From Kansas City to Miami, businesses had anticipated a major tourism boom ahead of the competition. However, many hoteliers say demand has so far failed to live up to expectations.
Deidre Mathis, who owns the Wanderstay Boutique Hotel in Houston, said the slow pace of bookings has left operators surprised.
Mathis told the bBC: "We were sold this expectation the World Cup would be a big phenomenon, people have been talking about it for years.
"So when we looked at our calendar and saw in February, March and April that we still were not sold out, and it is not just us in Houston, but it is all over, we were left sitting here just very confused."
The hotel, located close to Houston’s fan zone and stadium, is currently sitting at around 45 per cent occupancy for the tournament period compared with 70 per cent at the same time last year.
Mathis blamed a combination of rising living costs, political tensions and expensive match tickets for the slowdown.
She pointed to immigration raids carried out by ICE agents across several US cities, along with the impact of the US-Israel conflict involving Iran.
Fifa has faced criticism over ticket prices, with seats for the final at MetLife Stadium in New York City reportedly reaching more than $32,000 through official channels, while resale tickets have climbed even higher.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association said eight in 10 hotels in host cities are seeing weaker demand than expected.
Rosanna Maietta, the organisation’s president and chief executive, said some fans may still be waiting for confirmation over where their teams will play before booking accommodation.
Despite concerns from hotels, Airbnb has described the World Cup as set to become “the biggest hosting event” in its history.
Scottish supporter Hamish Husband said fans are still planning to travel despite the cost.
Husband said: "There is no fairness in football anymore, but $1,000 for Scotland v Haiti tickets, that is scandalous."
Meanwhile, hotels are continuing preparations in the hope of a late booking surge.
Stephen Jenkins in Kansas City said: "We are not seeing the pick-up we had anticipated."
However, he added that interest rose after fixtures were announced and expects bookings to increase closer to kick-off.
Fifa insists demand remains strong, revealing that more than five million tickets have already been sold for the tournament.
