As part of the deal, Ascott will assume management of hotels at Stamford Bridge – Chelsea’s home stadium. - THE ASCOTT LIMITED
LONDON: Chelsea fans will be thrilled after Singapore-headquartered hospitality group The Ascott Limited secured a tie-up with their favourite football club.
Ascott will be the five-time English Premier League champions’ official global hotels partner for the next four seasons, starting in July 2024, as part of a deal said to be the first of its kind for a Singapore hospitality group.
Through the partnership, fans will be able to book customised stay packages, while members of the Ascott Star Rewards programme can receive exclusive loyalty rewards.
One compound set to be open for guest bookings for the first time is a luxurious wood-panelled cottage at Chelsea’s Cobham training grounds in the countryside outside London, built by past owner Roman Abramovich and now used for club events.
Meanwhile, rewards lined up include experiences which the two partners said in a July 8 statement cannot be bought with money alone, such as VIP visits to the club’s private training grounds and meet-and-greet sessions with the men’s and women’s football teams.
Tickets for select home matches, which will come with pre-game refreshments, will also be set aside on a limited basis for higher-tier members.
Guided stadium tours and commemorative co-branded merchandise will also be available in limited quantities.
The partners also pledged to work together on fan activities and events.
Ascott, the lodging business unit of CapitaLand Investment, will become the presenting partner of Chelsea’s flagship global fan tour, the Famous CFC, in two international markets.
The Straits Times understands that Singapore is a leading candidate to host the event, owing to its large local fanbase, as well as the Republic’s infrastructure, connectivity and tourist appeal.
If chosen, it will be the first time for Singapore.
As part of the deal, which was sealed for an undisclosed sum, Ascott will also assume management of hotels with a total of 232 units at Stamford Bridge – Chelsea’s home stadium – from the second half of 2024.
The properties will be rebranded together as lyf Stamford Bridge London in the second half of 2025.
Also, the Ascott brand will be displayed at Stamford Bridge for both men’s and women’s matches, as well as across Chelsea’s social and digital channels.
At a press conference to announce the partnership, held at Stamford Bridge on July 8, Ascott chief commercial officer Tan Bee Leng said the deal aims to provide what more guests now want.
“People are looking for authentic immersive experiences, and when we looked at the whole spectrum of experiential travel, we found sports tourism to be one of the most robust segments in terms of that strong mass appeal,” Tan said.
The Chelsea tie-up is part of Ascott’s wider ambitions in Europe.
Lee Ngor Houai, Ascott’s chief operating officer for Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia and China, said that in 2023, travellers from Europe contributed about 16 per cent of Ascott’s global hospitality business.
“Riding on Ascott’s expanded portfolio in Europe, coupled with increased efforts to build on the brand in the region, we are targeting to almost double this figure to 30 per cent by 2028, placing Europe as a top three source market for Ascott,” he said.
Kevin Goh, chief executive of Ascott and CapitaLand Investment Lodging, also said Ascott expects franchise management to be its next pillar of growth in Europe, where market conditions are conducive for this business segment. In addition, some of its existing properties are set to be renovated and rebranded.
During the press conference, Goh said: “A large part of our presence is in Asia, but a lot of our guests are actually from Europe, so having a brand presence in Europe, having properties in Europe, having collaborations like we have with Chelsea is going to bring us a lot more business from this part of the world.”
Ascott also announced that it has signed deals to manage six properties in Europe, including the one at Stamford Bridge.
These new deals will boost Ascott’s portfolio in Europe by 14 per cent to about 8,000 units across six brands, the firm said.
Ascott also extend its presence in the region to 29 cities, up from 24. The five new cities are Colmar in France, as well as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester and Manchester in the United Kingdom.
Ascott operates over 950 properties globally, with a presence across more than 220 cities in over 40 countries.
In 2023, the company unveiled a target to nearly double its fee revenue to $500 million by 2028.
On July 6, Ascott organised the first event under its new Ascott Privilege Signatures programme, which comprises by-invite-only experiences for a select group of top-spending platinum-tier rewards members.
Some 80 top customers and owners of Ascott-managed properties were treated to French cuisine by renowned chef Michel Roux Jr on the sidelines of the prestigious tennis tournament Wimbledon.
The group then watched matches at Wimbledon’s Centre Court. - The Straits Times/ANN
