Guides/San Francisco/Hospitality
HospitalitySan Francisco

Hospitality Investment in San Francisco

San Francisco's hospitality market is split between recovery and reality. Leisure travel bounced back hard, but business travel's still down 25-30% from pre-COVID. Corporate bookings aren't coming back the same way with remote work and tighter T&E budgets. RevPAR hit $185 citywide in 2025, but that's driven by rate increases more than occupancy gains. Limited-service properties are winning while full-service hotels deal with labor cost inflation that's pricing out some segments.

Market Context

Cap Rate Range

6.5% to 8.5%

Current Vacancy

12-15% average occupancy loss vs. 2019

Rent Trend

ADR up 18% since 2023, driven by supply constraints

Absorption

Leisure demand steady, business travel recovering slowly

Price Per Unit Trend

$425,000 to $650,000 per key

Transaction Volume

Down 40% from peak, distressed assets driving activity

Submarket Analysis

Union Square

7.5% to 9.0% cap

Vacancy

Higher vacancy, convention business weak

Avg Rent (1BR)

$215 ADR average

Recovery tied to convention center bookings

OM Tip

Include foot traffic data and retail disruption impact

Fisherman's Wharf

6.5% to 7.5% cap

Vacancy

Strong leisure occupancy

Avg Rent (1BR)

$195 ADR average

Stable tourist demand, seasonal patterns intact

OM Tip

Show monthly seasonality clearly, include comp set from Pier 39 area

Financial District

8.0% to 9.5% cap

Vacancy

Business travel still depressed

Avg Rent (1BR)

$165 ADR average

Dependent on office occupancy recovery

OM Tip

Correlate performance with nearby office vacancy rates

Mission Bay/SOMA

6.0% to 7.0% cap

Vacancy

Best performing submarket

Avg Rent (1BR)

$225 ADR average

Benefits from biotech and limited supply

OM Tip

Highlight proximity to UCSF and biotech corridor

Airport Area

7.0% to 8.0% cap

Vacancy

Steady but not spectacular

Avg Rent (1BR)

$145 ADR average

Tied to air travel volumes and crew bookings

OM Tip

Include SFO passenger data and airline contract details

Performance by Vintage

0

P

1

r

2

o

3

p

4

e

5

r

6

t

7

i

8

e

9

s

10

11

f

12

r

13

o

14

m

15

16

t

17

h

18

e

19

20

1

21

9

22

8

23

0

24

s

25

-

26

9

27

0

28

s

29

30

n

31

e

32

e

33

d

34

35

m

36

a

37

j

38

o

39

r

40

41

P

42

I

43

P

44

45

w

46

o

47

r

48

k

49

50

t

51

h

52

a

53

t

54

55

c

56

a

57

n

58

59

r

60

u

61

n

62

63

$

64

4

65

0

66

K

67

-

68

6

69

0

70

K

71

72

p

73

e

74

r

75

76

k

77

e

78

y

79

.

80

81

2

82

0

83

0

84

0

85

s

86

87

v

88

i

89

n

90

t

91

a

92

g

93

e

94

95

h

96

o

97

t

98

e

99

l

100

s

101

102

a

103

r

104

e

105

106

h

107

i

108

t

109

t

110

i

111

n

112

g

113

114

f

115

r

116

a

117

n

118

c

119

h

120

i

121

s

122

e

123

124

r

125

e

126

n

127

e

128

w

129

a

130

l

131

132

c

133

y

134

c

135

l

136

e

137

s

138

139

w

140

i

141

t

142

h

143

144

u

145

p

146

d

147

a

148

t

149

e

150

d

151

152

b

153

r

154

a

155

n

156

d

157

158

s

159

t

160

a

161

n

162

d

163

a

164

r

165

d

166

s

167

.

168

169

P

170

o

171

s

172

t

173

-

174

2

175

0

176

1

177

0

178

179

b

180

u

181

i

182

l

183

d

184

s

185

186

h

187

a

188

v

189

e

190

191

b

192

e

193

t

194

t

195

e

196

r

197

198

b

199

o

200

n

201

e

202

s

203

204

b

205

u

206

t

207

208

h

209

i

210

g

211

h

212

e

213

r

214

215

b

216

a

217

s

218

i

219

s

220

,

221

222

m

223

a

224

k

225

i

226

n

227

g

228

229

c

230

u

231

r

232

r

233

e

234

n

235

t

236

237

r

238

e

239

t

240

u

241

r

242

n

243

s

244

245

t

246

i

247

g

248

h

249

t

250

e

251

r

252

.

253

254

B

255

o

256

u

257

t

258

i

259

q

260

u

261

e

262

263

c

264

o

265

n

266

v

267

e

268

r

269

s

270

i

271

o

272

n

273

s

274

275

f

276

r

277

o

278

m

279

280

t

281

h

282

e

283

284

2

285

0

286

1

287

0

288

s

289

290

b

291

o

292

o

293

m

294

295

a

296

r

297

e

298

299

s

300

h

301

o

302

w

303

i

304

n

305

g

306

307

w

308

e

309

a

310

r

311

312

a

313

n

314

d

315

316

n

317

e

318

e

319

d

320

321

r

322

e

323

p

324

o

325

s

326

i

327

t

328

i

329

o

330

n

331

i

332

n

333

g

334

335

c

336

a

337

p

338

i

339

t

340

a

341

l

342

.

What Your OM Needs to Address

STR Competitive Set Analysis

Include 12-month RevPAR trends vs. comp set

Data to Include

Monthly RevPAR, ADR, occupancy by comp property with specific addresses

Brand/Management Agreement Terms

Franchise fees, PIP requirements, and contract expiration dates

Data to Include

Annual franchise fees, upcoming PIP costs and timeline, management fee structure

Labor Cost Trends

Union contracts and wage inflation impact on margins

Data to Include

Historical labor cost per occupied room, union contract expiration dates, wage escalations

Demand Segmentation

Break down business vs. leisure vs. group revenue

Data to Include

Revenue mix by segment, average length of stay, seasonal patterns by customer type

Capital Requirements

Deferred maintenance and upcoming PIP obligations

Data to Include

Reserve for replacement history, property condition assessment, brand-required upgrades

Parking and Ancillary Revenue

Non-room revenue that's often overlooked

Data to Include

Parking revenue per available room, F&B margins if applicable, other income sources

Investment Outlook

Short Term

Leisure demand stays strong through 2026, but business travel recovery remains slow. Properties with lower business mix will outperform. Watch for distressed opportunities as some owners hit refinancing walls with higher interest rates.

Medium Term

Office occupancy improvements by 2027-2028 should help business travel, but it won't return to pre-COVID levels. Limited new supply gives existing properties pricing power if they can maintain service levels through labor challenges.

Long Term

San Francisco remains a global destination, but the hospitality market will be smaller and more focused on leisure and high-end business travelers. Properties that can adapt to changing demand patterns will see solid returns, but it's not the growth market it was in the 2010s.

Buyer Profile

Opportunistic buyers targeting distressed assets, value-add investors with hospitality experience willing to execute PIPs, and long-term holders betting on San Francisco's eventual full recovery.

Marketing a hospitality property in San Francisco?

DealDraft generates professional offering memorandums with market-specific data and property-type expertise built in.

Create Your OM