Cumbrian hotel offers haven for World Cup ''football widows''

A hotel in the Lake District has banned any mention of football during the World Cup in an attempt to drum up business from “football widows”.

The hotel have ordered staff not to even mention the "F" word for the duration of the tournament and has guaranteed any guest a free bottle of champagne should they overhear workers discussing football.  

The management team at the Linthwaite House Hotel in Bowness, Cumbria came up with the idea in an attempt to reduce the drop off in guest numbers that usually coincides with major sporting events.

“We have noticed that things go a bit quiet during events like the World Cup, so we wanted to come up with something to differentiate ourselves,” said marketing manager Claire Davenport.

This means the 27-room property is being turned into a haven for women who want to escape the constant coverage of Wayne Rooney’s  toe and Sven’s team selection.

Instead, TVs in the hotel will show continuous re-runs of chick-flick films such as Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman, while in place of the standard World Cup diet of crisps and lager, stays at the £119-a-night hotel will include luxury chocolates, massage, reflexology and aromatherapy sessions.

Hotel owner Mike Bevans said: "We have gone to great lengths to ensure we have preserved the serenity for any football widows and this means creating an exclusion zone from all matters football.”

A similar initiative has been launched by Malmaison hotels. The boutique hotel chain is offering a “football widows package” for the duration of the World Cup.

For £175 two girlfriends can enjoy a twin room, dinner, a bottle of Mal wine, unlimited Häagen Daz ice-cream, a romantic video and breakfast.

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By Ross Bentley

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