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The Sunnyside Park Hotel has been picked as one of four Joburg hotels picked by MATCH to accommodate Confederations Cup and World Cup teams.


The grand Sunnyside Park Hotel in the affluent suburb of Parktown, Johannesburg, will host one of the teams participating in the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009™.

Located in a beautiful parkland garden, the hotel is a dream spot for any football team looking for mental and physical relaxation - and Ralph Klinkenberg, the general manager, hopes Bafana Bafana will pick the hotel as its base camp.

"Sunnyside Park Hotel is one of the best hotels in Johannesburg with an impeccable reputation for providing excellent service to its customers. The hotel will be an excellent venue for Bafana Bafana," he says.

Sunnyside Park Hotel, or simply The Sunnyside, as it is affectionately known, is one of the four hotels picked by MATCH, the FIFA agency that manages accommodation and other services for 2010, to accommodate 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup™ teams based in Johannesburg.

The Confederations Cup, popularly known as the Festival of Champions as it pits the champions of the six FIFA confederations, the reigning world champions and the next FIFA World Cup hosts against each other, will take place in Johannesburg, Mangaung, Rustenburg and Tshwane.

South American champions, Brazil; European champions, Spain; African champions, Egypt; Asian champions, Iraq; Concacaf champions, the United States; Oceania champions, New Zealand; 2006 World Cup champions, Italy; and 2010 hosts, South Africa, will compete from 14 to 28 June.

National monument
A national monument, the four-star Victorian-style Sunnyside Park Hotel is only a 10-minute drive from Ellis Park Stadium, the venue for the opening ceremony, and opening and final matches of the Confederations Cup, according to Klinkenberg.

"The hotel recently opened a new extension called the Gatehouse wing. The new wing comprises 42 deluxe twin-bedded rooms, a large conference room seating 200 people and two breakaway rooms seating between 15 and 25 people."

Located separately from the monument section of the hotel, it is here that the football team will be based, he says.

"The wing provides privacy - a perfect setting for any team. Each room in the Gateway wing has a state-of-the-art television and all the necessary amenities."

Built in 1895, the Sunnyside Park Hotel has a swimming pool and a gymnasium with the latest equipment, essential elements to minimise movement for the football team.

Facilities
For football fans from outside the country wishing to stay at the Sunnyside Park Hotel, the old section of the hotel offers 112 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, hairdryers, colour TV, telephones, wake-up facilities, PC modem points as well as coffee and tea-making facilities.

Services and facilities at the Sunnyside Park Hotel include the Milner's Restaurant, the Penny and Pound Irish Pub, a spacious fitness centre, a curio shop, an airport shuttle service, secure parking, babysitting service, a business centre, concierge service, PC modem points, safety deposit boxes, hospitality lounge, outdoor swimming pool, room service, air conditioning in public areas, laundry service and shoe shine.

The hotel is centrally located with easy access to the Johannesburg CBD, Rosebank, Sandton and OR Tambo International Airport.

"We offer a number of different menus that cater for different nationalities. We are very flexible with our menus."

Klinkenberg says the hotel is busy discussing security for the team that is going to be based at the hotel.

"This plan will consider any fans who will probably camp outside the hotel to catch a glimpse of their favourite players. We have to take these people into account."

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Klinkenberg hopes the German football team will pick Sunnyside Hotel as its base camp.

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Related links:

2010 FIFA World Cup™ 
FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009™