New York City Hotels Tap into the Cultural Power of the U.S. Open

In 2024, the U.S. Open reached a record-breaking audience of 175 million viewers (including roughly 800,000 in-person attendees). This staggering figure sent reverberations through the industry—from this April’s partnership expansion with IMG to May’s announcement that the United Tennis Association (USTA) would lead an $800 million renovation of host venue Arthur Ashe Stadium (scheduled for completion by the 2027 Open). According to the USTA, the prestigious event drives an annual economic impact of $1.2 billion in New York City. And hotel brands know this.

Last week, the Lotte Palace New York hotel welcomed four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, alongside all-stars Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys, and Sloane Stephens to its courtyard—for a game of pickleball. The sporting spectacle, the hotel’s eighth annual such tournament (though, pickleball replaced badminton a few years ago) ran almost simultaneously with Baccarat Hotel New York’s third annual Petit Slam, a ping-pong battle between the world’s No. 1 ranked male player, Jannik Sinner, and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka. It took place atop a Baccarat crystal-clad red ping-pong table.

Two days earlier, the world’s top-ranked female player, Aryna Sabalenka, arrived at the St. Regis New York to play a video-game version of herself in Tiebreak and toast her Dobel Tequila partnership (while Frances Tiafoe greeted guests at the elusive tennis courts within Grand Central Terminal to celebrate the forthcoming Last Serve Bar at the U.S. Open, a new home for the Grey Goose Honey Deuce cocktail, of which more than 556,000 sold in 2024). Meanwhile, the Park Lane New York centered a ping-pong activation—played by Alex De Minaur, Anna Kalinskaya, and Iva Jovic. Within Parker’s at The Thompson Central Park, LALO Tequila and IMG Tennis hosted interactive ping pong for guests including Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Holger Rune, and more. As the U.S. Open has extended its reach, and will continue to roll out new media partnerships, an entire ecosystem of luxury hotels—which often host the talent it taps—is benefitting.