HOUSTON – Houston leaders continue to describe the FIFA World Cup 2026 as a major economic opportunity for the region — but early indicators suggest the hospitality industry is still waiting for that boom to materialize.
KPRC 2 returned to the Lancaster Hotel in downtown Houston, where we checked in just two weeks ago as the tournament draws closer. At that time, hotels reported bookings were falling short of expectations, not even reaching occupancy levels seen during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Now, just weeks out from the start of play, that picture hasn’t changed much.
“I think they sold us as something really big… and we just don’t see those numbers yet,” said Emre Ozsut of the Lancaster Hotel.
The Lancaster, a downtown property celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, expected a record-breaking summer. They say business is picking up, but most of it still appears to be driven by corporate travel, not World Cup visitors. Hotel staff say they also checked in with other downtown properties and report similar conditions.
“All of us were expecting to be a lot at this point because games are so close,” Ozsut said.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo pushed back on the idea that early booking numbers tell the full story.
“75% of ticket sales have been international; they have to stay somewhere,” Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo also described the World Cup as “multiple Super Bowls at once.” But when pressed for more specifics about current hotel demand, and why businesses aren’t feeling the promised economic surge — her office referred KPRC 2 to Houston First. The only additional detail provided was that June and July are trending as a “better than normal summer.”
Beyond that, no further explanation was offered for the disconnect between tourism projections and what hospitality businesses are experiencing on the ground.
Hotels say the slower-than-expected demand has forced them to adjust.
“All of us had to change our strategy, and then we remove the restrictions and readjust the price a little bit,” Ozsut said.
Ticket brokers say what they’re seeing is typical for a global event of this size — but also not extraordinary. Many tickets remain available as fans wait until the last minute to purchase, particularly as they monitor prices on the secondary market.
“For some of the other games, there’s like 1,300 to 3,000 tickets left on the secondary market,” said Kayla Ramsey, known as the Ticket Queen.
Both hoteliers and brokers note that ticket sales and hotel bookings don’t always move at the same pace, especially with international travelers who may still be finalizing their plans.
“It’s always slow for us right now,” Ramsey said. “I think the hype will get more intense and people will start coming in.”
For now, hotels say they remain hopeful that the final matches in Houston could drive a stronger last-minute surge — but they’re still waiting for the boom city and county leaders keep promising.
“We are supposed to be sold out, have no rooms, but everyone has availability,” Ozsut said.