The CapitaLand subsidiary will be the official global hotels partner of Chelsea Football Club for the next four seasons.
The two hotels at Chelsea’s home ground will be rebranded lyf Stamford Bridge London in the second half of 2025 as part of Ascott’s multi-year deal with the Premier League club. (Image: Ascott)
SINGAPORE: The CapitaLand subsidiary Ascott Limited on Monday (Jul 8) announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with English Premier League football club Chelsea.
For the next four seasons, the hospitality firm will be Chelsea’s official global hotels partner. As part of the deal, Ascott will take over the management of the two stadium hotels at Chelsea’s London home ground from the second half of this year.
The existing Millennium and Copthorne Hotels – comprising 232 units – will be rebranded lyf Stamford Bridge London in the second half of 2025.
“Leveraging Chelsea’s strong following as one of the world’s 10 most popular football clubs, Ascott aims to introduce its extensive portfolio of hospitality brands and properties around the globe to a new catchment of guests,” said the company.
The partnership with the five-time Premier League champion club will provide “money can’t buy” experiences for members of the Ascott Star Rewards loyalty programme worldwide, added Ascott.
The company touted “exclusive access” for members to matches at Stamford Bridge and “VIP visits” to the club’s training centre, Cobham Training Ground.
Mr Kevin Goh, chief executive officer for Ascott and CapitaLand Investment Limited Lodging, told CNA’s Asia Tonight on Monday that this is a “win-win collaboration” with Chelsea.
“We can help them engage their fans closer to home,” he said. “And they can help us provide our loyal guests with very authentic experiences such as access to matches, private stadium tours, or meet-and-greet events.
“The Ascott brand “will also be displayed at Stamford Bridge for both Men’s and Women’s matches, as well as across Chelsea’s social and digital channels with engaging content for fans to enjoy”, said the hospitality company.
It added that Ascott will also become the presenting partner of Chelsea’s flagship international fan engagement event, the Famous CFC, in two international markets.
Ascott’s chief commercial officer Tan Bee Leng said: “As the Official Global Hotels Partner, Ascott will collaborate with Chelsea on a series of innovative marketing and promotional initiatives to engage with millions of football enthusiasts across Europe and beyond.”
She noted that the partnership would provide “unparalleled opportunities” for Ascott to “curate memorable fan engagement activities, exclusive offers for Chelsea supporters, and bespoke stay experiences at Ascott properties for fans”.
Ascott also announced on Monday the signing of six new properties in five European cities: Colmar in France, as well as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester and Manchester in the United Kingdom.
“Building on a growing demand for Ascott’s suite of brands, these new signings will boost Ascott’s portfolio in Europe by 14 per cent to about 8,000 units across six brands, and extend Ascott’s presence in the region to 29 cities from 24,” said the company.
Europe continues to play a key role in the company’s expansion plans, said Mr Goh.
“We expect franchise management to be our next pillar of growth in Europe, where market conditions are conducive for this business segment,” he said.
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