What it's like sharing a hotel with Liverpool FC
What happens when you find out that the hotel you’re staying at is the same one as Liverpool FC ahead of its Champions League game in Leipzig?
The last time I shared a hotel with a professional soccer club was in Swansea where I stayed near the marina in the 1990s. Crystal Palace was in town to play a friendly. So, when I walked into the hotel elevator to see then-manager Steve Coppell, I was taken aback to be in the same space as an England legend. Coppell was a talented footballer for both The Three Lions and Manchester United, and I had no idea Palace was staying at the hotel until I saw him.
This week, Liverpool’s arrival at the hotel wasn’t so discreet. The day before the RB Leipzig versus Liverpool game, Liverpool’s team bus was spotted in the hotel parking lot. With the players arriving at the nearby Leipzig airport via a charter flight, it meant that the tour bus had to come separately, a journey of 16 hours from Merseyside to Leipzig. Likely, the comfort and surroundings of an official Liverpool team bus trumps getting a local one from Germany.
While I didn’t know beforehand that Liverpool would be at the hotel, the team didn’t have too much of an impact on the hotel’s inner workings. The team ate their breakfast in a completely separate part of the hotel to the guests. The team blended in smoothly, except for some extra security personnel.
Outside the hotel was a completely different story.
As we exited the hotel to go for a walk, there was a heavy presence of local police as well as barricades blocking the path. Behind them were a dozen Liverpool fans congregating in the hopes of seeing any random footballer.
You’ll Never Walk Into a Liverpool FC Hotel Lobby Alone
Much later, when we returned to the hotel after seeing Liverpool win the match one-nil, it was a different experience. The outside of the hotel was completely barricaded. At least a dozen armed police who controlled the outside of the premises not only prevented hotel guests from entering but also guarded the Liverpool team bus that was carrying the players and staff.
Wednesday turned to Thursday as we waited around 15 minutes. However, our patience wore off, and we snuck around the other side of the hotel. There, we saw a gap behind the metal barricades. Fellow journalists and I could snake our way to the revolving door of the hotel entrance.
Stepping inside the revolving door, I could see the ‘finishing line’ of the hotel lobby. I squeezed my way past the Liverpool supporters. Flashing my hotel access card, I gained the nod of approval from the hotel security. Once inside, I looked back to see several fellow journalists who were less lucky than me. They were trapped inside the revolving door. The same Liverpool supporters I pushed past were preventing the door from moving. The fans, who weren’t hotel guests, got into an argument with security as they pushed each other back and forth.
Thankfully, all was resolved in a few minutes, and the journalists were able to gain access.
Being in the same hotel as a club isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Inside the hotel, the team was practically invisible. Outside the front door, it was an entirely different experience. Speaking of which, downtown Leipzig is a joy to walk. I didn’t take too many photographs, but here’s the St Thomas Church at dusk.
Photos: IMAGO / Christian Grube, and Christopher Harris