51 games, 24 countries, all fighting for Euro 2016 glory. Every year, millions of doting football fans watch their favourite players give every ounce of effort to bring home the cup.
It’s not a walk in the park, you know. We’ve all played five-a-side and felt the burn in our lungs afterwards. Well, imagine how a whole tournament feels. Ultimately, they need somewhere comfortable to sleep – a nice luxurious mattress to rest their heads at night; being a footballer is hard work indeed!
That’s why they stay in 5-star hotels (not because they’re posh).
We’re going to take a look at 10 teams; where they’re staying, the amenities on offer and how far they’re away from the capital of love — Paris! We’re then going to stick the results in a very complicated algorithm to decide which team has bagged the best hotel.
A war is won on a rested head, after all!
So, which country has the best hotel?
We’ve looked at three things to determine which hotel has the best facilities:
- 3 points for a 5-star hotel, 2 for a 4-star and 1 for anything less
- One point for each of the facilities offered below:
- Free wifi
- Swimming Pool
- Gourmet Restaurant
- Spa
- Sea-view
- Sports Facilities
- How far each hotel is away from Paris – which is the host city for the final!
No surprise that England are sitting on top then (no favouritism, honestly!). Let’s take a look at each of the hotels in a little more detail.
England: £572 a night
Based in the incredibly prestigious Domaine de Chantilly, the Auberge du Jeu de Paume is a five-star luxury hotel that only mere mortals could dream of gracing. The lavish 18th-century style abode features priceless antiques and original artworks — the kind of thing Jamie Vardy reveres over. With all the facilities you’d expect from a 5-star pad (free WiFi, flat-screen HD TVs and even iPad docks), alongside two upscale gourmet restaurants, for a nice bit of post-match nosh. There’s even a bar terrace, perfect for celebrations — not likely for England then. Overall, wonderful.
Sweden: £366 a night
Bringing your own bed to the Euros? Then you must be part of the Swedish national team. Yeah, that’s correct — they’re bringing their own mattresses (wonder if they’re open coil or memory foam?). Hamren has dictated — well probably Zlatan — that all players must have their own personalised bed. This is great because a good night’s sleep might just take Sweden all the way to the final — maybe. Le Moulin des Vernegues comes with all the mod-cons you’d expect — again, wifi, restaurants etc. Again, they’ve got a beach view, but with little time to enjoy it, it’s like dangling a carrot. Oh well, at least they’ll be able to enjoy their beds — for how long though, no one knows. (Probably the quarter finals, though.)
Germany: £57 a night
The Hotel Ermitage is a chain of hotels that spans across the world. If you’re worried that Germany are staying in a global version of a Travel Lodge, you’d be wrong. These hotels are renowned for luxury, decadence and all round great service. 4-stars overall, they’re not getting the same level of luxury as the England lads, but in terms of value, they’re getting more for their money than you’d expect. Facilities include a lake view and its very own boutique — somewhere for the players to splash the cash, essentially. Unfortunately though, there’s no pool or spa, which means Gotze can’t pamper himself. Oh well, he’ll survive!
Italy: £134 a night
Montpellier is the domicile for Italy during the Euros, and it appears they’ve bagged the king of chain hotels — the Marriott Hotels. The Marriott Montpellier Courtyard, set in the gorgeous district of Port Marianne. This hotel comes with everything Conte’s men will ever need — spa and pool (better than Germany), fitness centre, free wifi, gourmet restaurants (a common feature), and of course a bar. At four stars, England still trump them in terms of stars, but let’s be honest, Montpellier is much nice than Paris.
France: £92 a night
The Clairefontaine Complex is where you’ll find the French national team this year. It’s not a hotel though, as you would expect from the classiest nation on Earth — no, it’s a football complex. Deschamps has obviously got his eye on the prize and apparently believes that luxury hotels aren’t part of a winning formula. So, yeah, while it hasn’t got all the trimmings of a regular 5 star hotel, it’s got all the facilities they’ll need: free wifi, their very own housekeepers, and is rather close to Paris — perfect if Nasri and his mates fancy a trip to the Eiffel Tower (which they’re probably sick of by now).
Wales: £176 a night
Let’s hope Bale has brought his sun-cream, because although it’s only a trip across the pond, the sun is gonna be a hell of a lot more shinier in France. Wales have opted for the Novotel Thalassa Dinard this year and it looks rather lovely. They’ll be glad to know that the rooms are ‘bright and airy’ and come with tea and coffee-making facilities (good to have a nice cuppa after footy). The restaurant and bar serves seafood and regional fare — no processed nonsense basically, although we think Wales will bring their own chef in the form of retired Craig Bellamy — you can’t be fussy when the cook wields a driver. Based near the ocean, in between Mont St Michel and Cap Frehel, if the lads fancy a spot of fishing after games, it’s all there and more!
Spain: £250 a night
5 acres of land, surrounded by peace and tranquillity, Spain have only gone and bagged the Hotel Atalante Relais Thalasso — honestly, everybody should be jealous. Not only does the Relais Thalasso have its own underground access, it’s right on the beachfront (beach volleyball, anyone?). Again, it has its own fitness centre (a must, it appears), alongside an indoor pool, a spa and, yes, free wifi. We couldn’t imagine Sergio Ramos trying to Skype his family, only to be stopped because he hasn’t paid the 15 euro surcharge. Oh, how the other half live, ey. Aren’t they there to play footy?
Austria: £230 a night
If any of the players fancy getting married, they’ll be glad to know that the Moulin de Vernegues offers fantastic wedding packages. There’s a good chance these guys won’t go too far in the competition, but while they’re at it, they may as well enjoy it. This hotel has nearly everything you’d need for a basic holiday, wifi, built in hairdryers, a safe for when they steal the trophy (they’re not winning it), but being based quite far away from the capital might cause a few issues. There’s a reason they’re far away from where the final is hosted — think they’ve got the hint
Poland: £700 a night
It’s the only other 5-star hotel (spoiler alert). Poland have bagged one of the best hotels in France, in the form of Hotel Hermitage Barriere. Right on the beach — maybe they’ll bump into Ibrahimović — we could have the Euro 2016 Volleyball Championships. Well, either way, Błaszczykowski will be able to steer his team to glory — especially on a good night’s sleep. This place has two pools (indoor and outdoor), while some hotels teams are staying at have none (poor Germany) — perfect for pool parties! There are two restaurants to match the two pools as well, so after a long swim, you can eat at some of the fanciest restaurants in France. On the subject of rooms, the Barrier is styled around Edwardian architecture, so you can expect grand rooms with elegant, opulent decor. Perfect luxury.
Northern Ireland: £315 a night
The Irish are over the moon to get to the Euros. It just show how far they’ve gone as a footballing nation. Michael O’Neill has gone far since windy Wednesdays at Stoke. To match the success of getting to the Euros, O’Neill has lined up a plush, luxurious hotel. The Chateau de Pizay is a 4-star hotel based in the Beaujolais region of France. It contains quaint, antique filled rooms, perfect for the sophisticated and civilised Irish team. With 4-poster beds, sofa beds (for guests/family) and gourmet restaurants around every corner, Will Grigg (the classiest player on the pitch) will easily find somewhere fancy to dine down, before heading off for a luxurious massage. Perfect!
If you’re getting jealous of Ibrahimović’s personalised bed, get your very own here! We wouldn’t advise trying to steal his though, he’s pretty tough!