World Cup 2026: Why some US hotels aren't cashing in on the tourism surge
Submitted by Ali Jaswal on Mon, 06/22/2026 - 08:10
Immigration policies, booking uncertainty and Fifa's room releases have complicated expectations for hoteliers
A view of the Empire State Building as people arrive ahead of a watch party at a Fifa Fan Zone in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on 13 June 2026 (Leonardo Munoz/AFP) Off Five hundred million ticket requests. Nearly ninety percent of available inventory sold. By any measure, the appetite for the World Cup is unlike anything the sport has ever seen.
But walk into any hotel in the US right now: Houston, Atlanta or Seattle, and the picture is far more complex than the extraordinary ticket demand might suggest.
Something doesn't quite add up, and a growing number of hoteliers, economists and football fans are trying to make sense of it.
Some hoteliers and analysts say demand and room rates are tracking broadly as expected, with the tournament generating the positive momentum they anticipated.
Others, however, have reported slower-than-expected bookings, attributing it to a combination of factors including immigration restrictions, Fifa's own cancellation of pre-reserved room blocks and elevated ticket prices.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
According to Trip.com, international bookings across the 16 World Cup host cities have risen nearly 70 percent year on year.
Hotel booking data points to strong demand in some markets. Dallas has seen bookings surge more than 1,400 percent during the group stage, driven largely by travellers from Japan and South Korea, while New York has emerged as the leading destination for higher-end travellers.
But the picture isn't uniform.
Data from Kalibri shows average daily room rates running about 20 percent higher than a year ago, with the strongest gains concentrated in gateway cities such as New York and San Francisco.
Occupancy growth, however, has been more modest.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Travellers appear to favour major urban centres with established transport networks, restaurants and attractions beyond match venues. Hotels are often earning more from each room sold rather than filling significantly more rooms.
'What we are seeing is not a demand problem. It is a decision-making problem'
- Laura Lee Blake, Asian American Hotel Owners Association
"What we are seeing is not a demand problem. It is a decision-making problem," Laura Lee Blake, the president and CEO of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), told Middle East Eye, noting that travellers are taking longer to weigh costs, logistics and travel requirements before booking.
"International travellers are certainly paying closer attention to border policies, visa processing times, and geopolitical developments than they did in previous World Cup cycles, those factors can create friction, particularly for travellers who have multiple destination options," she added.
New York illustrates the divide.
CoStar data shows occupancy at 57 percent on key match dates, the highest among US host cities, with average nightly rates around $583.
For some operators, the benefits have been clear.
Nile Sony, president of Manhattan View Hotel in Queens, said the property has been sold out on many nights in June and July since last year.
"I wouldn't say a major boost. But yes, a lot of advance reservations," he told MEE. "You don't normally see reservations made one year in advance for any event."
Fifa's room strategy reshaped the market
Part of the uncertainty stems from Fifa's accommodation strategy.
Three years ago, Fifa reserved large blocks of hotel rooms across all 16 host cities for teams, sponsors and officials. Most hoteliers expected roughly half of those rooms to be released before the tournament.
Instead, Fifa ultimately released about 95 percent of them, retaining accommodation only for match days and the preceding night. The sudden return of thousands of rooms to the market left operators scrambling to replace expected bookings at a time when international travellers were already booking later than usual.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The effect was compounded by the displacement of other business travel. Large corporate meetings and conferences largely avoided World Cup host cities rather than compete with football fans for flights, hotel rooms and restaurant reservations.
The World Cup is coming to Central America's doorstep. The billions won't Read More »
For analysts, this reflects a familiar pattern.
Major events such as the World Cup and the Olympics are typically "average daily rate" events rather than occupancy events, meaning the biggest gains come from higher room prices rather than sharply increased occupancy.
"We have always said this is going to be a room rate event with larger room rate increases and some occupancy increases," Jan D. Freitag, the national director of hospitality analytics at CoStar told MEE.
"That was the prediction, and that's what's going to happen."
Freitag also cautioned against reading too much into concerns about slower bookings. Many knockout-stage fixtures remain unknown, making it impossible for supporters to finalise travel plans.
Trip.com data reflects this uncertainty, with bookings growing more slowly for the knockout rounds than for the group stage.
Beyond occupancy: the perception problem
Beyond room rates and occupancy, many hoteliers remain concerned about the broader climate for international visitors.
An American Hotel and Lodging Association survey found that 65 to 70 percent of respondents viewed visa barriers and geopolitical tensions as a drag on demand. Inbound tourism to the United States fell 5.4 percent in 2025 amid tighter immigration enforcement and travel restrictions affecting dozens of countries.
Industry figures say increased visibility of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, heightened border scrutiny and tougher visa requirements have contributed to perceptions that the US is a less welcoming destination.
'We were expecting a four percent uptick in revenue due to the World Cup. We are now expecting the impact to be half of what was initially forecast'
- Haseeb M., Comfort Inn Chicago Schaumburg
Those concerns extend beyond host cities.
Haseeb M., the president of Comfort Inn Chicago Schaumburg, had expected the World Cup to boost revenues despite Chicago not hosting matches.
"We were expecting a four percent uptick in revenue due to the World Cup," he told MEE. "We are now expecting the impact to be half of what was initially forecast."
The debate ultimately extends beyond hotel performance. While major sporting events do not always generate direct financial returns for host countries, they remain powerful tourism and nation-branding opportunities.
Against that backdrop, some industry figures worry that recent policy shifts may shape how visitors experience the US during one of the world's most watched events.
"We are excited to welcome the world to our world-class city, and we know those watching from around the globe will consider Toronto for future travel," said Sara Anghel, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.
World Cup 2026 New York City Why some US hotels are missing out on the World Cup boom News
Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19
Update Date Override 0
