FIFA World Cup organizers in Saransk, 630 kilometers east of Moscow, have signed a preliminary deal with Britain's Snoozebox company to build a temporary "portable hotel" in the city during the 2018 tournament, the regional government's investment department told Interfax.
With about a million football fans expected in Russia for the event, according to Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, providing accommodation for visitors has become one of the burning issues that needs to be addressed by organizers in each of the 11 host cities.
If the so-called Snoozebox Football Village project goes ahead, the portable hotel — constructed by stacking shipping-container-like modules — will be erected on the shore of the Lukhovka reservoir, which is close to the airport and the planned World Cup stadium in Saransk, a city of 300,000 people.
The hotel would have 2,000 rooms ranging in standard from two to four stars and would also provide guests with entertainment facilities, restaurants, shops and, of course, large screens for watching the feast of football, Interfax reported.
Snoozebox, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, has provided accommodation at major international events in recent years, including the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in Britain that same year.
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