Skip to content
Toggle menu
SportsTravel SportsTravel

Breaking News, Podcasts and Analysis Serving People who Organize, Manage and Host Sports Events

Primary Menu
  • News
    • Hosts & Suppliers
    • Recently Awarded
    • Sports Organizations
    • Sports Venues
    • Sponsors & Media
  • IN DEPTH
    • Editor’s Picks
    • On Assignment
    • Perspectives
    • Technology in Sports
  • Podcasts
  • Sports
    • CATEGORY
      • Amateur Sports
      • Youth Sports
      • Collegiate Sports
      • Professional Sports
      • Olympic Sports
      • Paralympic Sports
      • National Governing Body
      • Adaptive Sports
      • Sustainability
      • Water Sports
      • Winter Sports
      • Women’s Sports
    • INDIVIDUAL SPORTS
      • Baseball
      • Basketball
      • Bowling
      • Cycling
      • Football
      • Golf
      • Gymnastics
      • Hockey
      • Lacrosse
      • Motorsports
      • Pickleball
      • Rugby
      • Running
      • Soccer
      • Softball
      • Swimming
      • Tennis
      • Track & Field
      • Triathlon
      • Volleyball
      • Wrestling
  • Esports
    • Esports News
    • Esports Guide
    • EsportsTravel Summit
  • Resources
    • Bid Bowl
    • Submission Form
      • About Bid Bowl
    • Destination Spotlight
    • Destination Guides
    • Downloadable Guides
    • Venue Guides
    • Media Kit
      • Media Kit
      • 2023 Editorial Calendar
    • Digital Edition
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe to E-Newsletter
  • EVENTS
    • TEAMS CONFERENCE & EXPO
    • TEAMS Europe
    • EsportsTravel Summit
    • SportsTravel Road Trip
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram


Home > Olympic Sports > How to Book 24,000 Rooms for the Olympic Games: An Innovative Formula That Works for Hotels and Organizers

How to Book 24,000 Rooms for the Olympic Games: An Innovative Formula That Works for Hotels and Organizers

Inside the process to secure hotel rooms for Salt Lake City's Winter Games bid

Posted On : July 1, 2022 By : Matt Traub
SLC2030HousingB
The Residences at Utah Olympic Park is one of the "in house" properties that would be utilized for a future Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Photo courtesy Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.

For the thousands of things an Olympic Games bid group must put together for the International Olympic Committee to take notice, there may be one key factor that is less high-profile than others.

The IOC will never bring the Games to a site that lacks the venues, especially with its recent emphasis on venue sustainability. There are sponsorships that must be lined up to cover expenses for a bid. Transportation is also crucial as the image of athletes getting stuck in traffic because an area does not have extensive travel plans would be a black eye for the Games.

But there is another key part that groups are planning years in advance: Booking hotel rooms.

Hosting an Olympic Games brings tens of thousands of members of the Olympic family, including the IOC and international federations, all of the dignitaries that travel as part of each participating country and tens of thousands of media members. With that in mind, the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, deep in the planning process with an eye toward landing the 2030 or 2034 Winter Games, has quietly been working to line up 24,000 hotel rooms as part of its bid ahead of this winter’s crucial IOC decision on which city it will engage in talks to host.

Why It’s Important

“It’s top five in terms of the factors that the IOC is going to be thinking about from a technical perspective,” said Bid Lead Darren Hughes of hotels. “You’ve got to have the venues in place. Obviously transport infrastructure is critical, and then it is accommodations and that’s a long lead time project, particularly the way that we’ve done it. This process is really solid and it’s very fair and it is an innovation from previous bid processes.”

More Olympic Coverage

  • Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay to Begin in Marseille
  • IOC Details Russia Stance for Olympics as Ukraine Threatens Boycott
  • USA Gymnastics Championship Events
  • 2026 Winter Olympic Organizers Need New Speedskating Venue
  • 2025, 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships

The SLC bid group has already signed contracts with over 150 hotels spread out over 10 counties, working through hotels directly, through their ownership groups and in some cases with help from local tourism bureaus. Bid accommodation adviser John Sindelar said while some of the major hoteliers in the area have experience in booking out rooms years in advance, there are smaller properties that typically do not focus too much beyond a few months.

“What we’ve typically done is gone to the owners, when we can go to them, or the management companies since their horizons are broader than the individual managers,” Sindelar said. “We know the DMOs like Visit Salt Lake and Park City Chamber bureau, and all the other similar entities in going directly to the hotels, but we’re finding sometimes the decision-maker isn’t at the hotel. We’ve had to research who owns the hotel or who manages the hotel. And so we focused a bunch of our efforts also at those companies where typically the owner owns not just one hotel, but anywhere from two to 20 hotels.”

The goal is to have the IOC benchmark of 24,000 rooms all secured by the end of the year, regardless of whether it has the bid for 2030 or 2034.

“If we don’t have the hotel community, we can’t put a bid together,” President and Chief Executive Officer Fraser Bullock said. “It takes an entire community to put on a Games. I congratulate our hotel community in feeling that higher purpose and joining us because this is an important part of our bid.”

Salt Lake City has hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games before, in 2002, and would like to host the Games again as soon as 2030 or 2034. Photo via the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.

The Contract’s Key Parts

Sindelar ran the hotel program for the 2002 Games and has since worked with other Olympic hosts as a part-time consultant, leading him to have a deep background in what has and has not worked: “We learned we need to offer a win-win deal, something the hotel can feel like they’ve got a good substantial booking that has a reasonable rate and not at a discount.”

Memories of hotels driving individual contracts with Olympic hosts also stuck with Sindelar, which for the Salt Lake bid has led him to develop a standardized contract. The contract calls for room rates determined by a formula that takes into account several price points so “a hotel that has a healthy average rate is going to do well at Games time and the ones that have a low average rate will have a rate commensurate to that property,” Sindelar said.

“The process which John went through was actually really amazing because it was very consultative with the local DMOs and with many of whom are very close to their hotel properties in their regions,” Hughes said. “And he went out to a number of the big players in the market and showed with this approach how everyone has a universal, fair thing so that a Motel 6 in Provo feels as confident signing a deal as the Grand America is,” referring to downtown Salt Lake’s five-star luxury hotel.

Here are a few details that hotels are presented as part of the universal contract:

  • Hotels are asked to reserve a minimum 85 percent of their available rooms and the same amount of function space for the dates of January 24—February 26, 2030, and similar dates for 2034. Hotels would also participate in the Paralympics with room nights reserved from March 1–20, 2030, with similar dates for 2034.
  • Room rates will not be calculated until the spring of 2027. The rate will be calculated on a base rate, plus inflation, plus a premium. The base rate will be an average of February rates in the years 2025–2027 while inflation will be the cumulative annual rate for the same period.
  • Participating hotels will earn a premium based on how much of a room block is booked, with hotels that have their entire block reserved getting a 110 percent premium on the rate.
  • Should the Games be awarded to Salt Lake City, the local organizing committee will assign stakeholder groups such as the IOC, international federations, media, workforce, marketing partners and the National Olympic Committees to contracted hotels anywhere from one to three years in advance. Allocation plans would be approved by the IOC before they are assigned to each participating hotel.
  • After a stakeholder is allocated to a hotel, organizers step out of the process and assigned stakeholders will deal with the hotel for reservations and arrangements for function space. Reservations are booked in four waves with stakeholders allowed to book anywhere from one to all four waves depending on needs; unreserved rooms and function space are released back to the hotel 12 months prior for general sale.
  • Hotels would invoice stakeholders on a payment schedule predetermined by IOC with 30 percent due 15 months out from the Games, another 30 percent due 11 months out and the remaining balance due four months out.

How the Formula Developed

Sindelar used his experience of past Games and contacts in the regional industry such as the Grand America and regional owners like the Woodbury Corporation and Western States Lodging & Management. The contract formula for a rate premium started out low, Sindelar said, which led to feedback from those surveyed that the contract needed to have a better financial incentive because the hotel room rates in February, a popular month for winter vacationers, typically are higher.

“We had to get the premium up more into that range that spoke to them and when we finally got there, that’s when they said ‘OK, now we can work with you and now we can talk contracts,’” Sindelar said, adding “there’s some complexity to the rate. It does take time to digest it.”

That is why hotels are asked for room rate data from 2018–2020 to determine an indicative rate the SLC bid group can then show to the IOC as part of an exercise in how the rates would be determined before a proposed premium is applied.

“The IOC and us and the hotels all want to see what that rate looks like today,” Sindelar said. By taking the data and applying the formula and premium to it, “we can show them what the number looks like, what their rate would have been. That’s been important for hotels to help recognize that is worth doing. That indicative rate has been our key to get that message across.”

Of course, because it is business, there are still those holding out for a personalized contract and each time, “we’ve said no and put our deal at risk,” Sindelar said. “We didn’t want to lose the rooms, but we couldn’t undermine the deal that we had out there. We saw that in 2002. We had some hotels coming back to us that held out and then came back and asked if they could back in late in the game and too late for us to help them in the same way that we could have if they had committed early.”

Beyond the Stakeholders

Sindelar also hopes by locking in the formula, the bid committee can keep the rates for the spectator market to a reasonable number. There will be hotels with open rooms and hosting a Games would be beneficial for the private condo market, let alone markets like Airbnb and VRBO.

“What happened in 2002, whatever rooms weren’t used were ushered into a spectator program,” Sindelar said. “But we are setting the market. Once we get to the time of the Games and all the unknowns are knowns, whether it’s Airbnb or hotels that get built since then, it’ll help determine what’s a reasonable price for a room. What we’re doing will help set the market and hopefully keep that market a reasonable rate — again, not cheap, but reasonably high.”

And setting the market will be important not only for the spectators, but for the event organizers knowing there would be a level of customer expectation financially rather than a free-for-all.

“There’s price gouging everywhere,” Hughes said. “The IOC tries to take all these steps to mitigate that and through the bid process, particularly around combinations and then some other pricing, they’re trying to make sure that the stakeholder experience during the Olympic Games, it doesn’t go wild.”

All hotels that sign up for the Olympics also get business for the Paralympics as well. And all hotels that sign up will get preferred consideration for other business that comes out of the Games including test events and conferences that stakeholders would bring to Salt Lake over the coming years.

“We’re providing a firm formula, and it’ll show what the rate would be this year for example,” Sindelar said. “Do we know what the number is for 2030 or 2034 now? No, we don’t know that. We think in the long run it’ll get them more reasonable rates — not cheap — but reasonable rates that would be required for a hotel to protect themselves.”

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email
Posted in: Editor's Picks, Olympic Sports, Paralympic SportsTagged : 2030 Olympic Winter Games,Darren Hughes,John Sindelar

Post navigation

Record-Breaking EsportsTravel Summit
Entertains, Informs in Daytona Beach, Florida
Gran Fondo National Series Returns to Asheville in 2022

Follow us on Twitter

SportsTravel Follow

Breaking News, Podcasts and Analysis Serving People who Organize, Manage and Host Sports Events. Producers of the TEAMS Conference & Expo.

SportsTravel
sportstravel SportsTravel @sportstravel ·
3 Feb

The @usta has announced that Coco Gauff and the United States @BJKCup Team will play at the Delray Beach Tennis Center April 14–15 in a 2023 match against Austria. @pbsportsfl
https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/billie-jean-king-cup-tie-heading-to-palm-beaches/

Reply on Twitter 1621651227879825408 Retweet on Twitter 1621651227879825408 Like on Twitter 1621651227879825408 1 Twitter 1621651227879825408
sportstravel SportsTravel @sportstravel ·
3 Feb

The @PGA has announced that Dancing Rabbit Golf Club at @PRRofficial in Philadelphia, Mississippi, will host the 2023 PGA University Championship, set for November 13–15.
https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/2023-pga-university-championship-headed-to-mississippi/

Reply on Twitter 1621627267234529280 Retweet on Twitter 1621627267234529280 Like on Twitter 1621627267234529280 2 Twitter 1621627267234529280
sportstravel SportsTravel @sportstravel ·
3 Feb

.@GSOB_Sports is exploring the possibility of a $6 million, 38,000-square-foot building at the city’s Sportsplex for sports and community events. The venue would accommodate several courts for volleyball, basketball or pickleball.
https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/gulf-shores-explores-new-6-million-building/

Reply on Twitter 1621606559905353728 Retweet on Twitter 1621606559905353728 Like on Twitter 1621606559905353728 Twitter 1621606559905353728
sportstravel SportsTravel @sportstravel ·
3 Feb

The Danish capital of Copenhagen will host the 2024 @FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup Qualifier and @FIBA3x3 Europe Cup in 2025, complete with an urban festival with street activities.
https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/copenhagen-to-host-two-fiba-europe-cup-events/

Reply on Twitter 1621595821182705667 Retweet on Twitter 1621595821182705667 Like on Twitter 1621595821182705667 Twitter 1621595821182705667
Load More

sportstravel

There's so much to discover at the new Virginia Be There's so much to discover at the new Virginia Beach Sports Center! 285,000 square feet of convertible space can accommodate 12 basketball courts, 24 volleyball courts, nine field hockey courts, and a 200-meter hydraulically banked track—and it can hold up to 5,000 spectators to watch the action.
SportsTravel is on location in Philadelphia for th SportsTravel is on location in Philadelphia for the @unitedsoccercoaches Convention that starts tomorrow and lasts throughout the week. We’re looking forward to the next few days of connecting with friends old and new on location.
CES 2023 is going strong in Las Vegas. CES 2023 is going strong in Las Vegas.
Virginia Beach may be famous for its gorgeous outd Virginia Beach may be famous for its gorgeous outdoor spaces, but the city’s newest sports facility makes it a pleasure to be indoors. The @vbsportscenter is your premier sports facility in Virginia Beach, offering high-quality basketball, volleyball, field hockey, track & field facilities, and plenty of room for your team to shine. Find out more at https://vbsportscenter.com
Michigan won’t go away. What an instant classic. Michigan won’t go away. What an instant classic.
The TCU faithful have had a lot to cheer about in The TCU faithful have had a lot to cheer about in the first half.
The College Football Playoff kicks off with the fi The College Football Playoff kicks off with the first semifinal between TCU and Michigan at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.
Some sights and sounds from the Rivalry Series gam Some sights and sounds from the Rivalry Series game between Team USA and Team Canada on December 15.
Hilary Knight tied the game for Team USA in the th Hilary Knight tied the game for Team USA in the third period of a Rivalry Series game with Team Canada on December 15.
Michelle Lupo, the business development manager fo Michelle Lupo, the business development manager for the @northstarmeets Sports Division, moderated a session today at the Illinois Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism, featuring Kara Bachman from the Chicago Sports Commission, Curtis Francois from World Wide Technology Raceway and John Groh from the Rockford Area CVB. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about sports-related travel!

@chisportscomm @wwtraceway @gorockford #travel #tourism #sportstravel #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness
The Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok kicks off wi The Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok kicks off with a 2 a.m. start Sunday to give runners the best conditions possible across the city. The Expo is taking place at Royal Paragon Hall, where runners can pick up their bibs and prepare for the race.

#marathon #running #sportsevents #sportstourism #sportstravel @tourismthailand
Thank you to @worldathletics and Mass Participatio Thank you to @worldathletics and Mass Participation World for the chance for SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz to present the latest data on sports-related travel to delegates at the World Athletics Global Running Conference in Bangkok. Friday’s schedule also included remarks from the prime minister of Thailand and the country’s sports and tourism minister, who emphasized the importance of sports events to the nation’s economy and quality of life.

#athletics #thailand #bangkok #running #sportstravel #sportstourim @tourismthailand
Love high speed sports? We are at the @ibsfsliding Love high speed sports? We are at the @ibsfsliding World Cup event in Park City at @utaholympicpark this weekend. Friday morning’s action was the women’s monobob event, won by American Kaillie Humphries. Scroll through to see the #bobsled in action at full speed, then slow motion, and hear from Humphries after her win.
SportsTravel is in Bangkok, Thailand, this week mo SportsTravel is in Bangkok, Thailand, this week moderating sessions and presenting on sports-related travel at the @worldathletics Global Running Conference, including an opening day session on government relations in sports events featuring @sport_singapore, Portas Consulting, @laliga and @houstonsports_janis from the @hc_hsa who appeared virtually from Doha where she is attending the World Cup.
#sportstourism #sportstravel #mpw22 #wagrc
Winner buys dinner! When you bring your sports eve Winner buys dinner! When you bring your sports event to World Equestrian Center – Ocala, you can refuel with something heavenly from seven different on-site restaurants. From pub burgers and #taco salads to fine dining, WEC has a #winning option for everyone.
Twickenham Stadium in London is the largest rugby Twickenham Stadium in London is the largest rugby union stadium in the world, seating 82,000. The home of England Rugby, it is owned and operated by the Rugby Football Union and hosts events year round. 

#rugby #rugbyunion #twickenham @twickenhamstadium
Black in a sea of orange: the courage of the oppos Black in a sea of orange: the courage of the opposing fans.

@raiders @broncos @nfl #fans #raiderfans #broncofans @empowerfieldatmilehigh
One of the NFL’s best traditions is the @broncos One of the NFL’s best traditions is the @broncosthunderstorm skydivers who jump into Empower Field at Mile High before every @broncos game.
Beer and alcohol sales may be banned at the World Beer and alcohol sales may be banned at the World Cup, but in the @nfl, there are more than enough in-stadium options, including the many available at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the @broncos. 

#worldcup #2022worldcup #broncos #beer #drinks #sportsevents
Stay in comfort and style during your next sports Stay in comfort and style during your next sports event at World Equestrian Center – Ocala’s luxury hotel, three-bedroom rental units or full-service #rvpark. Restore your aching body with treatments at Calluna #spa or enjoy dining and shopping at the facility’s impressive restaurants and performance retailers.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Recent Posts

  • Toronto Maple Leafs to Host 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend
  • Billie Jean King Cup Heading to Palm Beaches
  • 2023 PGA University Championship Headed to Mississippi
  • Gulf Shores Explores New $6 Million Building at Sportsplex
  • Copenhagen to Host Two FIBA Europe Cup Events
  • Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay to Begin in Marseille
  • Australia, New Zealand ‘Disappointed’ by Women’s World Cup Saudi Sponsorship
  • IOC Details Russia Stance for Olympics as Ukraine Threatens Boycott
Sports Travel Magazine

About Us

Since 1997, SportsTravel magazine has served the sports‐related travel and event industry. It is the only publication written and designed to serve the people who organize, manage and host sporting events of all types at all levels.

  • Subscribe to E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • SportsTravel Foundation
  • Supplied Content
  • Privacy
  • Terms

NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SITES

  • Northstar Meetings Group
  • Meetings & Conventions
  • Meetings & Conventions Asia
  • Meetings & Conventions China
  • Successful Meetings
  • Incentive
  • Meeting News
  • Retail Travel
  • Travel Technology
  • Corporate Travel
  • Hotel Investment
  • Data Products
  • See All Northstar Brands

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Sports ETA

Destinations International
Northstar Travel Media LLC Copyright © 2023 by Northstar Travel Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000
scroll to top