◉ First GlanceOur report on opening day
- IHG Hotels Resorts launches the Fancierge service to curate local cultural experiences for fans during the Six Nations Championship.
- A study reveals that 69% of fans believe their best sporting weekend memories are created outside the stadium, while 92% are more inclined to extend their stays compared to five years ago.
- Former England rugby player Joe Marler serves as the face of the initiative, guiding guests through authentic activities in cities including Paris, London, Dublin, Rome, Cardiff, and Edinburgh.
- The program leverages 20 hotel brands, ranging from Six Senses to InterContinental, to transform the 80 minute match into a full weekend cultural immersion.
By Raphael Simon | Saturday 31 January 2026
When rugby becomes the pretext for a trip and kick-off no longer marks the beginning, but the peak of the weekend, IHG Hotels & Resorts accurately captures the zeitgeist. For the Six Nations Championship, the global hotel group unveils the “Fancierge” · a service designed for those who experience sport as a total cultural event, where emotion is nurtured long before entering the stadium.
Long confined to mere accommodation, the hotel here becomes a true conductor. Through the “Fancierge”, IHG reinvents pre-match rituals and transforms the Tournament’s host cities into lifestyle playgrounds. An elegant answer to a fundamental trend: today, 69% of fans believe their best sporting weekend memories are created outside the stadium.
More than a service, the “Fancierge” is a philosophy of travel: taking time, immersing oneself in the city, sharing carefully chosen moments. The match lasts 80 minutes, the experience, however, stretches across an entire weekend.
Joe Marler, a New Kind of Concierge
To embody this vision, IHG entrusts the keys to its “Fancierge” to a figure as free-spirited as he is iconic, Joe Marler. A former England rugby prop, charismatic and unconventional, he explores the Tournament cities like a curious insider, far from typical tourist clichés.
Irish dancing in Dublin, Welsh singing in Cardiff, pastry making in Paris, or immersion in the Highland Games in Edinburgh: each experience is tested, validated, and designed to create an authentic connection with the destination. Here, sport does not overshadow local culture, it becomes its guiding thread.
Before the Stadium, the City as a Field of Emotions
In Rome, the ritual begins with a Vespa ride through the sun-drenched streets. In Cardiff, it extends to a stand-up paddleboarding session followed by a spa moment. In Paris, it takes the form of a pastry-making workshop, where precise gestures and extended time contrast with the upcoming intensity of the match.
These experiences, free and available by reservation, map out a new geography of luxury hospitality: a lived, local, profoundly human luxury. One that prioritises shared moments over ostentation, and transforms anticipation into memory.
When Hospitality Embraces the Rhythm of Sport
With over 20 hotel brands, from Six Senses to InterContinental, from Kimpton to Hotel Indigo, IHG offers diverse hospitality, capable of adapting to all types of fans. From the epicurean enthusiast to the urban traveller, everyone finds their rhythm, their setting, their ritual.
The “Fancierge” thus illustrates a profound shift in sports travel: 92% of fans today say they are more inclined than five years ago to extend their stay. The match is no longer a mere interlude, but the beating heart of a getaway conceived as a complete cultural experience.
With the “Fancierge”, IHG Hotels & Resorts delivers a bold and distinctly contemporary offering. A vision of sport as a way of life, where the hotel becomes a conduit for emotions and the city, a backdrop to explore before the thrill of the stadium.
La Revue’s Opinion:
An elegant and intelligent interpretation of sports travel. IHG successfully transforms the pre-match period into a moment of grace, confirming that true luxury today lies in experience, meaning, and the time devoted to emotion.
📲 All Practical Information on IHG Hotels & Resorts:
Group: IHG Hotels & Resorts
Concept: “Fancierge”, exclusive local pre-match experiences around the Six Nations Championship
Period: Men’s and Women’s Tournament 2026 (subject to dates and availability)
Cities involved: Paris, London, Dublin, Rome, Cardiff, Edinburgh
Hotel brands: Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, Vignette Collection, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, voco, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, among others
Bookings & information: https://ihgfancierge.com/fr/
Official website: https://www.ihg.com
