NYC hotels filled up on big match days during the 2026 World Cup, but data indicates that a broader economic boom driven by the tournament didn\u2019t materialize the way many predicted.<\/p>\n
When FIFA estimated 1.2 million<\/a> World Cup fans would arrive in the New York metropolitan area this summer, many expected NYC accomodations to be packed. Yet, as Didio Pequeno, Director of Hospitality Market Analytics at CoStar Group pointed out, the tournament appears to be a \u201crate event\u201d for the city rather than an \u201coccupancy event.\u201d<\/p>\n According to data from CoStar, a global provider of real estate data, analytics and news, occupancy increased by 3% year-over-year for the first match hosted in the New York metropolitan area (Brazil v. Morocco on June 13); occupancy rates for the next five games, however, represented a slight decline from the year before.<\/p>\n At the same time, average daily rate (ADR), a key measure of hotel performance, increased year-over-year by an average of almost 30% on match days held at MetLife Stadium<\/a> (renamed NYNJ Stadium for the tournament). Revenue available per room (RevPAR), another key metric, also increased by almost 30% on average for match days.<\/p>\n \u201cCoStar initially forecast that World Cup host cities would grow RevPAR by an average of roughly 13% during the tournament, and New York has surpassed that mark, with RevPAR growth north of 20%,\u201d Pequeno said.<\/p>\n Despite data indicating that New York hotels are charging higher rates this summer, President & CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC), Vijay Dandapani, said that won\u2019t necessarily translate into the $300 million increase in room revenue they predicted based on the FIFA predictions<\/p>\n \u201cThose room revenue calculations were \u201cbased on \u2018rate compression\u2019 typical of high traffic events like Marathon, USTA Tennis in August\/September (last year had 1.3 million visitors) and the UNGA [United Nations General Assembly],\u201d Dandapani said.<\/p>\n When Straus News talked to the hotel experts in the week leading into the July 19 championship, projections were that the tournament was now on track to generate<\/a> only between $100 million and $150 million\u2014half of the pre-season estimates. And while last-minute booking reports have suggested an uptick, Dandapani said<\/a> that those alone won\u2019t bring revenue up to original projections.<\/p>\n