Imported six-figure sports cars. Premium wines. High-rise condos. High-priced cigars. Luxury hotel suites. Not since 1999 have people in the San Francisco Bay Area enjoyed their riches so much. An uptick in income has yielded a corresponding rise in conspicuous consumption.
A glowing example is The Ritz-Carlton Hotel San Francisco and its recently completed $12.5 million upgrade of 336 guest rooms, featuring 32-inch flat-screen LCD TVs, in-room iPod docking stations and Kohler rain showers. Its suites now go for $750 per night, up from $575.
Read the story on SF Gate: “For those who can afford it, plenty of luxury is out there.”