Football hotel's shut-curtains policy during games

A man who booked a hotel room with a pitch view to watch a football game but was then told he had to close the curtains during the match has called for the "nuts" policy to be "binned".

Darren Dowling, from Glasgow, paid £130 to stay at Blackpool FC Hotel "specifically for the experience" of seeing the Seasiders in action at Bloomfield Road.

The digital content creator said he only discovered the "bizarre" policy when he saw a letter in his room saying "curtains must be closed an hour prior to kick-off until full-time".

Blackpool FC said it was to comply with English Football League (EFL) and Football Association (FA) rules. Radisson Hotel Group, which runs the hotel, has also been contacted.

Dowling's TikTok video of his experience has been viewed more than 60,000 times.

Although the video was filmed in March, Dowling only posted his review on TikTok on 30 December and it had since "blown up" on his social media, he said.

Dowling made the trip to the resort with his friend David Handling, from Ayrshire, who, as a football fan, came up with the idea to stay at Blackpool FC Hotel.

Although he admits to hating the game, Dowling said he liked the thought of "being able to watch a match from my bed" and visit Blackpool, where he had fond memories from childhood trips there.

The pair both booked executive rooms with pitch views for Blackpool's League One game against Bolton Wanderers, which the Seasiders won 2-1 back in March.

The 29-year-old said they were not told about the curtain policy when they booked it or checked-in at the hotel.

He said the request in the letter, signed from the hotel manager, was "the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life".

"I think the policy is nuts," he said, adding guests should be told about it prior to booking.

Paying extra for a pitch view "would be quite a random thing to do when there's no match on because you're just looking at a bit of grass".

He said of the policy: "Unless you're going to tell people up front, I think you should just get rid of it."

Dowling said the policy did not spoil their match experience or their stay as he kept the curtains open and stewards did not tell him off.

However, other guests were not as brave.

He said: "We bumped into another guest the next day when we went to breakfast. They were too scared to open the curtains so they watched the full game just through a tiny crack in the curtains.

"They had their kids with them as well and their kids were gutted.

"They were buzzing to watch a football match from the pitch view room in the hotel."

The hotel is a member of Radisson Individuals, a collection of independent hotels that partner with Raddison Hotels.

On the Blackpool FC Hotel website, there is a note that states: "Due to the EFL and FA guidelines we must request that all guests staying in our Executive Pitch View bedrooms, close their curtains 90 minutes prior to a home football match and throughout the remaining of the game."

A Blackpool FC spokesperson said: "Whilst the hotel and football club understand any frustrations this may cause, all EFL [English Football League] and FA [Football Association] regulations must be observed.

"This includes limitations on the consumption of alcohol within sight of the pitch whilst a match is in play."

The FA and EFL were also approached for comment.

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