FIFA has cancelled the reservations for thousands of hotel rooms originally reserved for this year’s World Cup event in Philadelphia, but hasn’t said why.
Approximately 2,000 hotel rooms have been cancelled by FIFA, the world soccer organization, at hotels in the city, according to the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association.
The group had previously blocked off approximately 10,000 rooms.
Ed Grose, the president of the Philadelphia Hotel Association, told ABC 6 that the bulk of the cancellations were at four City Center hotels. He also told reporters that FIFA did not provide a reason for the cancellations, but acted within the terms of its contract and was not penalized for the cancellations.
The Independent has requested comment from FIFA and the Philadelphia Hotel Association.
FIFA hotel cancellations are hitting other U.S. host cities as well, according to Grose. He said it’s unclear how the cancellations will affect hotel pricing, but he encouraged fans who are looking for rooms not to wait to book their stays.
“While we were not excited about that, it’s not the end of the world either,” Grose said. “These are rooms that are going to be put back out on the marketplace and sold to fans who want to come to Philadelphia.”
He also said that a pair of conventions will be happening in Philadelphia around the same time as its scheduled World Cup game, and believes filling the rooms will not be difficult.
The news in Philadelphia follows an announcement in early March that FIFA cancelled 40 percent of its hotel rooms in Mexico City, according to El Financiero.
The paper cited Alberto Albarrán Leyva, the director general of Mexico City’s Hotel Association.
Albarrán Leyva told the publication that in the previous month, 800 of the 2,000 rooms that FIFA booked in the city for the World Cup were canceled.
In a separate interview with ESPN, Albarrán Leyva cautioned against reading into the cancelations, suggesting FIFA simply overbooked out of caution.
“FIFA booked 2,000 rooms months ago to prevent (running short) and guarantee its operation,” he told the outlet. “Over time, it canceled some reservations because it realized that it was no longer going to use them. There is no other reason or other type of context.”
According to FIFA, between 5 to 6.5 million fans are expected to attend this year’s tournament, which will take place in cities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
