Rena Ostlund views the 2026 NFL Draft as a prime opportunity to earn extra income. She’s listed her Oakmont home for rent during what’s expected to be Pittsburgh’s largest tourism event ever.
Her asking price: $15,000 for three nights.
“I know it is very lucrative to do this,” Ostlund said. She rented her home this year for another high-profile event — the U.S. Open golf tournament in Oakmont in June.
This time, Ostlund, 70, posted the property on a short-term rental site at a higher rate, assuming a steeper price would draw renters tied to the business side of the draft rather than people looking to party. The listing says the house can accommodate 12 people comfortably.
The NFL Draft runs April 23 through April 25 at Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore. VisitPittsburgh, the city’s tourism agency, expects 500,000 to 700,000 fans for the three-day event.
So where is everyone going to stay?
Chad Wise, founder of the vacation rental agency HostWise Stays, says Pittsburgh has limited lodging options. With the draft three months away, he advised booking accommodations early in 2026.
Although more than half of the anticipated attendance will be locals, 20% to 30% will be tourists, Wise said.
“You’re still looking at 100,000-150,000 people who need lodging,” he said.
Hotel hullabaloo
Perry Ivery, general manager of The Oaklander Hotel, is president of the Greater Pittsburgh Hotel Association. He said there are about 19,000 hotel rooms in Allegheny County and 35,000 when including the greater region.
A quick search online shows nearly every hotel in the Pittsburgh area appears fully booked for April 23-25.
Ivery says it’s not time to panic. Many hotels release rooms in rolling windows rather than all at once.
“When the draft was announced, (The Oaklander) released 25% of our rooms because we were negotiating group contracts … and then we’ll slowly start to release a ton of them once we finalize group contracts,” said Ivery, who is also board chair for VisitPittsburgh.
Many of the large hotel chains last week did not have rooms available in their Downtown and North Shore locations, which is where the draft’s festivities will take place.
Some of the hotels without rooms available included: Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown, Omni William Penn Hotel in Downtown and Hyatt Place Pittsburgh and Residence Inn by Marriott Pittsburgh, both on the North Shore.
Ivery said group contracts through the NFL will be finalized by the end of the month. Hotels will begin opening more rooms for booking come January.
The Oaklander, on Bigelow Boulevard across from Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall, has rooms for two guests priced in the $680 to $810 range, according to the hotel’s website Tuesday.
Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Downtown on Forbes Avenue also had availability, with rooms for two guests priced in the $730 to $785 range, according to its website.
Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Pittsburgh Downtown on Fort Pitt Boulevard had rooms for two guests priced between $780 and $799.
During nondraft weekends, those three hotels have rooms for about half the price.
On the weekend of May 21-23, for instance, The Oaklander offered two guests lodging for $365 to $470, while the Hilton Garden Inn offered two guests lodging for $264 to $365. The Fairfield by Marriott’s pricing ranged from $250 to $270 for two guests.
The Landing Hotel Pittsburgh, which is inside Rivers Casino, had a three-night minimum requirement to book during the draft weekend. Online prices for two guests were significantly higher than surrounding hotels, ranging from $1,999 to $2,149 a night, whereas the weekend of May 21-23 prices ranged from $189 to $315.
The Landing Hotel Pittsburgh was unable to provide immediate comment Saturday.
It’s not surprising prices are higher during a large-scale event, as location is the biggest driver, said Pittsburgh-based travel agent Gabe Travers.
“If you look a little bit further out, you’re going to see some prices that are a bit closer to normal,” Travers said.
He suggested visitors with cars look for hotels and rental properties that are about a 15- to 20-minute drive from Acrisure Stadium.
“You’d be able to attend things and still be fairly close to the action … and save a little bit on your budget,” Travers said.
Around the region
Hotels in the surrounding area in Allegheny County were listed at about half the price of closer hotels last week.
Hampton Inn on Mosside Boulevard in Monroeville had rooms for two guests priced between $390 and $400, according to its website.
Comfort Inn Conference Center on Rodi Road in Penn Hills had rooms for two guests priced between $320 and $330.
SpringHill Suites by Marriott on Pittsburgh Mills Boulevard in Frazer listed a single room for two guests between $285 and $370.
The price of hotel rooms farther away, more in Westmoreland and Butler counties, were comparable to listings in Allegheny County.
The Quality Inn on St. Francis Way in Cranberry listed rooms for two guests between $290 and $370.
Rooms at the Holiday Inn Express on Route 22 in Delmont were slightly less expensive. A single room for two guests was priced between $250 and $335.
SpringHill Suites by Marriott on Arnold Palmer Drive in Latrobe listed a single room for between $245 and $300.
Stay away from the ‘fray’
On Airbnb, there were 626 places available for rent last week during the draft. Prices ranged from $123 to $11,372 for two nights depending on location, number of people accommodated and property features.
HostWise Stays manages 120 Airbnb properties in the Pittsburgh area. All bookings made through HostWise Stays require a minimum booking of three nights. Depending on the size of the property, some rentals will require more.
Prices range from $463 to $7,750, depending on the number of bedrooms, property size, location and amenities.
Wise, the founder of HostWise Stays, said one of the perks of renting a home is there is more space to gather and hang out.
“It’s a lot more of a memorable experience to stay in a short-term rental where you have your own kitchen, where you have a full-size refrigerator, where you have separate bathrooms, so you have a common meeting area in your living room or rooftop deck … where you don’t have to be out in the fray all the time,” Wise said.
Large-scale, short-term rental websites such as Airbnb aren’t the only options for tourists.
Sandra Woncheck, a Realtor in Allegheny County, created the service Accommodations For the Draft (accommodationsforthedraft.com) to allow people to rent directly from homeowners during the draft.
“Obviously people can go to Airbnb, but this is for (property owners) who just want to do it one time and make some extra cash for that weekend,” Woncheck said.
Ostlund, the Oakmont homeowner, listed her property on the site. Two other properties are listed there currently: A home in Oakmont ($3,500 for three nights) and an “ultra-modern newly built architect-designed” luxury home in Fox Chapel whose owners are seeking $60,000 for the three-night stay.
Prices for properties listed on Accommodations For the Draft are set by homeowners, Woncheck said.
As hotels begin to post more available rooms over the next month, Travers recommended booking early and even looking for nonrefundable rates because they could be cheaper in the long run.
“We’re going to see the prices fluctuate a lot upward. And so that could be really to your benefit,” Travers said.