In Brief: In a significant development, corporate sports sponsorship agreements in the North American hotel and holiday accommodation sector reached a new high of $303.11 million in 2025.
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Marriott Bonvoy and Manchester United partnered on several sponsorship opportunities in 2025. – Image Credit Marriott International
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North America led the hotel and holiday accommodation sector’s sports sponsorship spend in 2025, accounting for 50.1% of global expenditure with 436 deals valued at $303.11 million, according to GlobalData.
In 2025, North America’s dominance in sports sponsorship spend by the hotel and holiday accommodation sector was driven by the scale and commercialization of the US and Canadian sports ecosystem. The presence of the “big four” professional leagues, major college sports, and frequent high-attendance events provided significant premium sponsorship opportunities and hospitality packages.
Europe was the next largest region, accounting for 18.4% of annual spend.
Soccer led sponsorship deal volume and value in 2025 due to its global reach and year-round exposure. Basketball and baseball followed as the next most valuable sports for the sector, though their average deal sizes were lower than those for soccer.
The Asia-Pacific region showed increased sponsorship activity, particularly in China, Japan, and Australia. The Middle East and Africa, as well as South and Central America, remained underdeveloped in this sector, but improvements in infrastructure and the hosting of more international events contributed to new opportunities. Global, cross-market agreements resulted in 12 deals worth $117.69 million, driven by large agreements aimed at broad, platform-wide visibility.
The largest sponsorship partnerships in the hotel and holiday accommodation sector in 2025 were concentrated in online booking services and hotel-brand agreements with major sports rights holders. The biggest deal was between the International Olympic Committee/International Paralympic Committee and Airbnb, valued at more than five times the value of the tenth-largest deal, between the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Marriott Hotels & Resorts. Other major partnerships included agreements with global events and rights holders such as the Olympics and FIFA.
Airbnb was the largest spender among hotel and holiday accommodation brands in global sports sponsorship in 2025, with an average deal value of $12.62 million. Airbnb’s approach focused on a small number of high-value, high-profile partnerships, including its agreement with FIFA. Booking.com had a similar average spend per deal, indicating a comparable sponsorship strategy.
Both Airbnb and Booking.com prioritized fewer, larger deals to secure visibility and association with internationally recognized sporting events, in contrast to traditional hotel groups, which often engage in more regional marketing and rely on physical property footprints.
