16 March 2006
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Tour the England hotel

We take a look round the England team hotel and talk to Sven, Garth Crooks, the hotel manager and journalists.
16 March 2006
PHOTO GALLERY: England's Base Camp

You've seen the video now look through our photo gallery as Sven tours England's hotel with the English media.

Sven-Goran Eriksson believes England have found the perfect base to boost our chances of World Cup success in Germany this summer.

England have chosen the Buhlerhohe Schlosshotel, high in the mountains above Baden Baden, as their home from home during the finals, and Eriksson has given it his seal of approval.

The FA has taken the hotel exclusively for the duration of the tournament, which means David Beckham and Co will be able to completely relax and concentrate on the job ahead.

The hotel already has a mind-boggling list of facilities but on top of that the players’ bedrooms will be fitted with computer games, a games room will be added for activities such a table-tennis and darts and one suite will be used as the massage and treatment room.

"I am very, very happy with the hotel," said Sven.

"Because we are England with a lot of fans around us we have to have a private place because otherwise it would be chaos. Then of course the standard of rooms is very important, also the spa and gym - and they are both fantastic.

"It also has a medical centre which is one of the best in all of Europe, which hopefully we won’t use but you never know. It’s very, very good. The training pitch is not far away and the airport is close so we don’t have a big journey every time we want to fly.

"In the World Cup we will have a lot of people around us and to stay in a city centre hotel is not good because you cannot leave it without having a lot of people around you.

"The good thing with this one is that it will take 20 minutes, something like that, to get to the town. I can give them permission to go to Baden Baden when they want, if I am in a good mood."

The hotel, which was built in 1914 and has welcomed the likes of Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela in the past, is complete five-star luxury and was even the venue for the weddings of tennis legend Boris Becker and German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.

It boasts 74 rooms and 16 suites in all and the only tricky thing left to do is allocate who sleeps where.

Sven said: "The allocation of rooms will be done by us, we’re already thinking about it. I hope I will have a suite because I have a lot of meetings every evening with the coaches."

The boss doesn’t really have to worry about that, of course. And he is hoping there will be very little to worry about during England’s stay in Baden Baden - other than the football.

Certainly, the Schlosshotel should provide players with plenty of relaxation. It is set high in the mountains on the edge of the Black Forest, with wonderful views from every angle - even from the indoor swimming pool and spa.

There are two golf courses close by for afternoons off - and hotel manager Michael Caspar will look after the squad’s every need when they are indoors.

He said: "I think England will be very happy here and I hope they can go all the way through the tournament. It would be nice if we were a lucky base for them.

"We want to make their stay as relaxing and comfortable as possible. We are obviously aware of the need for security and that has been arranged with police and a security company after many discussions. Everything is in hand. Now we just want to see the team win the World Cup."

Stay with TheFA.com for all the build-up to Germany 2006.