Melbourne hotels have celebrated their highest September occupancy since 2019, boosted by sports tourism.

Additionally, Melbourne’s hotel industry posted its highest September average daily rates (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) on record.

According to CoStar data, the AFL Grand Final and NFL hosting its first game in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground were leading drivers of the record results.

The leading global provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics in the property markets revealed preliminary data showed occupancy in September 2026 (year-over-year % change) reached an average of 75.6% (+9.7% year-on-year). ADR was $242.11 (+16.2%) and RevPAR was $182.99 (+27.5%).

Each of the market’s key performance indicators peaked on the night (Saturday, 26 September) of the final match between Fremantle and Brisbane: occupancy (93.4%), ADR ($420.50) and RevPAR ($392.84).

That same night was helped by the Melbourne Royal Show, which took place from 24 September to 4 October.

The night before the NRL game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers pushed occupancy to 89.3%, while ADR and RevPAR climbed to $372.09 and $332.12, respectively.

Bottle shops big winners on Grand Final day

The 2026 AFL Grand Final between the Brisbane Lions and Fremantle at the MCG drew a record-breaking national total TV audience of 4.52 million viewers and reached a total of 6.5 million people across the Seven Network and 7plus Sport.

Coles research showed its customers declared Grand Final season a home game, with 86% saying they expected to watch the footy at home. 

Coles found that one in five customers love a beer or wine on game day. Beer sales at Liquorland increased by more than 10% in the two weeks leading up to AFL Grand Final day, with the retailer selling more than 6.5 million litres of beer in the period.

XXXX releases custom Brisbane Lions cans