A World Cup half full? 80% of hotel operators in 9 host cities report poor bookings

May 6 – The receipts are starting to land on this World Cup, and they tell a clear and uncomfortable story.

Nearly 80% of hotel operators across nine of the 11 US host cities report bookings “running well behind early projections,” according to the latest American Hotel & Lodging Association outlook published this week.

FIFA has cancelled or released around 70% of its room blocks, flooding inventory back into local markets and triggering cancellations of up to 95% of contracted rooms in some cities.