On 10 May UEFA partner Hotels.com rolled out a 2021 Champions League Final activation fronted by ambassador Eric Cantona and built around a collection of limited edition ‘Do Not Disturb Suites’.
Fans who book one of the bespoke soccer suites in the nine participating premium hotels will ‘enjoy an uninterrupted viewing experience of the match and one lucky guest will have a chance to spend the evening with Cantona himself – who will act as their hotel butler for the night – to discuss football matters from match tactics to his own experiences throughout the game.
Plus, each UCL booking includes pre-match and half-time room-service worth £100, plus a ‘luxury kit bag’: with robes, slippers, an eye mask for a pre-match nap, mini toiletries for a post-game bath, along with football scarves, red and yellow cards and a miniature UEFA Champions League trophy.
Launched 19 days ahead of the 2021 UCL final, which will be played between Chelsea FC and Manchester City FC on 29 May, the Expedia-owned hotel booking site’s campaign is fronted by the former France and Manchester united forward and led by a YouTube video with supporting Facebook and Instagram posts.
The creative asks viewers if they ‘Need to escape all the constant interruptions and distractions at home? Just want to watch the football in peace and quiet? We’ve got you covered. For the UEFA Champions League Final 2021, we’re offering football fans the chance to watch the match completely uninterrupted in one of our limited edition ‘Do Not Disturb’ hotel suites. With rooms available at hand-picked hotels across Europe, each suite offers all the perks that come with staying in a luxurious hotel: room service, plush beds, large TV’s, an exclusive kit bag filled with goodies and more importantly, peace and quiet!
All the content pieces seek to drive viewers to the campaign hub where viewers can book a room at one of nine hotels across Europe for just £20.21 with each suite offering room service, plush beds, large TV’s, an exclusive kit bag filled with goodies and more importantly, peace and quiet to watch the big game.
One suite being released at each hotel for booking each day at 9am BST /10am CEST between 10 and 14 May 2021 on a first come, first serve basis.
The participating hotels are:
The Lowry, Manchester, UK
A famous Jose was a big fan of this hotel, as he lived in it during his time in Manchester!
Chelsea Harbour Hotel, London, UK
Harbourside hotel, walking distance to Stamford Bridge
Hilton St George’s Park, Burton, UK
Located in St. George’s Park, the training ground for the English national football teams
Dixie Dean Hotel, Liverpool, UK
Unique hotel inspired by a treasured footballing icon located in a football-loving city
Radisson Blu Paris Boulogne, Paris, France
Stylish hotel moments from the Parc de Princes stadium
Intercontinental Marseille, Marseille, France
Luxurious 5-star hotel located in the birthplace of Monsieur Cantona
Quality Hotel Friends, Stockholm, Sweden
Located so close to the national Friends Arena you can almost touch the pitch!
The Thief, Oslo, Norway
Boutique hotel with a fabulous spa for a post-match wind down
NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding, Madrid, Spain
Uber cool hotel steps from the Santiago Bernabéu
“Life is full of interruptions and being stuck at home during the pandemic has only made this worse. We’ve got no space to ourselves and absolutely no ‘me time’, this is definitely true in the Cantona house anyway! I can’t even find 90 minutes to watch the football!” said Cantona in the campaign launch PR. “Distractions are our enemy. Focus is our friend. I wanted to help find peace and with Hotels.com this is my gift to you. We’ve created the Do Not Disturb Suites so that you can finally watch the beautiful game without distractions. Relax and let the game begin.”
Hotels.com Head of Global & EMEA Brand Communications Emma Tag added: “We know it’s been impossible to find any ‘me time’ during the pandemic, and when we found out more than one in three fans have not been able to enjoy their football without constantly being interrupted, we wanted to reward them for their patience with this great escape! Alongside King Cantona, we’ve created the ultimate viewing experience for one of the biggest nights in the football calendar. Fans can now give unwanted interruptions the red card, as our ‘Do Not Disturb’ suites’ are fit for football royalty, with peace and quiet guaranteed.”
Comment:
The activation follows Hotels.com research of 6,000 football fans which found that more than two-thirds (67%) of the British public would like to book a hotel room to escape ‘pandemic life’, with 66% saying ‘want nothing more’ than an evening of watching their favourite TV show in peace. According to the same research, the average Brit is prepared to spend £93.49 for one night of ‘me time’ away from home.
The 2021 Final activation follows on from previous Hotels.com Cantona fronted Champions League campaigns including 2019’s UCL ‘Culture’ campaign as well as the UEFA sponsor’s April UCL ‘Dream Island’ campaign and August 2020’s ‘No Stadium, No Problem’.
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