HYPED INCOME FOR AIRBNB OWNERS NOT HAPPENING
World Cup visitors coming to Kansas City who opt for a short term rental “will be getting better deals than they thought.”
That’s the word from Susan Brown of Platte County, president of the Kansas City Short Term Rental Alliance (KCSTRA).
Brown admits some hosts are having to reduce their pricing for the World Cup guests who opt for short term rentals over hotels.
She said the best way to quickly summarize might be to say that “predicted over the top World Cup earnings for Airbnb hosts aren’t materializing for every single KC area host.”
Brown told The Landmark this week: “I think all the new hosts into the short term rental market are getting a good lesson in economics–supply and demand in particular.”
But as with many things in life, it’s not black and white.
“Don’t get me wrong, some of them have good bookings. But it is not evenly distributed,” Brown commented, saying location is playing a huge role for hosts with short term rental properties.
“If you are a host closer to the stadium (Arrowhead) you have done better,” she said.
Price, of course, is also playing a factor. Those hosts with “lowish” pricing are faring better, she said.
“Some hosts are indeed having to decrease their pricing,” Brown added.
“Many are doing well but some are disappointed that the promised income is not happening. Like the gold rush, there has been an STR (short term rental) rush,” in available short term rental properties.
As far as supply and demand, Brown says supply of short-term rental property in Kansas City has increased by 40% over last year, “the most of any World Cup city.”
She explained that nightly demand is up 58% vs. 2025 but occupancy is up by only six percent, “which tells you supply is impacting numbers.”
One sniff of extra income sent inflation battered Kansas Citians “into an expected frenzy to open their homes and capitalize on the windfall.”
This led to an increase in supply which dampened pricing, Brown points out.
On the bright side, Brown said the booked rate is up 58% over last year “so many hosts are getting good rates, up to $301 on average vs. $190 last year.”
The KCSTRA has a normal response to the projected visitor numbers that were thrown around from early on by VisitKC and other organizations, which projected there would be 650,000 visitors coming to this area for the World Cup.
A recent survey of airline numbers and hotel reservations has cast major doubt that the 650,000 number will be anywhere close to accurate.
“I feel the World Cup committee here in KC had a difficult job estimating numbers and pricing. This is the first time the World Cup has been spread across 16 cities. Plus they really didn’t know that we would be in a war and the world economy would be hurting as bad as it is,” Brown remarked.
“I think those of us who have been in business for a lot of years realize that expectations often change and we always have to pivot to react to competition and changes in the market. It might be harder for newbies to understand that this is just how business and capitalism works,” she said.
There are some positives, despite the World Cup numbers not living up to the previous hype.
“Many hosts are feeling good about it, especially those with experience who are positioned well and those that didn’t believe the hype,” Brown explained.
“We will still have a lot of visitors that will see Kansas City for the first time and maybe come back again or maybe want to live here someday, and not paying ridiculous prices will make them feel better about us,” Brown stated.
HOTELS IN SAME BOAT
As previously reported by The Landmark, hotel operators in the Kansas City metro are underwhelmed by World Cup numbers.
As reported in the May 13 Landmark, 85-90% of hoteliers in Kansas City say that reported bookings for the upcoming World Cup are below expectations.
Locally, that same disappointment is felt by Platte County hoteliers. And it’s not just lower than World Cup expectations. It’s worse than that.
“Bookings are trailing typical June and July levels,” Jennifer Goering, executive director for the Platte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, told The Landmark in mid-May.
Goering said the bookings at a pace even lower than the typical summer is being driven by high room rates, blocks of rooms being canceled by the sponsoring FIFA organization, and weak international demand.
