These Hotels and Cruise Lines Have Unbeatable Sports Packages for the U.S. Open, Super Bowl, and More
As sports tourism heats up, hotels and cruise lines can help you get closer to the action.
Courtesy of Hilton
Signia by Hilton and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.When the Olympics and Paralympics kick off in Paris this summer, they’ll mark what’s forecast to be a record year for tourism to the city. It’s further proof that when it comes to big-ticket travel, few events draw like live sports. Consider the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which attracted more than 3 million fans, according to organizers. It was a significant boost for host nation Qatar, which in the prior, pandemic-impacted year, saw fewer than a million international tourists.
The trend holds true closer to home, where reservations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, spiked more than 20 percent, according to Chase Travel, simply because Lionel Messi played his first game with Inter Miami CF, whose home stadium is in that city.
Fans are flying for more than just soccer, says Albert Herrera, an executive vice president at Internova Travel Group, a travel advisor network. “Where there’s Formula One, people will follow,” Herrera notes. “They want to get their hands on those tickets.”
Increasingly, hotels and cruise lines are helping. Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, for example, offered VIP access to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the first time in 2023. Today, members of the Jumeirah One loyalty program can mingle with racers at events worldwide. Read on for more hospitality firms refusing to sit on the sidelines.
Ph. Guignard/Air-Images.net/Courtesy of Paris 2024
Bercy Arena in Paris.The U.S. Open (Aug. 26–Sept. 8, 2024)
Several hotels celebrate the tennis tournament with special packages and VIP access. Lotte New York Palace, which often hosts players, puts on a casual pickleball tournament with stars such as Carlos Alcaraz. The Equinox Hotel New York, meanwhile, can arrange for a helicopter transfer to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, bypassing what’s often an hour-plus slog through midtown traffic.
College Football Playoff National Championship (Jan. 20, 2025)
Next season will culminate with the first-ever 12-team playoff, and the championship game is slated for Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL Falcons and MLS United FC. Right next door is the new Signia by Hilton, a 42-story flagship that’s sure to be tailgate central, opening as it does onto the 11 acres known as the Home Depot Backyard.
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Mecole Hardman caught the game winner during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.Super Bowl LIX (Feb. 9, 2025)
The Caesars Superdome in New Orleans will host next year’s NFL capstone, which falls just a few weeks before Mardi Gras. The stadium-adjacent Hyatt House and Hyatt Regency are already booked up as are several other hotels across the city. What to do? Contact On Location, an NFL partner that’s taking $2,500 deposits for all-inclusive, all-access packages.
Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing at the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium, in 2023.Monaco Grand Prix (Late May 2025)
The smartest way to catch the action may be by ship — many of them call in Monte Carlo’s Port Hercules during this multiday spectacle. Windstar was the first cruise brand to offer passengers VIP access, and its Wind Surf will be in Monaco come 2025. Other lines, including Atlas Ocean Voyages, Crystal, Sea Cloud Cruises, SeaDream Yacht Club, and Silversea, are also planning to pull into port.
A version of this story first appeared in the May 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline "Golden Tickets."
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