Kansas City, the chosen base for the England football team, is experiencing a surge in hotel bookings, but not for the upcoming World Cup. Surprisingly, it is the school softball tournament that is driving the high demand for accommodations, rather than the world’s biggest sports event. Hotel managers in the city have noted a slower uptake in bookings for the World Cup matches, with a stronger interest in the ‘invitational high school’ competition.
The England team, managed by Thomas Tuchel, will be headquartered in a suburb of Kansas City, where six summer games are scheduled, including a match featuring Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Despite this star-studded lineup, fan attendance in the midwestern city appears to be lacking.
This situation could benefit the England WAGS, who plan to make brief visits during the tournament. The surplus of available rooms due to the softball tournament’s reservations may lead to more affordable accommodations.
Mieke Swanson, the general manager of Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Overland Park, revealed that all their rooms were swiftly booked for the softball tournament just before the World Cup. While World Cup bookings have been sluggish, Swanson remains optimistic, expecting an eventual increase in reservations but not meeting the initial projections.
The Kansas City stadium is set to host various World Cup matches, including group stage games with teams like Argentina, Algeria, and the Netherlands, along with a quarter-final match. Concerns arose among the organizers of the softball Top Gun Invitational, which attracts thousands of players and families, fearing the World Cup’s potential impact on their event.
Jeff Wallace, the vice president of business development for Top Gun Events, expressed initial apprehension when Kansas City was identified as a hub for the World Cup. However, the situation has improved, with England fans and supporters from other countries expected to stay near the team’s headquarters in a Kansas suburb.
Despite needing over 3,000 room nights to accommodate participants from 360 teams across 30 states, the softball tournament organizers faced potential room shortages due to FIFA’s prior hotel reservations for officials and teams. However, after FIFA released some rooms and arrangements were made for housing officials, the situation has eased, and the tournament is back on track.
Hoteliers in Kansas City have raised concerns about low booking trends, with a significant percentage falling below expectations compared to typical June or July numbers. The city, housing four confirmed team base camps, is considered one of the most negatively impacted World Cup host markets.
Although bookings for the World Cup have been slower, hotel managers like Darren Chadwick of DoubleTree and Zerinmar Yambo of Candlewood Suites are cautiously optimistic, waiting for closer match dates to assess the occupancy rates. The situation remains fluid, and the outcome for the World Cup remains uncertain at this stage.
