Next Tuesday, the winners of Thursday’s France-Morocco and Friday’s Spain-Belgium quarterfinals will face off at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, marking the end of North Texas’ FIFA World Cup era, and visitors to the region will pay accordingly at local hotels.
Surveying nightly rates as of Thursday morning for a sample stay from Friday, July 10 to Wednesday, July 15, prices at local hotels are significantly elevated.
Comparing a stay from Friday, July 10, to Wednesday, July 15, against the same length stay from Friday, Aug. 21, to Wednesday, Aug. 26, the nightly rate was an average of 85% higher across a sampling of 12 hotels in Dallas, Arlington and nearby Dallas Stadium along Interstate 30.
And that’s before the teams playing in Arlington have even been decided.
Some hotels, particularly luxury hotels, were more than double the price per night this weekend versus in August. For example, the swanky Hotel Swexan in Victory Park is $1,143 per night from July 10-15, compared with $521 a night from Aug. 21-26. Marriott Dallas Uptown is $722 versus $260 over the same periods. Arlington’s two entertainment district luxury stays, Live! by Loews and Loews Arlington, are 167% and 136% more expensive per night, respectively, with Live! by Loews costing $768 for a last-minute stay this weekend.
There are still comfortable stays to be had for less eye-popping prices. Omni Dallas Hotel is $262 this weekend, $100 a night more expensive than in August, while the JW Marriott in the Arts District is $394 a night this weekend, pricey but only $50 more than normal.
Similarly, budget hotels are still available at elevated but affordable prices. Though the Holiday Inn Arlington NE-Rangers Ballpark is $280, double its August price of $142, Extended Stay America Suites — Arlington — Six Flags is at $120, up from $85. Staying in Arlington near the stadium comes with a premium, as evidenced by the difference in price between Motel 6 in Arlington ($150) per night and its sister property just up Interstate 30, Motel 6 Grand Prairie, which is at $90 a night. Both are significant premiums over their usual price, with the equivalent stay in August at both going for a round $70 a night.
This trend is in line with research from Visit Dallas, which said that hotel revenues on nights around the semifinal are pacing 80% ahead of this time last year. The tourism organization noted that, because the teams playing in the semifinal are still unknown, “the next two days will have significant impacts,” in how final hotel demand and revenue works out.