from Arianna Ravelli, sent to Doha
The super-luxury hospitality of the stadiums: the package for the two semi-finals and the final costs 17 thousand euros, more than the F1 in Montecarlo. What do they offer? Comfort, music and alcohol that you can’t find in the rest of the stadiums
If you were thinking of buying a package for the two semi-finals and the final of the World Cup, to be enjoyed in the Pearl lounge of the Lusail stadium (the one that looks like a golden bowl) and in a suite at the Al Bayt stadium (the one in the shape of a tent) which boasts a foldaway bed and a bathroom with showerfor the digit of 17 thousand euros (or to save money, with only one semifinal you get away with 12,556 euros), well know that they are all sold out. Forget the VIPs, here we are Vvip, because there is always someone more VIP than someone else. Not that it’s exclusive to the World Cup or even Qatar, but just to say, two days at the F1 paddock club in Montecarlo cost 4,800 euros (with a position on the yacht), 6,400 euros in Abu Dhabi (three days) and we’ll have to wait the Las Vegas GP to try and get closer with 12,000 euros for the weekend. In short, almost poor people.
Not that you see much of these Vvip entrances when you arrive in the wonderful stadiums of Qatar: you notice the writing on the roadways, one for each status. In the Vvip artery, for example, the Emir of Qatar arrives by helicopter with his entourage and then gets into a Mercedes to be taken directly to the special area of the stadium. Without, of course, ever coming into contact with the rest of the world.
But who are these Vvips? It is not easy to find out, but in addition to the family of the emir there are some heads of state (among them the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia present for example at the inaugural match but not only), foreign officials, such as the former adviser of the US president Jared Kushner, and the parsley characters of the jet-set such as, for example, Ivanka Trump, spotted at the US match. “There’s a lot of rotation,” he explains Jaime Byrom, the CEO of Match Hospitality, the company that manages all these services here at the World Cup —, There are 116 people in the “Pearl Lounge”, they are never the same according to the games, they come from all over the world, the Middle East, Asia, North America, Europe. The most special guest? My grandchildren who are arriving.’ Good answer.
Match Hospitality has studied five levels of exclusivity, the cheapest of all cost 900 euros for a group match, accompanied – we read – by “street food and drink”. «We started with the World Cup in South Africa, in Brazil there was a first improvement and in the lounges in Russia another even bigger one – continues Byrom—, but what we have achieved here in Qatar with the Pearl Lounge I think it will hardly improve for a long time. Any examples? We have changed the floors of the stadiums by putting marble and replaced all the armchairs present with more comfortable ones, we have introduced the Michelin-starred restaurant, guests are brought from the parking lot with golf carts. My favorite place is the “business” one, it’s not the most expensive, but it’s the best for those who want to enjoy the game. We don’t believe more can be done inside the stadiums, honestly, now our attention is to move outside, how to improve customer reception in the resorts and transport to the stadium».
What you find depends on how many stars your package has, if you are a VIP or VVIP. In addition to the one described by Byrom let’s say business rooms, coriander welcome drinks, sumptuous buffets (in crescendo depending on the price), and if you are in the suites, six-course menus, dishes by starred chefs who cook in front of you, the musical band playing , the bathroom with shower and the bed if the game bores you a lot, the possibility that Beckham or one of the World Cup testimonials will make an appearance and give you a smile, a “surprise” gift at the end of the game.
And of course, before, during and after, the alcohol. The one forbidden in the rest of the stadiums (even for the sponsor beer), the one that in Qatar is only found (very expensive) in international hotels or in the only trading post where foreigners or those who have been resident for a certain number of years can go to stock up (to drink at home). Well, the country’s rules for Vvips don’t apply. For example, at a €3,000 pp lounge in Al Bayt, the bar menu included Taittinger champagne, Chivas Regal 12 years, Martell VSOP brandy and Jose Cuervo tequila 1,800. And don’t say it’s not worth it.