FIFA cancels 2,000 hotel rooms in Philadelphia ahead of World Cup

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- With the FIFA World Cup less than three months away, thousands of hotel rooms originally reserved by FIFA for the tournament in Philadelphia have been canceled.

FIFA canceled about 2,000 hotel room reservations in the city, according to the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association. The organization had initially blocked off roughly 10,000 rooms.

According to FIFA, the rooms were part of a large block of rooms meant for technical staff, teams, refs and operations personnel. None of them were for fans.

A spokesperson said it's typical to overbook and then cancel unneeded rooms once the tournament gets closer and the numbers get refined.

Ed Grose, president and CEO of the association, said four Center City hotels were most affected.

Grose said FIFA acted within the terms of its contract to avoid penalties.

Philadelphia is not the only host city experiencing cancellations. Grose said FIFA has canceled room blocks in several of the 15 other host cities as well.

Grose said it is too early to know how the cancellations will affect hotel pricing, but he encouraged fans to book accommodations soon.

"While we were not excited about that, it's not the end of the world either," Grose said. "These are rooms that are going to be put back out on the marketplace and sold to fans who want to come to Philadelphia."

Some visitors believe the newly available rooms could still be filled.

"I think if advertised properly, they might have the opportunity to sell those 2,000 rooms," said Jessica Smiler of Beverly Hills, California.

Grose noted that two citywide conventions are scheduled during the World Cup, which he expects will help fill the remaining rooms quickly.