huge event has been floated before — remember the Super Bowl? — but it mainly turned out to be a bust as the market was flooded with over-priced rooms.
Last year the October crunch was so bad that Dreamforce hired a cruise ship, which the Times tells us was nicknamed the "Dreamboat," to temporarily house conference attendees — not so this year. Those unlucky souls are going to have to find a place to stay just like everyone else — on the internet.
So this week when Muni feels even more crowded than usually and you definitely can't get a seat on BART, feel free to direct your ire at all the tourists.
