International sports fans to drive 86% hotel spend surge

Expedia Group has announced a new partnership with PredictHQ that will integrate PredictHQ’s event signals and demand forecasting tools into Partner Central, the platform Expedia Group’s lodging partners use to manage rates, inventory, and performance.

The companies say the goal is to give hotels and other lodging partners an earlier read on demand shifts by combining PredictHQ’s forward-looking forecasts with Expedia Group’s traveller and booking insights.

Forecast: $8.1B in traveller spending across host cities

New PredictHQ forecasts project total traveller spending across accommodation, ground transportation, and food and beverage in North America’s host cities will exceed $8.1 billion USD between June and August 2026—nearly $750 million higher than the same period last year.

PredictHQ’s forecasts suggest several host cities will see major increases in event-driven traveller spend this summer.

Arlington, Texas is projected to see the largest increase, with total traveller spend expected to exceed $562 million, a 135 per cent year-over-year increase. 

Other projected increases include Foxborough, Massachusetts (+161 per cent), Kansas City, Missouri (+73.4 per cent), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (+19.9 per cent), and Houston, Texas (+18.3 per cent).

International demand spikes around match weeks

Expedia Group also shared international demand insights tied to match-week travel.

The company says inbound demand into Dallas is being led by Japan and the UK, up 1,820 per cent and 1,530 per cent above typical weeks, respectively. 

It also cited Brazil-to-Philadelphia and Germany-to-Houston routes recording four-digit growth, and demand from Australia to Seattle rising 400 per cent.

Accommodation spend projected to rise 86%

Across host cities, projected accommodation spending from June to August 2026 is expected to increase from $2.6 billion to $4.8 billion year-over-year.

The largest projected percentage increases in accommodation spending are in Arlington (369 per cent), Foxborough (310 per cent), and Santa Clara (159 per cent).

"Major global events or groupings of harder-to-track, smaller events both create highly concentrated and fast-moving demand patterns that traditional forecasting models and AI systems lack the real-world context to detect. Demand does not move in straight lines; it responds to what is happening in the world every day," said Campbell Brown, CEO of PredictHQ.

By partnering with Expedia Group, we are embedding this trusted, explainable context directly into decision-making, enabling travel providers to anticipate demand shifts earlier and capture revenue that would otherwise be missed.”

Susan Spinney, senior vice president, hotel market partnerships at Expedia Group, said: “What makes this powerful is how we connect predictive intelligence directly to commercial action. We’re not just identifying demand - we’re enabling partners to respond immediately in Partner Central, whether that’s adjusting strategy, increasing visibility through TravelAds, or targeting the right domestic and international travellers at the right time. It’s about turning foresight into measurable growth.”

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