NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Hotel leisure demand is full of wild swings, none more so than during major events that lead to a lot of hotel bookings and busy weekends for hoteliers.
Especially as people prioritize experiences over possessions, the chance to brag about seeing a comeback playoff win live or being just a few rows back from Beyoncé drives some spontaneous travel decisions.
For hoteliers, there's a lot of research and planning that goes into preparing for hotel demand associated with a large event in a property's market, said Karen McWilliams, vice president of revenue strategy at Concord Hospitality.
"Early detection is the other part of having a wildly successful event, making sure that we know everything about that event, why they're coming, how long they're staying, what the infrastructure will be like, ... and then researching history so we understand where we've been so that we know where we're going," McWilliams said during an events panel at the 2025 Hotel Data Conference. "Where has this event been before? Did it have any kind of change in pattern? If it required ticket sales, what were they like? What was the pattern of ticket sales? Did the prices change, and what was the weather during that event?"
Silvia Camarota, senior director at Expedia Group, said there's a noticeable spike in searches and bookings by Expedia users once news of an upcoming major event breaks or ticket sales open to the public.
"We monitored everything from use cases in different cities to the fact that along the entire journey of Taylor Swift, the 2023 tour produced about 20% ADR growth. And we also knew exact moments when the bookings are being made," Camarota said. "So one thing we observed, for example, during that era, is that 50% of all the bookings were actually made when the tickets were released. ... We kind of see these things over and over when we're aware of a major event that drives demand."
Look at the greater picture
Planning for a surge of event-related hotel demand isn't restricted to 1-to-1 comparisons of that same event, McWilliams said. In other words, if the market is hosting next year's Super Bowl, don't just look at past Super Bowls to form an action plan.
"We really go into our bank of special events, and we try to think broadly at first about size, repetitiveness and the nature of the business. We may look at soccer tournaments. We may look at a Formula One race. We may look at Super Bowls, but more importantly, we take a look at how each of those events have changed over time. ... The Super Bowl today is unlike what it used to be," McWilliams said. "We used to get seven-day [booking] patterns. We used to get incredible rates. We used to get non-refundable the minute you book, no cancellations. And that's just not the way the Super Bowl plays out today. It's very different."
Beyond major sporting events and concert tours, there's also a lot of preparation that goes into meeting demand from guests who may have been displaced from their homes due to severe weather, such as hurricanes, flooding and wildfires. McWilliams said Concord has a weather action plan and communicates with all key stakeholders in the markets that could see a ripple effect from severe weather.
"Hurricanes and major weather events are a great example for how to prepare for the next one," she said. "This logic is going to apply for corporate events or sports events, but when we talk about hurricanes in particular, we track every single hurricane we have, and we've created a standard operating procedure where the minute that hurricane is announced, steps are going into play."
Preparing for the 2026 World Cup
Together, the U.S., Canada and Mexico will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup from June 11 to July 19. The tournament has expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches, with games scheduled in 16 cities across North America. In the U.S., World Cup matches are scheduled in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco and East Rutherford, New Jersey — outside of New York City — which will host the July 19 final.
Even hotels in markets outside of the 16 host cities can capitalize on the fervor for the World Cup, Camarota said. International tourists are likely staying for a week or more, which means more time for them to explore secondary or tertiary markets around a host city or even stay there if they can find a better deal on a hotel stay.
"Let's say your hotel is in [between] Fort Lauderdale and Miami or you're in a destination that's just a drive away. We know that three in five sports travelers stay outside of those cities, so folks don't mind driving, and especially if they get a better deal somewhere else," Camarota said. "So if you have a property in a secondary destination, be ready. The connected trip will be very important during FIFA, which means that we know the travelers will not only come and enjoy the [host cities]. They really want to visit another destination beyond the one where they're staying, right?
"So maybe you are not hosting FIFA, and you're not in one of the host cities. But guess what? I know for a fact that, let's say Las Vegas, is going to get some some overflow from LA, for example. Or we'll see Orlando be busy maybe from some of the traffic from Miami."
Concord Hospitality has hotels in four of the World Cup host cities: Miami, Houston, New York City and Atlanta. This year's FIFA Club World Cup from June 15 to July 13 was a bit of a practice run for next year's main event, McWilliams said.
"We always try to plan for the most wildly successful event, the longest length of stay, the higher rate, but we have to ebb and flow as we go based on the demand that we're seeing," she said. "What's important for us to remember is when we look back and we look at these different events, we could have FIFA events across the world, across the globe, and have them all have a very different outcome."
Engage visitors and guests with creativity and fun
In order to stand out during a busy event weekend, hotels need to get creative with fun ways to draw visitors on property. Examples include "fan zones" or viewing parties for sporting events, or spicing up a hotel bar's drink menu with event-themed cocktails.
"One we found really interesting would be wellness and recovery packages. So if somebody's staying for a weeklong event, what are we doing to help them purchase survival kits at the event, or having the quiet room to be able to recover, or even a themed breakfast that's geared toward that kind of recovery and nourishment when you're spending an entire week at a hot soccer field, right?" McWilliams said.
Small gestures on the part of the hotel to affiliate with the event or fit in with the fans can go a long way, Camarota said.
"During [Taylor Swift's] Eras Tour, for example, we've had hotels that set up the friendship bracelet making. And then they feature that on our travel apps, which can kind of highlight some of those elements," she said.