As Green Bay gears up for the highly anticipated 2025 NFL Draft set to take place from April 24-26, which could be the city's largest event in history, short-term rental prices have seen a sharp downturn. Initially, after Green Bay was chosen as the host city, homeowners like Matthew Bassuener listed their properties for top dollar, with his three-bedroom house near Lambeau Field fetching requests up to $5,000 per night. "The day Green Bay was announced - I'm not exaggerating I think it was 15 requests," Bassuener told WISN.
Despite the initial surge in interest, many short-term rental operators, hoping to rent their homes to draft visitors for sky-high prices, have had to revisit their expectations. Some Green Bay-area hotels still have rooms available, with prices remaining below $800 per night, applying further pressure on vacation rental prices, which have been reduced by thousands of dollars, as evidenced in recent Airbnb searches shared by the Green Bay Press-Gazette. This shows a clear gap between what homeowners expected and the actual crowd the event is drawing.
Furthermore, Nick Meisner of Discover Green Bay illuminates the nature of the event, detailing that the draft crowd will consist largely of families seeking free entertainment, and therefore unlikely to spend thousands on accommodations. "This is a free family event. It’s not like a Super Bowl corporate audience," Meisner explained, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "It’s families and it’s real people who are coming to a free event. Those prices are simply out of their range."
While Bassuener has reduced his nightly rate substantially to around $1,000 dollars, "It's dropped to...I think it's right around 1,000 dollars," he admitted in a statement obtained by WISN. Listings on short-term rental platforms reveal a wide range of available properties, now priced from approximately $500 to over $2,000 per night. As the NFL Draft nears, Bassuener still holds out hope for a last-minute booking surge, saying, "We'll see what happens. I still have my fingers crossed."
Meanwhile, estimates suggest that more than 200,000, possibly up to 300,000 people, are expected to descend upon Titletown for this sports extravaganza. While the city anticipates a significant influx of visitors, the local hospitality infrastructure may be tested, as the area is reported to have about 8,000 to 9,000 hotel rooms, which led many to look at alternative lodging solutions across eastern Wisconsin, securing a windfall for the local economy, as reported by FOX6 News. This mismatch between supply and demand initially drove up rental prices, suggesting Green Bay homeowners could cash in significantly on the event, yet the current trend indicates a market correction as the event nears.
