South Florida businesses see mixed economic impact after FIFA World Cup as bars boom but some hotels fall short

Tens of thousands of visitors packed into South Florida to be part of the FIFA World Cup excitement, including roughly 600,000 people who attended Fan Fest over 24 days.

According to the Miami Host Committee, the event drew the largest Fan Fest attendance in the country. 

For some local businesses, the tournament delivered a significant financial boost.

Shenanigans Sports Pub in Dania Beach welcomed thousands of fans from around the world.

"It was like a Super Bowl almost every night. It was exciting. We had the Scottish people here, we had the Norway people here, we had the Colombians here, we had the Argentinians here. It was such a great melting pot of people," said owner Patrick Utter.

Utter said the tournament generated a much-needed surge in business during the typically slower summer season.

"Most definitely, hands down. It's just been the most lucrative infusion to our economy, as far as a sports pub owner I've ever seen," he said. 

Short-term rental owners also reported strong returns.

"We did great compared to a lot of other people that I talked to. We beat the market by about 50%," said Pascal DePuhl, who owns several short-term rental properties.

"Our revenue was up 300% on game nights," he said. 

Airbnb said last-minute bookings surged ahead of marquee matches, with more than one in four guests booking within a week of game day. The company projects its guests will spend about $123 million across South Florida during their stays. 

Not every business experienced the same success.

Some hotels said the anticipated wave of international visitors never fully materialized.

"Everybody had expected that there would be a lot more traffic coming from FIFA, a lot more guests, and that hasn't materialized," DePuhl said.

"We're very disappointed. This was supposed to be our honeymoon summer, where everything was going to be great," said Amy Faulkner of the Atlantic Hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

While the hotel sold out twice during the tournament, overall occupancy did not meet expectations.

"We had to adjust our revenue and our rates according to each game and the attendance that each game brought when they were being played at the Miami stadium," Faulkner said.

She added that higher room rates on game days helped offset slower demand on other nights.

"On game days, we were able to raise the rate and make up for a lot of that," Faulkner said. 

Despite the uneven financial results, business owners say the tournament succeeded in introducing South Florida to visitors from around the globe — many of whom they hope will return.