Sports tourism is booming, and not just during big-ticket events. According to UN Tourism, sports travel accounts for 10% of tourism expenditure globally, and the sector is slated to grow 17.5% between 2023 and 2030.
Though events like the Super Bowl and Formula 1 Grand Prix garner headlines for their significant boosts to city hotels — Las Vegas saw record-breaking performance from both events in recent years — the economic impact of sporting events is being felt across regions and hotel chain scales.
Hotel Dive spoke to hotel marketers about how accommodations providers can attract and cater to sports tourists of all kinds — from those traveling to big-ticket city events to regional youth sports competitions.
Supporting family travel
Las Vegas saw “remarkable” 22.2% year-over-year growth in meeting volume in 2024, “attributed significantly to sports entertainment,” according to a July Knowland by Cendyn report.
But while large events like the Super Bowl or World Series bring mass crowds to major markets, smaller events can also have a notable impact on tertiary markets, a Knowland by Cendyn spokesperson told Hotel Dive. “In a market like Chicago or Orlando, a single little league or JV tournament would probably have very little impact on the overall data, while a large tournament in a much smaller market would probably register in a much bigger way.”
Extended stay brand My Place Hotels caters to many of those smaller markets, Megan Kukowski, the brand’s director of marketing, told Hotel Dive.
“It’s definitely increasing,” she said. “And the ages for traveling sports [are] getting younger and younger. You'll see families traveling hundreds of miles for children as young as first or second grade.”
Kukowski — a former youth athlete herself — said she sees the simple, convenient amenities she preferred in her competition days reflected in the desires of My Place guests.
“We don't have some of the fancier amenities. Most of our hotels don't have pools. We don't have on-site gyms,” she said. “But what we're learning from this segment is that these families aren't looking necessarily for those amenities … you're really looking for a comfortable place to crash after a long day.”
Simple amenities, such as healthy breakfasts, laundry facilities and the ability to store and cook food in-room, go a long way when catering to these travelers, Kukowski noted. Pet-friendly policies also help when entire families hit the road.
Multigenerational travel is on the rise, and more hotels and resorts are catering to large families, experts previously told Hotel Dive. According to Wanderland’s Kids Hospitality Report, released in November, kid-friendly hospitality could be a $175 billion opportunity for hotels globally.
Providing memorable experiences
Nashville, Tennessee, is better known for music tourists than sports tourists. But according to Lisa Bush, Thompson Nashville’s director of sales and marketing, that’s about to change.
“Music City in general has been doing so much better about all kinds of sports,” Bush said.
The NFL’s Tennessee Titans are slated to move into a new $2.1 billion stadium in 2027. But this year, the city has emerged as a soccer destination, thanks to soccer stadium Geodis Park, which opened in 2022. The 30,000-seat venue is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S., according to the team it hosts, Nashville SC.
In June, Geodis will host club teams from around the world for the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup, an event that Nashville SC Vice Chairman Ian Ayre told local station News 2 will “bring so many people, fill hotel rooms, fill restaurants, fill stores and the spending is incredible.”
As the closest hotel to the stadium, Thompson Nashville is expecting soccer fans aplenty. Bush and her team created a package to cater to these visitors’ needs, including a see-through tote guests can take into the stadium, portable minifans and drink deals for when they return to Thompson after the game.
Unlike busy families crashing at a My Place, guests at the luxury Thompson want more from their hotel.
“They don't come here just for the bed and the sleep. They want to experience our nightlife, our rooftop, our seafood restaurant and other things here at the property,” Bush said, adding that the biggest part of offering that experience is customer service. “They're not going to spend the whole time at the sports facility.”
Other hospitality players are offering tailored packages for sports fans, too — often as a loyalty play. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts partnered with Minor League Baseball to allow its loyalty program members to exchange points for baseball tickets last year. And Marriott Bonvoy similarly partnered with the U.S. Soccer Federation to offer exclusive fan experiences.
Staying close to the community
Nashville — which is slated to open the second-most hotel rooms in the U.S. this year, following New York City — has plenty of sports facilities. In 2023, Sports Business Journal ranked the city No. 8 on its list of top markets for sports business.
The city has hosted everything from IndyCar racing to professional bull riding, Bush said. The key to staying prepared, she added, is keeping in touch with the city’s visitors and convention bureau about events.
“We really encourage our individual hotels to get involved in the community,” Kukowski said. My Place hotel managers often connect with local tournament organizers and venues, and sometimes they even sign on as official sponsors to serve as the event’s preferred hotel.
“Really, it is a grassroots effort, and we're in a lot of tertiary markets so we do have the ability to get really involved in [local] chambers,” she said. “Get to know those people, because it can actually make a huge difference.”
Knowland by Cendyn’s July report also encouraged hoteliers to tap into local networks, as building relationships with sports organizations can position a hotel as “their go-to venue.”
“Understand their requirements, seasonal patterns, and how your hotel can meet their specific needs,” the report advised.
College-town hotels, in particular, are catering to college sports-loving guests with themed decor, gameday watch parties and tailgates — and sports development is directly driving hospitality growth in these markets, Gareth Brown, vice president of operations at Charlestowne Hotels, told Hotel Dive last year.
“The schools that are making strategic expansions in [this area] tend to have a growing need for premium accommodations,” Brown said.
