Seattle resort bookings down 20% throughout World Cup regardless of metropolis’s pleasure

Excitement is rising at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) as the town prepares to host its first World Cup match Monday.

But regardless of the crowds, analysts have acknowledged Seattle resort bookings are down considerably.

Even with pleasure across the matches, the journey analytics agency RateGain stated native resort bookings are down an estimated 20% in comparison with this time final yr.

“It’s kind of a recipe for disaster versus a single ingredient for disaster,” Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association, informed KIRO Newsradio. “You look at an area that’s heavily dependent on Canadian travel and international travel, and both, particularly to Asia, and both those things are down.”

Anton believes it’s in some methods worse than the COVID-19 pandemic. Combine that with excessive costs and probably different elements like crime and security, and he stated the numbers received’t be sufficient to be a game-changer for motels.

The preliminary excessive hopes envisioning a summer season of mega-events with packed motels haven’t materialized, as different U.S. cities are seeing significantly better numbers.

The native tourism bureau is forecasting greater than $845 million in whole financial impression for Seattle and King County, in line with The Washington State Standard, with $96 million in state and native tax income and supporting 20,000 jobs. That’s 91% of what had been anticipated again in December 2024.

With that stated, Anton underscores that this stays a improbable alternative to showcase Seattle to the remainder of the world, and motels, eating places, and companies are able to host the people who find themselves right here.

Visit Seattle stated it is going to launch numbers linked to the World Cup’s financial impression after the matches conclude.

As of this reporting, Seattle-area motels are on monitor to be booked at a ten% increased price than in June 2025 and 9% increased than in July 2025.

Seattle spent roughly $32 million in state, native, and federal funds on World Cup preparations.