English Premier League club Chelsea players with Millennium Mayfair London hotel in the background (L-R): Olivier Giroud (forward), Eden Hazard (midfielder), and Willian da Silva (midfielder).
Millennium Hotels
Inks Exclusive
Hotel Deal
With English
Football Giants
Chelsea
Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) is now English Premier League club Chelsea's official global hotel partner. This partnership is the first time an English Premier League team has signed with a global hotel group, and a Singapore-owned group at that, according to Chris Madsen, Chelsea’s head of Partnership Management Asia.
A private reception to mark the exclusive three-year partnership ahead of the Blues’ first home game of the season was recently held in Singapore, with Mr Kwek Leng Beng, MHR Chairman in attendance.
As part of internal engagement for the launch, Millennium Hotels and Resorts staff had the chance to win tickets to catch the footballers live in action against Lyon FC at Chelsea FC’s home ground Stamford Bridge. The staff who won the tickets were Ms Jessica Needham, Legal Counsel – Europe (1st from left) with her husband Darren Laughland; Ms Sophie Heath, Marketing Manager – Europe (3rd from left) and her husband Luke Heath; and Ms Raquel Ribera, Head of Digital, Europe (5th from left) with her friend, Phil.
Mr Franck Kermarrec, Senior Vice President of MHR, revealed that this exclusive ‘Global Hotel Partnership’ was a natural progression for the Group given that MHR has had a close relationship with Chelsea Football Club for over ten years, managing two hotels at Stamford Bridge, home to the Club in West London. MHR hotels have provided Chelsea FC fans with the perfect home at ‘the Bridge’ as the two hotels are located right in the heart of the Club.
Given the rise of sports tourism in Asia in recent years, this timely partnership will not only enhance the perception of both brands on a global platform but will also add to the breadth of services offered by MHR, added Mr Kermarrec. Some estimates put Asia's total football fan base at more than a billion and Chelsea FC alone has over 240 million fans now across the region. Fans are much more inclined to travel to watch their favourite teams play and naturally, they will have a closer affiliation to a hotel that has strong links to the club they support.
Cheering for The Blues: The Bailey’s Hotel Director of Sales Mr Paul Middleton (1st from left) hosted clients at the International Champions Cup match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC, a match day hospitality initiative that is part of the partnership. Guests received Chelsea-branded memorabilia such as scarves and pin badges to get in the cheering mood, and were treated to an exciting game where Arsenal won 6-5 on penalties.
Millennium Hotel at Chelsea Football Club will provide fans with Blues-themed packages - which include perks such as a Chelsea FC welcome gift, free high-speed Wi-Fi and late check-outs.
Creating memorable guest experiences that sets MHR apart from other hotel groups, guests will be able to access a selection of unique football-focused room packages, book a range of guest experiences and enter competitions to win money-can’t-buy prizes on the new Millennium Chelsea FC website or by searching #stayalltogether on social media.
Providing the perfect base for Chelsea FC fans this football season, MHR guests can also book the ultimate Blues supporter hotel package, complete with a delicious ‘eat like a Blue’ breakfast, ‘energise like a Blue’ smoothie, ‘train like a Blue’ fitness centre access and a Chelsea FC welcome gift. The package is also inclusive of a room for two guests, club lounge access, free high speed wi-fi, late check out and My Millennium reward points.
As the partnership develops, MHR will be offering a range of exciting promotions to guests including ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunities, such as; training ground ‘meet & greet’ experiences with players, hospitality box access, VIP travel packages for European away matches and signed merchandise, to name a few.
Excited to formalise the strong relationship with MHR into a global partnership, Chris Townsend OBE, Commercial Director at Chelsea Football Club, said, “Millennium Hotels and Resorts boast some exquisite properties around the world and we look forward to welcoming another leading brand into the Chelsea partner family.”
Mr Kwek Leng Beng, MHR Chairman (second from right) was presented with a Chelsea FC jersey bearing his moniker. With him are Mr Chris Madsen, Head of Partnership Management, Asia, Chelsea Football Club (second from left) and the MHR team (from left) Mr Simon Scoot, Group Chief Marketing Officer; Ms Jennifer Fox, CEO and Mr Franck Kermarrec, Senior Vice President.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts staff at the kick-off event in Singapore: (L-R) Mr Rowel Bughao, Senior Manager, Digital Platforms Operations, Global E-Commerce; Mr Dzulfiqar Karim, Global Distribution Services Executive; Ms May Faridah, Director, CRS Development & Integrations, Global E-Commerce; Mr Ng Hoe Guan; Senior E-Commerce & Digital Marketing Executive; Mr Ian Ng; Graphic Designer, Cluster Marcom; and Mr Lester Wong, Marketing Executive, Cluster Marcom.
