Looking at hotel prices in San Francisco, mid October and finding them sky high. Is it peak tourist season or are there lots of conventions in town?

Found a decent rate at the SF Hilton near Union Square which I grabbed, though will keep looking. It's not my favorite hotel, about the only good thing is it's across the street from our rental car drop off and general location (well sort of). Just wondering what was going on at that time. Thanks.

Hotels in most cities are not solely based on tourists, believe it or not. Major cities have business and that usually determines them, not tourists (eg, Washington DC, NYC, and San Francisco).

October IS in fact BIG tourist season due to the superb weather. It is also a big convention city.

60,000 Oracle attendees
46,000 salesforce.com
20,000 Nike Marathon
18,000 American College of Surgeons

to name just a few:

http://portal.sanfrancisco.travel/ca...=Search+%3E%3E

This may be the reason for the sky high rates:

Dreamforce 2014
Salesforce.com, Inc.
Oct 13, 2014 - Oct 16, 2014
Total Attendance: 46,000
Venue Type: Moscone N/S/W

or

Nike 26.2 Marathon/Team in Training - 2014
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Oct 18, 2014 - Oct 19, 2014
Total Attendance: 20,000
Venue Type: Moscone S

Check out the calendar for your planned dates. Good luck!

http://portal.sanfrancisco.travel/calendar_public/

Hey Deb. Think we were composing at the same time.

My husband will be at SalesForce - he gets to hear Hillary - I am jealous!

October usually has higher rates than in Summer in SF.

That is 1) a very busy convention month, and 2 when Californians/West Coasters visit the City (we know better than to visit in summer when it is colder and foggier )

Ok, that makes sense with all the conventions going on during the same time we're visiting. Some of the hotels we usually book are full, the others have really high rates. Guess I was lucky to find one though I have a feeling the Hilton will be jammed, ugh. Better start making dinner reservations too!

Out of about 10 trips (at different times of the year), I've only had a great rate once. SF is a very popular destination and rates are high because they can get them. Keep trying, but I would doubt your Hilton rate will drop. The hotel I've booked for September has been full for weeks. And yes, you should book restaurants now although some only take reservations one month in advance.