A tour operator has criticised US hotels in FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities for ‘extortionate prices’ and ‘unreasonable’ booking conditions.
Owner of Welsh operator Wonky Sheep Travel, Dave Dulin, who has put together a package to Boston and Miami for Scottish supporters, said some of the cheapest rooms cost $400 a night, with rates in Boston as high as $800 to $1,000 a night for three- or four-star hotels during Scotland’s matches.
“Every major event or tournament, you expect price rises and tighter policies, but more hotels than usual have been living in cloud cuckoo land for this World Cup,” he said.
Dave also complained that some hotels have insisted on 100% payment upfront, with no amendments, for allocations of 50 to 100 rooms.
“Some prices appear to be plucked out of thin air, and expecting you to pay 100% in full up front for groups, with zero flexibility, is both unrealistic and unnecessary,” he added.
Dave said he feels hotels have over-egged the prices, given the amount of availability. “We know other agents are also pushing back on this. Some hotels have listened and changed their prices and policies with other hotels just getting it – and those are the ones we’ve been working with.”
Wonky Sheep’s 13-night tour (excluding match tickets) costs £5,495 per person with direct charter flights, which compares to £2,500 for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“It’s a very different product, you can’t do a straight comparison as it was a different time of year and we also used a lot of apartments in Qatar due to a lack of hotels, but it was a lot cheaper,” said Dave.
Travelpack agreed that prices for the 2026 Word Cup, which is being hosted jointly by the US, Canada and Mexico, are high, but Director Vishal Patel said it has access to flexible rates.
“Demand is driving accommodation rates in host cities significantly higher than standard years,” said Vishal. “This is consistent across the US, Canada, and Mexico, though the US hubs like New York and Los Angeles are seeing the steepest spikes.
“You also have to remember that this is the first tournament with the expanded 48-team format. That means more fans travelling from more nations than ever before, putting unprecedented pressure on inventory across all three host countries.”
To keep costs down, Travelpack is also packaging hotels in well-connected satellite cities, rather than downtown areas, as well as routing fans into alternative airports near host cities to avoid flight price surges.
Vishal added: “My key advice for agents is to book as soon as possible. In my experience with major sporting events, prices are very unlikely to drop – they will only rise as inventory tightens.”
Visit USA UK CEO Kate Kenward said she hasn’t had feedback from members on higher-than-expected pricing.
She said: “I would advise customers to book early to ensure they get the experiences they want in the places they want. We have made a special landing page on our website that has a raft of information and packages that agents and consumers can choose from.”
