Seattle hotel bookings down 20% during World Cup despite city’s excitement

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

But despite the crowds, analysts have stated Seattle hotel bookings are down significantly.

Even with excitement around the matches, the travel analytics firm RateGain said local hotel bookings are down an estimated 20% compared to this time last year.

“It’s kind of a recipe for disaster versus a single ingredient for disaster,” Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association, told 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 ways worse than the COVID-19 pandemic. Combine that with high prices and potentially other factors like crime and safety, and he said the numbers won’t be enough to be a game-changer for hotels.

The initial high hopes envisioning a summer of mega-events with packed hotels haven’t materialized, as other U.S. cities are seeing much better numbers.

The local tourism bureau is forecasting more than $845 million in total economic impact for Seattle and King County, according to The Washington State Standard, with $96 million in state and local tax revenue and supporting 20,000 jobs. That’s 91% of what had been anticipated back in December 2024.

With that said, Anton underscores that this remains a fantastic opportunity to showcase Seattle to the rest of the world, and hotels, restaurants, and businesses are ready to host the people who are here.

Visit Seattle said it will release numbers connected to the World Cup’s economic impact after the matches conclude.

As of this reporting, Seattle-area hotels are on track to be booked at a 10% higher rate than in June 2025 and 9% higher than in July 2025.

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