England’s Lionesses find a home from home at Zurich’s fairy-tale ‘castle’

ZURICH (AP) — England’s hotel at the Women’s European Championship is a “home from home,” although it is likely a step above the players’ normal abodes.

Nestled in the woods on top of a hill overlooking Zurich and flaunting an array of spires and cupolas, the iconic Dolder Grand looks like a castle that has jumped straight out of a book of fairy tales.

Inside, old-world grandeur with chandeliers and sweeping staircases meets sleek modernity, as well as panoramic views over Lake Zurich and the Alps.

“My first 24 hours here I was just going ‘Whoa, whoa!’ the whole time,” said England defender Esme Morgan, who plays for Washington Spirit in the United States.

“We feel very lucky with how well we’ve been taken care of and its sort of the perfect base for us to go on through the tournament and where everyone can just relax and get together to watch the other games.”

The players can also relax by perusing the Dolder Grand’s art collection with more than 100 works by artists including Salvador Dalí and actor Sylvester Stallone.

The hotel has a 4,000 square-meter spa, that includes an infinity hot tub with stunning views — an ideal place for the Lionesses to recover after a match. England began its title defense by losing to France 2-1 on Saturday and next plays on Wednesday against the Netherlands in Group D.

‘We feel super welcome’

Rooms at the Dolder Grand start at 740 Swiss Francs ($930) a night for a double to around 14,500 Swiss Francs ($18,300) for the two-floor Presidential Suite — which, like some of the other suites, includes a butler service.

The Dolder Grand — which featured in the movie ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ — was chosen after a year-long search by the English Football Association, with staff having the perhaps enviable job of visiting 23 facilities, tasked with finding the team a home from home.

“About a year ago, for the first time, I stepped into the door of the Dolder and we could just feel the excitement of the hotel staff,” said the team’s general manager, Anja van Ginhoven. “One of the first things they said to us, similar to The Lensbury (on the outskirts of London where the Lionesses stayed in 2022), they said ‘We want to be part of this.’

“We feel super welcome and very supported. All they want to do is give us a great home away from home.”

The Lionesses arrived on their team bus, shortly after flying into Zurich, and were greeted by beaming hotel staff.

Guests normally arrive by car — often very nice ones — or by a short journey up on the rack-and-pinion railway, which has its terminus adjacent to the hotel.

The hotel dates back to 1899 although it underwent an extensive renovation at the start of the century, led by Norman Foster.

Dignitaries and film stars

Apart from the reigning European champions, the Dolder Grand has hosted a plethora of celebrities, from Hollywood stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio, to the Rolling Stones, as well as royalty and dignitaries including Winston Churchill, the Shah of Persia and King Charles, when he was a bachelor prince.

The Dolder Grand also had a cameo role in FIFA business and soccer conferences during the presidency of Sepp Blatter that ended in 2015.

During the now-notorious World Cup bidding contests for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, scandal implicated two FIFA executive committee members weeks before they were due to vote. FIFA vice president Reynald Temarii was staying at the Dolder Grand the night before he was due for a dressing-down meeting with Blatter at FIFA headquarters.

In 1996, the hotel is also where FIFA — with Blatter as secretary general — formally sealed the diplomatic deal to have World Cup co-hosts for the first time, awarding the 2002 edition to Japan and South Korea.

Uncertain stay

Just how long England will be able to enjoy the grande dame of Zurich hotels remains to be seen. Sarina Wiegman’s team also faces the Netherlands and Wales in Group D.

Football may or not be “coming home” — as England’s team anthem goes — but the Lionesses might not want to.

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AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar contributed to this report

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer