Low US hotel bookings paint grim hospitality picture at the World Cup

[BlueWavePsych]

Hotel reservations in the United States, associated with the World Cup, are falling far short of industry expectations, a business group has said, with five weeks to go until football’s flagship tournament.

The observation is based on results, released on Monday, from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) survey of its members in the 11 US metropolitan areas that will host FIFA World Cup matches, from New York to Los Angeles.

In Kansas City, bookings were so far below expectations that they lagged below normal rates for June and July.

In Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, many respondents described the tournament “as a ‘non-event’,” the report said.

https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/5/6/low-us-hotel-bookings-paint-grim-hospitality-picture-at-the-world-cup


Visa Delays, RFK Jr. And Anti-US Sentiment: Why International Tourists Are Avoiding The 2026 World Cup

International tourists are increasingly avoiding the 2026 World Cup in the United States, industry reports show, as visa delays, health policies associated with Robert F Kennedy Jr and rising anti-US sentiment combine to deter fans from travelling to the host cities. The trend is hardly a surprise given the combination of factors at play.

Hotel bookings in US venues are falling short of expectations, with 80 per cent of operators across the 11 host cities reporting reservations tracking below forecasts just five weeks before the tournament kicks off. This shortfall threatens a projected $30 billion (£22 billion) boost to the economy that organisers had anticipated from the event. Analysts warn that international fan turnout is lagging well behind domestic interest as the June start date looms.

Rights groups have amplified concerns. More than 120 civil society, human rights and soccer supporter organisations issued a formal travel advisory in April warning of potential arbitrary denial of entry, invasive social media checks and risks of detention under prevailing immigration rules.

One industry analysis in a New York Post article noted that the path to the US for many World Cup travellers feels increasingly less like a red-carpet welcome. Visa barriers and broader geopolitical concerns are cited by about 65 per cent of hoteliers as suppressing demand.

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/visa-delays-health-policies-deter-fans-2026-world-cup-us-1795543

https://www.boycottusa2026.org/

[IcyPeas]

1. And ICE agents will be showing up at stadiums and airports.

[tanyev]

2. The hoteliers can console themselves with the knowledge that Trump got a FIFA peace tchotchke.

[MichMan]

3. I would rather watch paint dry

[Justice matters.]

4. Everything the treasonous gangster touches dies.

Flop, flop, flop, and flop.

[FakeNoose]

5. Unfortunate for the hotels and restaurants, but ....

... the World Cup ticket prices are ridiculous! Even the Americans who live there and don't have to fly or stay in hotels, even WE can't afford these tickets. And all the bad press has scared away the international travelers who might have wanted to come. They'll stay home and watch it on TV, and who can blame them?



Give this man a billion dollar Ball Room ... he dances like the devil.