A new wave of football-inspired accommodation is cropping up around the world, aiming to cater for fans who want to live, breathe and sleep football. But are they worth giving a sporting chance?
Hotel Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The trend started in 2012, when Argentina’s most revered football club, Boca Juniors, had a hotel dedicated to them. Designed by Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, the Hotel Boca is, confusingly, not particularly near the stadium. But the theming runs throughout, sometimes more subtle than others. Downstairs there are glass tubes containing all manner of Boca memorabilia, while the club’s blue-and-yellow colours are artfully blended in throughout. If it wasn’t for the images of players emblazoned on the doors, it could easily pass for a design hotel with no overt theming.
Double rooms cost from US$108 (Dh397). For more information, visit www.hotelbocajuniors.com
Hotel Football, Manchester, England
The next to kick-off on the beautiful-game hotel trend was the Hotel Football in Manchester, which is part owned by Manchester United players Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville. A short stroll from United’s Old Trafford stadium, the rooms are fairly timidly themed, although you might find “Dreaming of Victory” embroidered on the pillows and a massive picture of a goal net across the back wall. It’s the public spaces that really work, though. What look like grey-black walls turn out to be made up of hundreds of collectible football stickers, while there are framed contemporary photos of everyone still alive who has scored in a World Cup final. The images of sporting heroes as old men are quite touching.
When there's no game on, rooms can cost as little as £68 (Dh306). For more information, visit www.hotelfootball.com
CR7, Lisbon, Portugal
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has teamed up with Portuguese hotel empire Pestana to open his own micro-hotel chain. It started on Ronaldo’s home island of Madeira, with the newest addition opening in Lisbon in August. For Pestana, it’s an opportunity to open a lifestyle brand with immediate name recognition. The target audience is young – 18 to 35 – with a strong emphasis on technology and public spaces. The style has a touch of art deco to it, while the football theme is woven in with big images of celebrating players by the staircase and photos of illuminated stadiums behind the bed. And if you want a game of foosball, tables are happily provided.
Double rooms cost from €160 (Dh644). For more information, visit www.pestanacr7.com
The Shankly, Liverpool, England
While the CR7 goes for a current superstar, the newly opened Shankly in Liverpool pays homage to a legend from the past. Bill Shankly was the manager who set Liverpool FC on the way for success and world renown, and the public areas are full of memorabilia linked to him. This ranges from his football boots to match tickets from the 1960s. The rooms have a strongly but classically masculine feel – all brown leather and padded walls.
Rooms cost from £72 (Dh324). For more information, visit www.shanklyhotel.com
