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County’s Decision To Syphon Tourism Grants To Support FIFA-Related Revenue Fell Short For Hotel Targets
By Tina Traster
It was disappointing.
That was the universal sentiment among hoteliers in Rockland County who felt let down by the lackluster demand for hotel rooms during the month-long World Cup event in June and July.
“Overall, it was disappointing,” said Bill Maloney, the general manager at the Pearl River Hilton.
“Overall, it was disappointing,” said Bill Maloney, the general manager at the Pearl River Hilton. “We thought it would have a positive impact on occupancy and rates, but it didn’t materialize. Everyone overestimated this here and in markets around the host cities.”
Maloney is one of several hotel managers who felt deflated by pre-World Cup hype, particularly after Rockland County’s robust push to promote the county as a hotel destination for the FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup event.
“We saw a very slight increase in rates, but I would not say the World Cup had a great impact,” said Suffern Crowne Plaza’s manager Linda Columbia. “We were hoping it would, but we’re a little bit too far from the stadium. We promoted it on our website, but it didn’t work out.”
Overall, Rockland County’s hotels did not benefit from the 2026 World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, according to nearly a dozen hoteliers. Regional lodging demand across the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area did not meet with optimistic projections, with bookings tracking below expectations.
While core urban centers and hotel properties adjacent to transit or the stadium experienced isolated spikes or late booking rushes, according to several reports, outlying suburban areas like Rockland County did not cash in.
Hotel industry groups say domestic travelers outpaced international travelers, given geopolitical concerns, VISA barriers, exorbitant ticket prices. FIFA’s overzealous room blocks created an artificial early demand – many of those rooms were later released. While Rockland-specific data is not available, the Hotel Association of New York reported hotel occupancy increased on June 13, the first World Cup match in New York and New Jersey compared with the same day last year. However, that was the same day as a Knick’s playoff game. Occupancy for June 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20 was lower than 2025. And revenue per room also declined on June 18 and 19, compared to last year’s occupancy rates.
FIFA predicted the World Cup would generate between $250 and $300 million in hotel-related revenue based on 1.2 million World Cup tourists.
While there was a late surge right before the final match, Rockland County’s hotels were overlooked for lodging located closer with more convenient transit to the stadium.
In April, the county was caught up in controversy over its decision to siphon a hefty share of its 2026 tourism annual grant monies to fewer grantees than in years past, and to tie those grants to the FIFA World Cup event and America250 in 2026. The county had hoped to position itself as a hotel and recreation destination for the games. Director of Economic Development and Tourism Jenna Nazario had confirmed 17 organizations would receive approximately $178,000 in tourism promotion grants for 2026 – down from more than 30 organizations in previous years receiving totals exceeding $300,000.
Many of those who received grants were told the funding was tied to the 250th celebrations and FIFA. While FIFA and America250 were one-time events, Rockland’s arts, cultural and historic groups typically rely on funding to bolster year-round programming. The focus on FIFA and America250 left cultural organizations at sea, saying they’re having trouble planning and executing their programs.
The county was hoping to lure FIFA attendees to the county’s hotels and restaurants. On its “Explore Rockland County” page, it ran a section called FIFA World Cup 2026 that says, “Stay close to the matches, soak up the vibe, and make Rockland your go-to spot for everything soccer and more.”
Rohit Namen, the sales manager at the Element Hotel on Route 59 in Spring Valley said he was hoping the hotel could raise its prices and that demand would be high over the course of the month-long event, but the outcome was a bust.
“We didn’t see an uptick,” said Namen, “The hype was overrated.”
“We didn’t see an uptick,” said Namen, “The hype was overrated.”
A Google Search on TripAdvisor for “hotels near MetLife” stadium shows more than 500 choices in New Jersey and in New York City between 1.1 miles to 6 miles from the arena. The choices range from budget hotels to luxury properties. New York City offers the competitive advantage of quick public transportation. The Hilton Pearl River and Doubletree in Nanuet are about 24 miles from MetLife Stadium, while Rockland County’s public transportation is spotty.
The FIFA games brought economic activity to the region and the state, according to the state.
Throughout the duration of the World Cup, there were eight consecutive sellout games at New York New Jersey Stadium, attended by more than 560,000 fans. According to an analysis by Tourism Economics, through the first five World Cup Group Matches hosted at MetLife Stadium in June, there was $1.2 billion in direct visitor spending, generating a total economic impact of $2.1 billion. These figures are not inclusive of the final three games since June, but the state is expected to far exceed the revenue projections for hosting the World Cup, according to the Governor’s office.
In June, $228 million in state and local tax revenue was generated and to date, more than one million fans had attended official New York New Jersey fan events between the two states. Additionally, since the Host Committee launched the Welcome World Rewards Program in May, the program generated approximately 10,000 small business visits across more than 1,000 local businesses, restaurants, cultural institutions and community events across New York and New Jersey.
“When we brought the FIFA World Cup to New York, we wanted to make sure every New Yorker, every community and every industry would benefit — these past six weeks have proven that effort a success,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “As fans from around the world flocked to New York, hotel revenues went up, spending at local businesses increased and our affordable buses moved people to and from the game faster than ever.”
It is too soon to calculate Rockland County’s hotel taxes for the second and the third quarter of 2026.
The Global Rhythms Festival, partially funded by a $127,250 matching grant from New York State’s Market NY Program, helped lift Rockland and the suburbs. Hochul said World Cup traffic in June generated $228 million in combined state and local revenue tax across New York and New Jersey.
Still, regional hotels largely underperformed initial expectations, with a soft booking throughout much of the tournament. Some benefitted from a late surge for the final match.
A spokesperson for Rockland County said, “We don’t yet have the sales tax or hotel occupancy tax data. Those reports come from the State and typically take up to two months to be released.”
According to the governor’s office, from June 8-July 4, hotels in the New York City Metropolitan area saw an increase in room revenue compared to the same time period last year. New York City Hotels generated approximately $1.07 billion in room revenue, which is up 20.6 percent over the same period last year.
The governor’s office says Mid-Hudson hotels generated approximately $86 million in room revenue, up 18.3 percent year over year, while Long Island hotels generated approximately $117 million in room revenue, up 24 percent year over year. There is no county breakdown of hotel room revenue in the “mid-Hudson” region.
New York State reduced the cost of Official NYNJ Stadium Shuttle bus tickets to and from matches from $80 round-trip price to $20. As a result, 97 percent of fans on average entered the stadium before kickoff and nearly 120,000 of the Official Host Committee shuttle bus tickets were sold through the tournament, the state reports.
Buses transported fans from staging areas to the Lincoln Tunnel in less than 10 minutes, outpacing general traffic in the same corridors. Additionally, Midtown travel times ran up to 23 percent faster than historical averages throughout all eight match days, even as one million visitors came through the region, according to the report.
Transportation from the stadium to Rockland County was less straightforward.
Trains run on NJ Transit from Nanuet, Spring Valley, and Suffern to Secaucus Junction. The travel time is normally about one hour with some express trains running faster. The games were scheduled on Saturday evenings when there were fewer trains running in both directions.
From Secaucus Junction, ticket holders needed to transfer to the Meadowlands Rail for an additional ten-minute shuttle.
