A Washington hospitality industry leader says an initial projection of 750,000 World Cup visitors was optimistic, but still expects a "good" summer for the state's businesses.
Emil Moffatt/KNKX
Planning for the World Cup started four years ago, when Seattle received official word that it would be among the cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting matches.
Initial projections predicted 750,000 soccer fans would visit Seattle during the tournament — which was good news for hotels and restaurants still recovering from the pandemic.
But a recent survey taken by the American Hotel and Lodging Association showed that 80% of respondents reported hotel bookings were tracking below initial forecasts.
Many of those who took part in the survey said some of the early demand was created by FIFA reserving blocks of rooms.
Sluggish hotel occupancy has a trickle down effect.
“We expected that things would be booked out a little further in advance,” said Sivi Mennen, director of sales for Fire & Vine Hospitality, which manages several restaurants across Washington. “So I think our strategy has shifted, when the hotel blocks were released, et cetera. We know that there will be some last-minute bookings.”
With just a couple weeks to go until the World Cup, the game plan for some restaurants in the region is being mapped out almost hour-by-hour. For instance, Mennen said they are adjusting opening times to around 3 p.m. to coincide with the end of matches that start at noon.
“That gives our staff a chance to get to work while the matches are going on, and then we will be ready for business,” Mennen said.
Sivi Mennen, director of sales for Fire & Vine Hospitality in Washington state, says they've shifted their strategy around the World Cup to plan for last-minute bookings.
Emil Moffatt/KNKX
The company’s Seattle restaurants — AQUA by El Gaucho, the steakhouse El Gaucho and Aerlume in Pike Place Market — are expected to be their busiest.
Mennen said during the World Cup they will offer menus in Spanish, Japanese and Italian, selected for translation before Seattle knew exactly which countries would be playing their early-round games here.
“A good summer”
Anthony Anton, who leads the Washington Hospitality Association, said resetting expectations has been a common theme among restaurants and hotels around the region.
“There were some optimists who were talking about some very, very big numbers being in the Puget Sound,” Anton said. “We now probably know that those numbers aren’t going to be the case. But that doesn’t mean we have to be negative.”
Many changes over the last year may be keeping people away from the World Cup in U.S. cities, among them rising inflation, the U.S. war in Iran, travel bans, and high ticket costs. There is also competition from Vancouver, BC, where fans can see many of the same countries play matches.
Despite all this, Anton remains optimistic.
“I think we’re on track to see a good summer,” he said. “And that’s positive, because we’ve had a lot of tough summers.”
“Knowing soccer inside and out”
While restaurants and hotels are expecting to see an immediate impact from the World Cup, other businesses are playing the long game.
Trevor Frank is about to open a new soccer-only store near Tacoma Mall and will be stocking merchandise.
“We do have some cool ball sets with all the balls from every World Cup,” Frank said. “So there’ll be some good collectibles, and then anybody that’s supporting their team will have a place to come buy jerseys.”
Trevor Frank is making final preparations to open a new soccer store, Tursi Soccer, near the Tacoma Mall.
Emil Moffatt/KNKX
His new store, Tursi Soccer, is the regional chain’s first in Washington. There are also stores in Oregon and Idaho run by one of Frank’s former college friends from Willamette University, Chase Jordan.
Frank is hoping the World Cup will inspire yet another generation of soccer players. Frank was a teenager the last time the U.S. hosted men’s World Cup matches in 1994. He said at the time playing soccer was not necessarily cool.
“The ‘94 World Cup really changed a lot of that — just the growth of the game after that, the MLS coming out of that. The U.S. doing well at that World Cup also helped,” Frank said.
He said the long-term impact can be measured, in part, by the number of amateur players in youth soccer, high school teams, and recreational leagues. And for a store dedicated to soccer, he plans to sustain business by selling gear like shin guards, cleats and uniforms.
“We’re really going to, obviously, pride ourselves on knowing soccer inside and out,” he said.
Over the last several months, Frank has been steadily working to get his new store ready to open. The World Cup is serving as a soft deadline.
“Will I say we’d be open by the first game? Yeah, it’s going to be close,” Frank said. “Will we be open by the final? Definitely.”
The first World Cup match in Seattle is June 15.
KNKX’s Freddy Monares contributed to this report.
Emil Moffatt is a reporter with KNKX. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
