Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the GOAT of the hotel world?
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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both know a shrewd business move when they see one.
Off the pitch, the pair have a variety of business interests, including fashion lines, museums and, in the case of the PSG star, a so-called Chinese theme park.
But these are the hotels that the two, who have won the Ballon d’Or 12 times between them, just can’t stop collecting, just like playing a game of Monopoly.
Messi, 34, bought the Seasun Fona in S’Illot, Mallorca, to add it to his hotel portfolio which includes spots in Ibiza and Barcelona.
And this year he added to that with a 141-room ski resort in the Pyrenees.
While Ronaldo, 36, has taken the budget route, creating the Pestana CR7 hotel chain in his hometown of Madeira and Lisbon, both in Portugal.
It has also added locations in Madrid and New York, and has plans for new locations, including an upscale 150-room destination in Manchester’s Picadilly Gardens district in 2023.
There’s never been much between them on the pitch, and it’s just as close when it comes to being a better hotelier.
Here we take a look inside some of their crown jewels.
HTEL MIM IBIZA ES VIVE
Jewel of Messi’s business empire, the Argentinian legend bought the 52-room adults-only luxury hotel in early 2018.
In fact, the magnificent Art Deco-style building, based just off the stunning Figueretas beach on the southeastern coast of the Balearic Island, was said to have been observed by Ronaldo before Messi flew away.
The £ 525-per-night resort was originally opened as a hostel in 2001, before being refurbished by British designer Sean Cochrane in 2014.
The MiM Ibiza Es Vive hotel has a superb rooftop bar and a majestic swimming pool surrounded by comfortable sun loungers.
In 2018, the hotel hit the headlines after SunSport EXCLUSIVELY revealed that the resort was going to be the basis for a four-day lesbian sex party.
TripAdvisor Rating: 4.4 out of 5
PESTANA CR7 FUNCHAL
Ronaldo’s first hotel was opened with great fanfare in July 2016.
At the time, he said: âI have wanted to be in the hospitality industry for quite some time and the opportunity came about quite naturally due to the relationship with the owner and president of the Pestana hotel group, DionÃsio Pestana, who built the largest hotel brand of Portuguese origin, starting with a first hotel on my native island, Madeira. “
And although this is a budget hotel, with rooms costing just £ 79 per night out of season, it enjoys a 4-star luxury rating.
The property sits on the waterfront opposite the Funchal cruise ship terminal, a ten-minute walk from the town center, and is surrounded by cafes and bars.
With a nod to its football owner, there are a few new designs with its decor, including astro-turf-lined bathrooms.
And the rooms themselves (all 49) are comfortable, if not a bit small.
The rooftop terrace has a sauna, which offers views of the Madeiran mountainous landscape.
Food wise, the more adventurous can try the CR7 Kobe Beef Burger with Foie Gras, but it’ll set you back around £ 21.
TripAdvisor rating: 4.3 out of 5
HOTEL MIM SITGES
Knowing his surroundings well, Messi reportedly spent £ 26million on his first hotel in Sitges, a coastal town in Catalonia, southwest of Barcelona in 2017.
The four-star Avenida Sofia has 77 rooms, including five junior suites and one superior suite.
The 3,300 square foot space has a top-floor swimming pool, which offers panoramic views of the sea and Sitges beach.
Other amenities include a spa that offers a variety of treatments and massages, as well as a VIP DUO cabin for couples’ treatments and an oxygen cabin.
You will find food and drinks at the Sky Bar, which serves refreshing cocktails and tapas.
And dinner can be enjoyed at Hotel MiM Sitges’ restaurant, which serves Mediterranean and local dishes.
To stay in a double room it will cost you around £ 104 per night which is reasonable for Barcelona.
However, Messi is faced with the explosive news that he may have to demolish the place.
The PSG ace, which costs £ 650,000 a week, has reportedly been hit with a court order as the building does not meet council requirements.
TripAdvisor rating: 4.3 out of 5
PESTANA CR7 LISBOA
After the success of his Madeira hotel, Ron, the prodigal son of Man Utd, quickly set his sights on the Portuguese coastal capital, Lisbon.
It is located in a nice part of town, close to the downtown waterfront and therefore perfect for sightseeing, shopping and bar crawling.
And his second excavations pay more tribute to his football career than his first.
Like the Messi Hotel in Ibiza, the design follows an Art Deco theme and features many Ronaldo memorabilia that adorn the rooms and reception.
For those who can’t stand being cut off from the internet, the hotel provides free cell phones if you need to log in, and you can even take them outside with you.
Football fanatics won’t miss a game, with the Corner Bar and Bistro featuring large-screen TVs showing all the major sporting events.
They offer a menu of mini-burgers, stuffed potato peels, as well as steaks, fish, and a few traditional Portuguese dishes including seafood stews.
TripAdvisor Rating: 4.4 out of 5
TO COME UP
Both successful hoteliers, Ronaldo and Messi are developing their hotel business.
Messi bought the 95-room, 198-bed Seasun Fona Hotel in Mallorca in 2019.
Style wise, it has a typical Mediterranean atmosphere and is located next to the sandy beaches of S’Illot.
It reopened under a different name and is now called the Hotel Mallorca Fona after a major renovation.
But it didn’t make its biggest acquisition until April of this year, when it launched into the ski hotel next to the ski lifts of Spain’s largest winter resort in the heart of the Pyrenees in the Val d’Aran.
The four-star destination includes a spa, indoor pool, fitness center and the services of a mountain guide.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, plans to go international with his expansion.
The Portuguese wants to bring the Pestana CR7 brand to Paris and Marrakech – as well as Manchester.
Marrakech has been a popular destination for Ronaldo, who celebrated New Years Eve there in 2017 with his kickboxer pal Badr Hari and ex-Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema.
And now he’ll have a place to crash into.
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