LONDON – Football fans stand to gain more inside access to Chelsea Football Club with a new tie-up between the club and Singapore-headquartered hospitality group The Ascott Limited.
Said to be the first of its kind for a Singapore hospitality group, the strategic partnership will see Ascott become the official global hotels partner of the five-time English Premier League champions for the next four seasons, starting in July 2024.
With this partnership, fans will be able to book customised stay packages, while members of the Ascott Star Rewards programme can receive exclusive loyalty rewards.
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 pledged to work together on fan activities and events, too.
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.
The Chelsea tie-up is part of Ascott’s wider ambitions in Europe.
Mr 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 to 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.