Empty rooms and Fifa cancellations - US hotels fear World Cup washout

The World Cup was supposed to provide a tourism boom for the US, but now the fear is it may never materialise. A report , external produced by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has found that bookings are well below expectations in almost every host city. The AHLA said this does not align with Fifa's statement that more than five million tickets have been sold, , external and it creates a risk that "the anticipated economic lift may fall short".

The AHLA is the largest hotel association in the US, representing more than 32,000 properties and over 80% of all franchised hotels. Its report partially puts the blame at the door of Fifa, accusing world football's governing body of block-booking far too many rooms for its own use and creating false demand. This, the AHLA said, led to artificially high pricing which, after Fifa cancelled a large number of rooms, has been replaced by a vacuum of availability.

Hotels said high match ticket pricing, local transport and tax costs, and the political backdrop have put visitors off. The AHLA said hotels spent years preparing and have made "significant investments" based upon official projections. A study commissioned by Fifa, , external released last year, predicted that in the US the World Cup could create 185,000 jobs, adding $17.

2bn (£12. 7bn) in gross domestic product. The hotels were planning for an influx of international travellers, who book longer stays with a higher spend.