KC hotels are faring worse than all other World Cup host cities, new study finds
A national survey analyzing the hotel industry in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup shows guest reservations in U.S. host cities are lagging behind expectations — and Kansas City is faring even worse than the rest.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association’s report released on Monday found that the anticipated surge of guests for the monthlong global soccer tournament has not materialized.
The report suggests the event is in danger of falling short of FIFA and tourism officials’ lofty predictions of an economic boom for hosts, like Visit KC’s estimate of 650,000 tourists traveling to the city.
Rosanna Maietta, President & CEO of AHLA, said in a news release that hotels across U.S. host cities have prepared for years anticipating a rush of visitors that has so far not lived up to expectations.
“A range of factors have tempered early optimism,” Maietta said in the news release, “though forward indicators show there is still meaningful opportunity ahead.”
The survey collected data from hotel managers from the 11 U.S. host cities, including Kansas City. Those hotel managers reported concerns about geopolitical issues dampening demand among international soccer fans. They also reported concerns about travel barriers, like lengthy wait times for visa approvals, increased visa fees and uncertainty about entering the country.
The hotel managers reported that FIFA overcommitted to blocking hotel rooms that the soccer organization then ended up releasing. That’s led to the hotels scrambling to backfill rooms that they believed would be occupied, the study said.
Andrea O’Hara, executive director for the Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City, said FIFA has cancelled a portion of its room blocks in Kansas City that were reserved for staff and other FIFA groups.
O’Hara said FIFA had a deadline in its hotel contracts to release rooms without penalty. She said the organizations released more rooms than anticipated but that the cancellations are a “fairly standard practice.”
“I can’t speak to FIFA’s internal decision-making, other than they ultimately didn’t need all of the rooms they had reserved,” O’Hara said in an email to The Star. “What it does mean is that more inventory is available in the market for visitors than we had originally anticipated.”
The study also zeroed in on struggles in Kansas City, the smallest of the U.S. host locations, calling it the “the most negatively impacted host market.”
The survey found that more than 85% of the hotel managers in Kansas City reported lower than expected bookings. They also reported receiving fewer reservations than a typical June or July.
Still, hotel professionals in Kansas City are cautiously optimistic. While the city still has many hotel rooms available for the World Cup, guest reservations are beginning to pick up.
Jeff Keeley, general manager for InterContinental Kansas City near the Country Club Plaza, said a late rush of bookings could still come to local hotels.
“We’re still holding out hope that it will continue to grow and it’ll be a boon for us,” Keeley said.
This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 11:17 AM.
