NEW YORK (AP) — The anticipated economic windfall from the World Cup has not materialized as expected for hotels in the United States, at least not yet. Room reservations have been weaker than anticipated in most of the 11 American cities hosting the tournament, according to an April survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
Mixed Booking Trends Across Host Cities
In several host cities, including Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle, a majority of hotel operators reported that bookings were actually lagging behind typical seasonal demand. In other locations, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston, demand has remained flat compared with a regular spring and summer season, the association noted.
Workers install grass during the pitch installation for 2026 FIFA World Cup at MetLife Stadium on Thursday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Yuki Iwamura via Associated Press)
Factors Behind Soft Demand
The hotel association attributed the softer-than-expected demand to several factors: travel concerns among international fans, worries about visa wait times for entry into the United States, and the overall cost of attending the tournament, including high ticket prices and transportation expenses in some cities.
“I think everyone had hoped the games would lead an influx of bookings, but with all going on in the world and the USA’s involvement, events are playing out differently for everyone,” said Michael Black, general manager at the Cloud One hotel in Manhattan.
Concerns about weaker bookings extend to Mexico, which is co-hosting the games alongside the United States and Canada. Hotels in Mexico City, where the tournament’s opening match will take place on June 11, are approximately 30% to 36% booked, according to the Asociación de Hoteles de Ciudad de México.
High Prices as a Deterrent
Many hotels raised their rates significantly after the tournament schedule was announced, anticipating that soccer fans would pay premium prices if they managed to secure match tickets. For instance, a hotel near MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which typically charges around $200 per night, was advertising a rate of $800 for nights during June World Cup matches. The cost escalates to more than $1,300 per night ahead of the July 19 final.
Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, a Germany-based fan advocacy group, noted that many experienced fans are likely waiting for prices to drop. “Fans that are used to traveling for tournaments know that this price will always go down,” Evain said. “There are many examples of hotel owners regretting that they priced too high and then panicking at the last minute and reducing prices.”
A general view of Arrowhead Stadium on Monday ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer matches in Kansas City, Missouri. (Charlie Riedel via Associated Press)
Evain added that other fans have probably already secured cheaper accommodations farther from the stadiums or through platforms like Airbnb and other short-term rental services. Indeed, metropolitan regions around Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale are experiencing an increase in short-term rental bookings compared with the same period last year, according to a recent report from AirDNA, a rental data firm that tracks bookings on Airbnb and Vrbo.
Airbnb stated last week that the number of guests expected to stay at its listings during the tournament is projected to exceed earlier estimates and could even surpass the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris as the largest hosting event in the company’s history.
Unrealistic Expectations and Other Factors
FIFA has sold more than 5 million tickets for the tournament so far, out of the over 6 million expected to be available for all 104 matches. While many attendees will be travelers requiring hotel rooms, global events like the World Cup also tend to deter other types of visitors, according to Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College professor specializing in sports economics.
“The general problem is that soccer tourists — and expected congestion, high prices and security concerns — push away normal business travel and tourism,” he explained.
Vijay Dandapani, president of the Hotel Association of New York City, reported that city hotels are seeing a modest increase in summer bookings, about 10% compared with the previous year, but far from the windfall promised by FIFA and other tournament proponents.
FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino pauses during the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. last year. (Chris Carlson via Associated Press)
In Toronto, Canada, which will host six matches, demand for rooms is up approximately 28% over June 2025, said Sara Anghel, president of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.
In Kansas City, where about 90% of respondents to the American Hotel & Lodging Association survey reported bookings below expectations, tourism officials remain hopeful for a record-breaking number of visitors. “While hotel occupancy in Kansas City has not followed the trajectory originally predicted by FIFA, there are positive indicators for Kansas City on the horizon,” said Derik Detter, market research director at Visit KC.
Jon Bortz, CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, a real estate investment company that owns dozens of hotels nationwide, is equally optimistic. Overall, he said occupancy rates are up at its many host city properties compared with last year, though he acknowledged that cities like Boston with more marquee matchups are performing better than cities like San Francisco that host less in-demand games.
“We haven’t seen anything that would cause us to think it’s going to be less than what we were expecting,” he said. “Maybe other people had much grander expectations.”
Associated Press reporters David Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico City, and Jim Morris in Vancouver contributed to this story.
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