BURLINGAME — Hoping to inflate the city's budget during its fiscal woes, voters have chosen to boost taxes on anyone who stays in a hotel in the city.

Voters have overwhelmingly passed Measure H, which will increase the city's hotel tax from 10 percent to 12 percent. Including vote-by-mail results and with all 22 precincts reporting, 79.4 percent of voters had approved the measure. It needed a simple majority to pass.

The measure will generate about $2 million per year for the city, which gets a healthy number of business and leisure hotel visitors from those traveling through neighboring San Francisco International Airport. Burlingame recently faced a $4 million deficit and has warned of future service cuts.

The increase will take effect in January, the first time the city has enlarged the hotel tax rate since 1991.

Five other cities near SFO had asked voters in Tuesday's election to increase hotel taxes, and each measure passed.

All five council members had endorsed the measure, while no organized opponents had emerged.

Staff writer Mike Rosenberg covers San Mateo, Burlingame, Belmont and transportation issues. Reach him at 650-348-4324.