The World Series is spurring a ton of excitement from local and out-of-state fans willing to shell out big bucks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which is expected to generate millions for local businesses.
North Texas hospitality leaders project each home game in the World Series will generate between $12 and $14 million from direct spending on hotel rooms, rental cars, rideshare services, airfare, entertainment, food and beverage, and merchandise, according to estimates by the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, per The Dallas Morning News.
Not only has the World Series garnered enormous interest from Texas fans, but the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau expects over 35% of attendees to travel to North Texas from outside the region.
“It seems like there’s a lot of excitement out there nationally to see this World Series,” said Brent DeRaad, CEO of the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, per the DMN.
Overall, many sectors of the North Texas economy will benefit from the World Series, but the industry bound to capture the most value is hospitality, according to Paul Vaughn, senior vice president of Source Strategies, a San Antonio-based firm that tracks hotel analytics.
Vaughn said that while October is typically a strong month for hospitality, the World Series games should bolster industry profits even further.
“An event like this will draw visitors from a wide area, both in state and beyond,” said Vaughn, according to the DMN. Therefore, fans should expect “prices to spike and hotels to book up.”
For instance, rates at the Loews Hotel near AT&T Stadium are currently averaging over $1,500 per night for Games 1 and 2 of the World Series. Meanwhile, hotels farther away from the stadium are charging anywhere from $274 to over $1,000 per night for rooms those nights.
“Hotel operators will follow the rules of supply and demand and charge higher rates accordingly,” Vaughn explained, per the DMN.
Demand for hotels in Arlington has already skyrocketed ahead of the two first games, leading to high costs and lower overall availability. Ultimately, DeRaad said he anticipates most of Arlington’s 7,400 hotel rooms to be filled up for Friday’s championship series opener.
Prominent retailers like Academy Sports + Outdoors, Rally House, and Dick’s Sporting Goods are also set to capture robust fan demand for commemorative merchandise like hats and sports jerseys.
“We’ve been prepping for this since the Rangers started winning again,” said Kristal Weil, store manager at the Rally House in Arlington, per the DMN. “Staff will be coming in to help us from corporate. Internally, we call it a hot market.”
While Arlington is bound to see a major influx of people visiting for the World Series, DeRaad said the city is perfectly equipped to handle the special event.
“Arlington is really built for big events such as this,” DeRaad said. “This is really what we’re all about.”
