It’s no Taylor Swift concert: World Cup home rental demand muted, say hosts.

“I expected a great turnout with all the hype,” Gross said. She originally had her five-bedroom home listed for about $1,000 per night but has since lowered the price to more typical summer rates. This time of year she said she usually has consistent reservations.

“I’m even losing my normal bookings,” she said. “It’s a bummer because you miss out on a bunch of income that you thought you would get.”

Though the situation could improve, particularly as the tournament progresses through the knockout rounds and Atlanta’s coveted semifinal match next month, Gross is among the short-term rental hosts who told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that World Cup demand so far hasn’t met expectations. The hosts said their properties still have vacancy, and the higher nightly rates they hoped for haven’t really materialized.

Travel bans, visa issues, safety concerns and high-priced tickets are dampening World Cup attendance, the Council on Foreign Relations said in a Thursday article. Hotel bookings are also looking soft across World Cup host cities, the American Hotel & Lodging Association said last month.

Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC

Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC

‘No comparing this to Taylor Swift’

As of June 8, metro Atlanta short-term rentals had nearly 84,000 nights booked during the city’s World Cup match days, up 14% from last year for the same dates, according to analytics firm AirDNA.

But total occupancy for those World Cup match days is actually down 2% over the prior year because active listings across the region have grown 9% since last June, according to AirDNA.

While Atlanta hosts have raised their rates — up 86% year over year on match days — booked rates are up “a more modest 30%, suggesting guests are pushing back against the highest prices,” said an AirDNA spokesperson.

Moreover, occupancy for non-match days in June and July is down 19% from last year, the firm’s data show.

“I can name a half a dozen other events that have shown way more demand than the World Cup,” said Ryan Toth, founder of StayATL, a short-term rental operator that manages furnished properties across Atlanta.

“I mean, there’s just no comparing this to Taylor Swift, or even Beyoncé,” said Toth, referring to big-name concerts that have come to Atlanta. He compared the World Cup bookings as more on par “with a high-demand Falcons weekend.”

Airbnb appears to be trying to drum up more demand. On Wednesday, the company said it will release more than 1,300 free tickets to the World Cup at select homes in all 16 host cities, including Atlanta.

“We’re expecting for hosts in Atlanta to earn approximately $3,700 from FIFA World Cup,” Nia Brown, Southeast public policy manager for Airbnb said during a panel last month at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs. Across metro Atlanta, Airbnb expects hosts to collectively earn $3 million.

Only one paying guest

Georgia Tech graduate Sean Hsu is among the Atlanta Airbnb hosts who assumed the World Cup would be his largest event yet.

Hsu has rented out his four-bedroom home along North Avenue since summer 2023. It’s near the Bankhead MARTA station and a 10-minute drive to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the epicenter of the World Cup.

Hsu said he equipped the ranch house with comforts “like you were staying at a friend’s house,” such as complimentary coffee and an outdoor fire pit.

But so far, he has just one paying guest that’s booked during the global soccer event. Another booking he received was later canceled.

“I expected it to be a lot bigger,” he said, pointing to the high cost of World Cup tickets and elevated plane fares as possible reasons for lower demand.

Hsu, who uses a software platform to manage his pricing, said recently the platform lowered his nightly rates. Now, his prices are sitting about 10% above his typical rates.

“My only concern is that they’ve made these changes a week or two weeks too late,” Hsu said.

Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC

Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC

Operators predicted high demand, rates

Shante Davis said because of the hype, she expected a surge of demand. She runs a vacation rental company with her husband called Unlock Stays, which offers a dozen themed properties in Atlanta and Decatur, such as the “Velvet Room,” a downtown unit decked out in luxe purple tones and textures.

Earlier this week, Davis said she still has vacancy at all of her listings, though she remains optimistic that last-minute bookings could still flow in.

“A lot of our June during the week is booked, but our weekends are still surprisingly open,” she said. “It just feels more like a healthy summer travel season than a dramatic World Cup-driven surge.”

Toth of StayATL said early projections for the World Cup suggested the event could bring nightly rates at 10 times normal prices.

“What we are seeing so far is meaningfully below that,” said Toth, whose company manages properties that range from downtown condos to large homes.

For the June matches, Toth said he’s seeing nightly rates three to four times higher than normal, with occupancy around 85%.

Demand for the July matches has developed more slowly, he said, with occupancy currently around 5%, though the reservations are commanding somewhat higher rates. Toth said that the teams playing in July have not yet been determined, which may be causing fans to delay their travel plans.

“There may still be upside for the later rounds, but as of now, the market is much more selective, price sensitive and last minute than originally projected,” he said.

— Staff writer Mirtha Donastorg contributed to this report.