Seafood towers, endless Honey Deuces and $100,000 suites: How the US Open lures in high-rollers and celebrities

New York (CNN) — In the waning weeks of summer, the hottest spot for celebrities to be seen in New York isn’t the beaches of Montauk or the polo fields in Bridgehampton. Rather, it’s slightly uncomfortable, blue plastic chairs in Queens — but surrounded by luxury.

Monday kicks off the US Open, the two-week tennis tournament which is the sport’s final grand slam of the year with a record-breaking $75 million in prize money up for grabs. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said ticket sales have already surpassed last year’s, which broke attendance records, indicating that the sport keeps getting more popular following a pandemic boom.

In addition to attracting the top players, including 2023 champions Coco Gauff and fresh Olympic gold medal winner Novak Djokovic, the US Open these days swarms with megawatt stars, from actress Charlize Theron to singer Justin Bieber and tabloid-favorites Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet making appearances last year.

“Coming out of Covid-19, the growth of tennis has gone way up,” said Shiz Suzuki, vice president for global brand sponsorships and experimental marketing for American Express, the tournament’s credit card sponsor. It runs a trio of lounges with exclusivity — and amenities — mostly tied to levels of card membership. “Similarly, the fandom of tennis has gone up. Some of the audience has gotten younger and some of the audience is a new audience that perhaps has not tuned in before.”

Tennis swung into the current pop culture and fashion zeitgeist thanks to the recent Zendaya-led film “Challengers,” with viewership also rising: ESPN’s ratings for England’s Wimbledon, the previous grand slam, rose 9% this June compared to last.

But the stars who attend aren’t sitting in the upper bowl of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 24,000-seat main court often seen on TV, watching a speck of a neon-green ball bounce back and forth.

Instead, they’re invited to one of the 90 swanky suites that flank the court. These are either run by the US Open’s top sponsors or available to rent privately for prices up to $100,000. These offer comfy chairs, big-screen TVs and catered food, as well as giving host companies more exposure thanks to the buzz a celebrity brings to an event. (However, to get up close, the outside balconies still have those plastic chairs.)

Cocktails, and a captive audience

Suite sales also are set to surpass a record-setting 2023 tournament, officials said. In fact, many sold out by April, marking the Open’s fastest-ever rate of sales. One particular draw: Tennis has the benefit of having hours-long matches often stretching into the late night, a unique trait for brands looking to mingle and market their invitees.

Overall hospitality sales, which also encompass private suites, court-side seats at Ashe and other lounges throughout the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, are up 27% this year from last, according to Elevate Experiences. Big spenders laying down the six figures to secure a suite are companies mostly from financial, insurance and legal businesses.

They’re a major factor in USTA’s growth: The organization made $71 million in 2023 from corporate hospitality, a 16% increase compared to the year prior, and a figure that’s likely to rise in 2024 judging by demand and the “fan week” that added to the start of the event.

The popularity mirrors the growth of private suites and corporate parties at other sports, including football, Formula 1 and the Olympics, in an era when more people are traveling for sports and splashing down big bucks for unique experiences.

Al Guido, president of San Francisco 49ers and CEO of Elevate, told CNN that the “ticket is just one piece of the live entertainment experience,” adding that “corporate hospitality is a multi-billion-dollar market, and those customers want to control the entire guest journey for their clients.”

Attracting A-listers

For Maestro Dobel Tequila, inviting Theron in 2023 was part of its strategy to introduce itself to an audience that’s likely unfamiliar to the brand. Last year, the spirit became the US Open’s first-ever tequila sponsor in a deal that continues this year.

In addition to Theron, other stars invited last year to Dobel’s suite included Seal, Ariana DeBose and Katie Holmes

“The suite provides a controlled environment for us to bring the right people and right crowd,” said Lander Otegui, chief marketing officer for Dobel’s parent company Proximo, adding that inviting a recognizable celebrity like Theron “gives an opportunity for us to have free publicity out of the suite.”

He declined to say how much a suite at the US Open costs but revealed that it’s a multi-million-dollar investment altogether when factoring in the sponsorship. They are seeing results: Sales of Dobel rose in cities where it sponsors tennis tournaments, Otegui noted.

Theron attended twice last year as a guest of Dobel, sipping its signature Ace Paloma cocktail, with the pictures splashed across the Daily Mail, Page Six and other publications (as well as the Dobel-branded plastic cup).

Opulence helps the sponsors make their mark and no company is likely more associated with that than Emirates Airline, the carrier known for its over-the-top cabins. It doesn’t directly recreate the experience at Ashe, but it’s getting close to mirroring the first class experience.

Perched directly in line with the net, the 1,400-square foot suite underwent a massive remodel for 2024 that mirrors the same luxe look and ambiance of its plane’s interiors. A cabin crew staffs the suite checking people in, and the food served inside also matches its first-class offerings, with seafood towers, champagne and caviar.

Emirates invited Zendaya, Bieber and his wife Haley last year, as well as actress Nicole Kidman. Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge and Nicola Coughlin, the star of the latest season of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” were all photographed in the suite.

Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates’ divisional vice president for US and Canada, admitted that “it’s always exciting to see photos of stars enjoying the space and putting our brand in the spotlight as they enjoy the matches.”

Emirates is aiming to be “synonymous with some of the biggest sports in the world, helping establish long-lasting relationships in addition to creating new business opportunities,” Ahmad told CNN. The airline was recently named the official global airline of the NBA and is getting naming rights to the league’s new in-season tournament.

Other suites also attract A-listers: Grey Goose, the tournament’s vodka sponsor, has an open bar in theirs that serves the iconic Honey Deuce and other vodka cocktails. The Bacardi-owned brand has had a suite for the past 15 years, which has evolved into a distinctive marketing tool for the vodka.

“That’s one of the things that’s unique about the US Open versus other tennis tournaments is that really is like an elevated affair,” Aleco Azqueta, vice president of marketing for Grey Goose, told CNN. “Our suite is the place now to see and be seen.” Last year, actors Zach Braff, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski were some of the stars seen there.

“We actually get a lot of requests from celebrities for limited spots,” Azqueta said. “It comes down to brand fit and someone that genuinely wants to be there and enjoy the event.”

The pay off

Luring in the right star pays off for the sponsors, who are all spending millions of dollars to be attached to the glitzy tennis tournament. One picture posted on a stars’ social media profile is worth about up to seven figures in free publicity for the company, according to Bob Lynch, founder and CEO of SponsorUnited, and which more than makes up what the brand is spending on a sponsorship deal.

“The presence of celebrities in general tends to encourage others in the suite to share their experiences, further extending the brand’s message and generating organic exposure across various platforms,” Lynch told CNN. “Surrounding them with influencers or those with larger social followings helps.”

Beyond the stars, business gets done in them too. For Heineken, the US Open’s beer sponsor, it uses its suite to invite business partners, like distributors and retailers, as well as celebrities and influencers to promote the brand that trails in sales compared to its larger rivals.

“Few multi-week events in a key market like New York captivate and engage our target audience as powerfully as this one,” Pattie Falch, Heineken USA’s director partnerships and consumer experiences, told CNN.

Last year, the Dutch beer used the US Open as part of its launch of Heineken Silver, its new low-carb beer. “Stranger Things” actor Joe Keery photographed holding a can of Silver made its rounds in celebrity magazines.

New for this year, Heineken enlisted Taylor Fritz, the top-ranked male US tennis player, and his social media influencer girlfriend Morgan Riddle to promote its non-alcoholic beer that is being sold in a tennis-themed can at the US Open.

The all-day event at Ashe, with some matches that can stretch well into the night, is a “unique environment to market to decision-makers and develop relations over an entire day,” Lynch said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.