The Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary celebration is doing more than drawing tens of thousands of fans to Golden Gate Park — it’s breathing new life into San Francisco’s hotel industry.
The three-day concert series, headlined by Dead & Company, brought Deadheads from across the country and around the world, many of whom poured thousands of dollars into local hotels, restaurants, and shops. In fact, many San Francisco hotels were completely booked for the weekend. For city leaders and business owners, the influx of visitors represents a welcome sign of recovery for an economy still rebounding from the pandemic.
Among the fans were Jeff Estensen and Lacey Forsythe, who flew in from Fairbanks, Alaska. Outside the San Francisco Hilton, they said they’d already spent several thousand dollars on hotel stays, meals, and concert tickets…