Hotel owners expected a World Cup boom - so far it hasn't happened

Walking the streets of Kansas City, Houston, Miami and New York it is hard not to notice a World Cup is coming.

Billboards abound, there are signs outside bars and stores are churning out tournament-themed merchandise.

But for hoteliers checking their booking systems, the buzz is more of a murmur.

The industry body says most hotels in World Cup host cities are seeing bookings lower than this time last year, and those who spoke to the BBC said they were underwhelmed so far.

"We were sold this expectation the World Cup would be a big phenomenon, people have been talking about it for years," said Deidre Mathis, who owns the Wanderstay Boutique Hotel in Houston, Texas.

"So when we looked at our calendar and saw in February, March and April that we still weren't sold out [for the tournament] - and it is not just us in Houston, but it's all over - we were left sitting here just very confused," she told the BBC.

The Wanderstay is a mile on foot from the Houston fan zone and a short drive from the stadium hosting Houston's matches. It is currently at 45% capacity for the period of the tournament, Mathis told the BBC, compared with 70% for the same time last year.

Mathis blamed the "political climate" during US President Donald Trump's second term in office, in particular immigration raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in cities across the country.

She also pointed to the rising cost of living in the wake of the US-Israel war in Iran, as well as the "phenomenally" expensive tickets to World Cup matches.

Even Trump, an enthusiastic supporter of both the World Cup and Fifa president Gianni Infantino, has said he "wouldn't pay it either" when asked about the prices. Tickets for sale for the final at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium were officially offered at up to $32,970 (£24,540), while resale tickets have been listed for more than $2m.

"So I think it's a bunch of things, all combined into one," Mathis said. "But it is just so unfortunate, and I am hoping that in the next four weeks, things can be turned around."

Mathis urged Fifa to drop the ticket prices, as well as calling for the US government to expedite visa applications for fans hoping to attend.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), which represents tens of thousands of clients from major hotel chains to independent B&Bs, found eight in 10 hotels in host cities are seeing lower demand than expected, warning the tournament has not translated into strong bookings.

In an AHLA survey, many described the tournament as a "non-event" while a majority said bookings are tracking below levels seen in a typical summer.

AHLA president and chief executive Rosanna Maietta told the BBC the war in Iran was partly to blame. But she said some fans may be waiting for certainty over where their team will be playing before booking accommodation.

By contrast, Airbnb has said the World Cup is to be "the biggest hosting event" in its history.

Hamish Husband, from the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, will spend as much as £10,000 travelling to the US to follow Scotland's progress in the tournament. He and his brother are staying in hotels throughout the competition, and the final bill will depend on how far Scotland go.

He said the rare Scottish appearance at the World Cup has meant many fans will travel, despite cost concerns, the main one being "the outrageous ticket pricing Fifa has enforced on fans".

"There is no fairness in football anymore, but $1,000 for Scotland v Haiti tickets - that is scandalous," he told the BBC.

Husband noted that in Mexico, locals on average salaries would be unable to afford tickets to see the games, and praised Canada's efforts to curb sky-high ticket resale costs.

The Tartan Army, as travelling Scottish fans are called, became one of the highlights of the Uefa Euro 2024 tournament in Germany, beloved by locals for singing and dancing their way from Munich to Cologne to Stuttgart.

Stephen Jenkins, who manages the Fontaine Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, told the BBC it was in "a very similar spot" in terms of bookings to this time last year.

"We are not seeing the pick-up we had anticipated," said Jenkins, who is pulling out all the stops for the World Cup. He had expected a boom due to the "once-in-a-lifetime experience" of the tournament being in town, but has so far been let down.

But Jenkins told the BBC he saw a small bump in bookings when the schedule of fixtures was announced, and expects to see "much more of an uptick as the matches approach".

In an illustration of the extent to which local businesses are pinning their hopes on the tournament being a success, Jenkins said the fan festival would be "a difference maker".

The Fontaine itself is hosting a "Culinary Cup", which will see guests able to eat country-themed meals to match the teams playing in Kansas City.

But, with Argentina scheduled to play in the city next month, Jenkins said superstar Lionel Messi has not yet had the star pull of pop giant Taylor Swift, whose Eras tour came to the city in 2023.

While not a "fair comparison" due to the compressed schedule compared to the World Cup, Swift coming to town was "a city-wide sellout type of event", Jenkins said.

Manuel Deisen, the general manager of InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, also told the BBC the "volume of enquiries and bookings we're seeing is tracking lower to typical periods".

"It's not quite what we had hoped for," he added.

But Deisen said he has seen "incredible enthusiasm" for the tournament, and expects a last-minute pickup as fans hold out to confirm bookings.

The hotel is also making the World Cup a key part of its summer, with plans to show games and host football-themed events for travelling and local fans throughout the competition.

Fifa said demand for the tournament has been "unprecedented" and that more than five million tickets have been sold. "Excitement continues to build for the largest sporting event on the planet," a spokesman told the BBC.

The spokesman hit back at claims tickets are overpriced, adding that some have been sold for as little as $60, while more expensive tickets have been priced to prevent profiteering on resale markets.

The White House has established a World Cup taskforce to ensure the tournament runs smoothly. As part of preparations, it has exempted football fans from 50 countries from having to pay a $15,000 deposit when applying for visas if they can show they have valid match tickets.