This summer’ s biggest matchup may have played out on the soccer pitch, but across the country, hoteliers played their own ferocious game. Every day for more than a month, hotels across North America competed for customers, utilizing every available resource to maximize gains during this heady goldrush of a window. Though such an event in scope and size is unique and infrequent, this epic, real-time experiment provided valuable lessons on managing crowds, revenue and expectations.
“ If there’ s one thing we can learn from these events, it’ s that travelers will follow their passions and be willing to pay for the opportunity to attend such memorable experiences,” said Rob Smith, president & CEO of Stonebridge Companies, a
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third-party hotel management company.“ Tapping into these passions, taking a guest-centric approach and positioning our properties as an extension of the events themselves can really directly tie to occupancy and revenue growth.”
GEOGRAPHY REMAINS UNDEFEATED Even in the best of economic times, it would be challenging to fulfill hoteliers’ predictions that surging arrivals would raise occupancy and demand for accommodations everywhere. Post-event travel data show
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that the impact of international visitors was less broad-based than many anticipated, and those who did come preferred shorter stays centered around matches.“ We saw strong rates and occupancy on game days, but not for the days in between,” said Michael D’ Amodio, group VP of regional operations for Azul Hospitality Group and a past president of the LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce.“ Most were here [ in Los Angeles ] for the game and did explore a little on their own, but [ regional tourism ] was much less than we had anticipated |
and from the information FIFA shared with us prior to the games beginning.”
Host markets with preexisting tourist appeal, limited hotel supply or favorable match schedules generally captured stronger benefits than markets relying solely on the event itself. Variations in team schedules made it difficult to anticipate fans’ travel, but regardless of who was playing, average daily rates inevitably increased, said D’ Amodio.
“ These events are hard to predict as far as business demand is concerned, so you
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20 hotelsmag. com Oct / Nov 2026 |