Hotels across Germany are filling up ahead of the 2024 European Football Championship.

As the summer months approach, sports enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the UEFA Euro 2024 Championship, which will kick off on Friday, June 14. This major event will take place across several venues in Germany, and it is expected to impact not only the number of football fans across the continent but also the hotel occupancy rates. By analyzing Forward STAR data, we can already see an increase in hotel bookings for the dates of the matches and in their vicinity.

Cologne sets the pace.

In the first two weeks of the championship, Cologne is showing the highest number of hotel bookings. As of May 13, the highest occupancy rate was recorded on the night before the match between Switzerland and Scotland, which will take place on June 19 (82.3%), while the day before, this figure reached 81.5%. The second most popular booking dates fall on Saturday, June 15, when there will be a friendly match between Switzerland and Hungary, with an occupancy rate of 79.6%. Additionally, two more matches are scheduled for that day: June 22 (Belgium vs. Romania) and June 25 (England vs. Slovenia), with booking rates of 61.4% and 58.0%, respectively.

The influence of UEFA is noticeable in other markets in Germany.

Comparing with Cologne, Leipzig is experiencing a sharp increase in hotel bookings for Friday, June 21, when the Netherlands will play against France (79.3%). In Stuttgart, the highest occupancy is noted on the nights of two games with the Hungarian national team – against Germany (June 19, 76.2%) and against Scotland (June 23, 72.5%). For Düsseldorf, the highest booking levels are for the match between Austria and France, which will take place on June 17 (74.7%). In Munich, maximum occupancy is observed on June 19 (80.1%) before the match between Serbia and Slovenia (75.4%). There will also be a game between Germany and Scotland on June 14, with a booking rate of 67%. In Frankfurt, the highest occupancy on June 20 is 64.0% (Denmark against England).

Berlin and Hamburg are in last place.

On the other end of the spectrum are Berlin and Hamburg, where the impact of the championship is not as noticeable as in other cities.

Returning to the past

The last prestigious championship took place in London at Wembley Stadium from July 1 to July 15, 2021. Due to the pandemic, the impact on hotels was not as pronounced as in the overall market, but there were significant spikes in occupancy in the Wembley area on the nights of the semifinals and finals across all key metrics. The highest occupancy was recorded during the second semifinal (July 7, 2021; 84.1%), with an average room rate of £143.79 that night. On the night of the final (July 11, 2021), the highest average room rate was recorded at £154.13, with an occupancy rate of 83.0%.

Looking back at even earlier times, during the 2016 championship in Paris, hotel performance peaked on July 10 – the night of the final. That night, occupancy reached 86.3%, while the average room rate and revenue per room rose to €581.96 and €502.40, respectively.

The analysis was prepared by William Anson.

About the company STR

STR provides top-notch data in the areas of benchmarking, analytics, and market insights for the global hospitality industry. Founded in 1985, STR has offices in 15 countries, with its North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and a headquarters for the Asia-Pacific region in Singapore. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), a leading provider of information, analytics, and online marketplaces in commercial real estate.