Real Madrid ink multi-year global sponsorship with Hotels.com
Hotels.com has signed a multi-year global sponsorship deal with Real Madrid, giving the booking platform rights across the club’s utility belt of digital channels, matchday inventory and hospitality programme.
Hotels.com has signed a multi-year global sponsorship deal with Real Madrid, giving the booking platform rights across the club’s utility belt of digital channels, matchday inventory and hospitality programme.
The agreement makes Hotels.com an Official Partner of Real Madrid and will include branding at the Bernabéu, digital content and supporter activations linked to travel. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The travel angle gives the partnership some simple commercial logic, given Real Madrid’s self-claimed global fanbase of 677 million, while Hotels.com says hotel stays in Madrid during the current season are up 30% year-on-year.
The company also says that Real Madrid supporters travel more frequently and are more likely to book hotels than the wider population, although no underlying figures were provided alongside that claim.
Hotels.com General Manager Hari Nair said: “Real Madrid is one of the most iconic brands in global sport, with an unmatched ability to connect with fans around the world. This partnership gives Hotels.com a powerful platform to engage a passionate, highly relevant audience through compelling content and meaningful experiences.”
He added: “The loyalty that defines Real Madrid’s fanbase makes this a natural fit for Hotels.com. We know Real Madrid fans over index on travel frequency, so we want to reward them with instant savings today and the flexibility to bank rewards for future trips.”
Real Madrid Institutional Relations Director Emilio Butragueño said: “This partnership represents a great opportunity for us to continue growing as a club alongside a leading company in its sector, with whom we share fundamental values such as the pursuit of excellence, a commitment to service, innovation, and the ability to connect with our respective audiences.”
The two parties will work on fan campaigns over the coming seasons, using Real Madrid’s stadium, hospitality programme and digital platforms.
Hotels.com has also positioned the deal as part of a wider push into football sponsorship, having agreed similar deals with North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.