Claudia and María, two European travellers with big backpacks and small budgets, are trying to find a bed for the night and luck, it appears, is not on their side: Mamallena, a popular hostel in the city’s financial district, is booked out for days as are several other well-known haunts.

Go upmarket and it is the same story. The Executive, a tall but basic hotel located nearby, does not have a single vacancy. Just down the road at the Sheraton Four Points, meanwhile, reception-desk attendants are turning customers away in droves.