One facet of the travel and tourism sector is hotels. Several high-end hotels have carved out a niche for themselves in the world of sports sponsorship. Some of the largest sponsorship agreements within the hotel sector are with some of the biggest sports leagues, mainly across the US, including the National Football League (NFL). With 39 deals, Marriott Hotels & Resorts has emerged as the most active hotel brand in sports sponsorship for 2024, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’ s latest report, “Sponsorship Sector Report – Travel & Tourism – Hotels 2024,” reveals that multi-sport games dominate the spend in the hotel sector for 2024. Hotels’ partnership with teams dominated the sector spend and deal values, with 442 deals accounting for 35% of the total annual spend.
Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Marriott Hotels & Resorts’ largest annual sports sponsorship deal is its partnership with the NFL for the 2023 season. The deal is worth an estimated $11.5 million. Hilton closely follows behind Marriott Hotels & Resorts with 37 deals. The international hotel chain’s largest annual sponsorship deal is with golf’s European Tour, which included Hilton serving as the official hotel for the 2023 Ryder.”
AccorHotels partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is the largest deal across the hotel’s sports sponsorship portfolio in 2024. According to GlobalData, the deal is worth an estimated $105 million. AccorHotels has been a longtime partner of major sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and the Rugby World Cup 2023.
Snooks continues: “Given that 2024 is an Olympic year, it is unsurprising that this competition has the largest deal in the hotel’s sports sponsorship portfolio. Given the exposure and popularity that the Olympics brings to the world of sport, AccorHotels will be able to reach a global audience being an official partner of the games.”
An important aspect of the hotel industry that is worth mentioning is the gambling and betting brand, which often features in some of the most high-value sports sponsorship deals in the sector. As several hotels and resorts, including MGM Resorts, own a casino or betting company, some of the sports sponsorship partnerships within the hotel sector are in fact with the gambling and betting company rather than the hotel.
Snooks concludes: “Some of the high-value sports sponsorship deals within the hotel sector are with some of the top sports leagues across the Americas. These types of deals, which involve gambling and batting brands usually owned by the hotel, reflect that the main driver of these partnerships will be getting guests to stay at the hotels, and a key focus of the deal and a way to push this is through the experience of gambling and betting.”
The article Marriott Hotels & Resorts most active hotel brand in sports sponsorship for 2024, reveals GlobalData first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.