World Cup predicted to bring big business for South Florida hotels, Airbnbs, but prices are slashed due to lack of demand

With the first FIFA World Cup match in Miami less than two weeks away, hotels and short-term rentals are cutting prices amid a surprising lack of demand, contrary to earlier predictions of sold-out rooms. Despite the slow start, some 600,000 people are predicted to visit South Florida during the tournament.

The expected "major windfall that was touted by politicians" for the lodging industry has not yet materialized, according to Mitch Novick, owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel on South Beach. When rooms were not moving, Novick dropped his rates from $499 a night to $179. Since then, fans have begun booking.

"I lowered my rates. I guess I had 10 reservations yesterday, 12 the day before, most of them for June and July," Novick said.

Amy Faulkner, head of sales at the Atlantic Hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach, shared a similar sentiment, saying, "It has not been the honeymoon experience that we were hoping to have". The Atlantic Hotel also dropped its rates. Faulkner noted that while they are "doing really well" for the two top games, the Brazil and Colombia game, "the rest of the games, it is not looking well for us".

A recent online check showed many hotels offering discounts and few showing "sold out".

Affordable options are driving bookings for short-term rental platforms, however. Theo Keith with Airbnb noted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to become the "biggest hosting event in Airbnb's 18-year history".

Keith attributed the success to pricing, stating that "affordable stays are still very much available". He added that a "significant portion of available listings are under $500 a night" for entire homes.

Short-term rental owners, the Depuhls, are not flooded with bookings, but they noted that reservations are coming in just as they expected as the event approaches. Pascal Depuhl said, "We're looking at data; we're not guessing, and this is what we predicted, and this is what's happening".

Industry watchers anticipate another large volume of reservations next month, once teams advance to the final rounds of play.