Hospitality boxes in stadiums are the cream of the crop when it comes to watching sport. These luxurious spaces provide the opportunity to entertain clients & friends or be entertained by associates & friends, with the backdrop of a live sporting event. So what exactly are boxes in stadiums?
Hospitality boxes are individual private rooms or suites within a stadium, situated in locations which provide the best view of the event. As a general rule they will have reserved stadium seating immediately outside the box for watching the game.
In this post I’m going to cover hospitality boxes in a lot more detail. I’ll touch on where they typically are in the stands. How many, on average, the different stadiums have. Who are the lucky folks who get to experience them. And much more; so keep on reading!
Hospitality Boxes – A Detailed Description.
Hospitality boxes are often given different names, but ultimately they’re all names used to define the same one thing. Here’s a list of the different names given to and including hospitality boxes in stadiums hosting different sport types across the world.
In this article I will use any of the terms below, as they all basically mean the same thing.
- Hospitality Box
- Luxury Box
- Luxury Suite
- Stadium Suite
- Skybox
- Executive Suite
- Corporate Suite
- Private Suite
- Executive Box
- Corporate Box
The exclusivity that comes with a luxury box is not so much the type of client (private or corporate), but more, the high premium that the client is willing to pay.
Depending on the type of client the stadium is targeting in their marketing of said hospitality box, for said event, may dictate the name they give the box.
Stadium Suites are generally situated high up in the stands (where the term Skybox is derived from – nothing to do with Sky TV) with good views of the event’s playing surface.
The elevation of these luxury boxes (how high above the event surface they are), makes for a good bird’s-eye view of the event and in turn gives more flexibility as to the actual position of the box in the stadium.
Hospitality boxes will have their own reserved stadium seating immediately outside the box, so that the guests can watch the game, with access in and out of the box throughout the duration of the match.
Private suites in stadiums can vary in size and so their guest capacities will differ; depending on the which of the various boxes on offer has been hired.
The table below lists how many guests will fit in the different luxury suites at some of the largest stadiums for their particular sport around the world.
| Stadium | Sport | Country | Luxury Box Capacity |
| Twickenham Stadium | Rugby Union | England | 10-26 |
| Wembley Stadium UK | Soccer / Football | England | 8-20 |
| MetLife Stadium | (American) Football | USA | 12-30 |
| Arthur Ashe Stadium | Tennis | USA | 20 |
| MCG Stadium | Cricket & AFL (Aussie Rules) | Australia | 12-18 |
What Is Included With A Hospitality Box?
What’s included in a hospitality box can vary quite significantly depending on the size of the stadium, the type of box hired and the country the stadium is in. I’ve listed below the sort of hospitality features you can expect to see in the higher end boxes at the larger stadiums around the world.
VIP Parking
This will mean guaranteed match day parking at the stadium in a reserved / VIP area. Most luxury boxes will have a limited number of spaces reserved per suite.
Climate Controlled environment
Climate controlled environments provide either added warmth or refreshing cool in the private suite, for you to bathe in; both before and after sitting wrapped up, in the elements in the stands of the stadium, watching the match.
If you’re wondering what clothes to wear to watch the game, I wrote this post on what to wear to watch a rugby match that’ll give you plenty of tips.
Reserved Seating
The guests of an executive suite will have reserved seating (to watch the match) immediately outside their suite and usually on a private balcony. Some of these balconies will be built with an overhang, providing shelter.
These overhangs will sometimes house radiant heat lamps providing warmth to these seats for the course of the match.
A Dedicated host or hostess
Many executive boxes will come with a dedicated host or hostess, to answer all of your questions throughout the day and serve you, with your food and drinks for the duration of your match day experience.
Welcome Drinks On Arrival
On arriving at the suite, you will most likely be greeted by your host or hostess with a welcome drink of something special.
Catering
Typically, on match day in an executive suite you can expect to be catered for, something like this:-
- A pre-match restaurant standard 3-course meal, accompanied by fine wines chosen by the in-stadium sommelier.
- Snacks and refreshments at half-time.
- A post match supper.
Bar
Most corporate boxes will come with a private bar, behind which the host or hostess will serve you drinks at your request throughout the course of your day.
Televisions
This is pretty standard in most hospitality boxes in sports stadiums. It provides you with the opportunity to watch the prematch build up, half time analysis and replays of any action you may not have been close enough to when watching live from your seats in the stadium.
If in a tennis stadium, where the matches can be pretty long, it means you get the chance to cover the other matches being played that day, which are not on the court where your private suite is situated.
Concierge Service
Most luxury suites will come with a concierge service. Essentially someone on hand (not the same person as the box’s private host / hostess) to provide you with all relative information for the day and direct you to your box, the different hospitality suites and areas of the stadium that you may want to visit during the day.
Chauffeur Service
Some stadiums will provide a dedicated chauffeur service for the party who hire the suite. An example of this is at the Wimbledon Centre Court Skyview Suites. Each Suite comes with, as standard, the option of a luxury chauffeur service throughout the day. This is for any journeys within the M25.
Q&A With Either Match Day Players Or Past Players Of The Game
Asides from all the obvious luxuries that I’d experience if I were to have the opportunity of being a guest in / or hiring a luxury box in a stadium. This would be the one to remember. For folks like me who love analysing the match both before kick off and after the final whistle. To have one of the match day team making a visit to your box before the game and taking any questions, then repeating the process afterwards would be priceless and make for an unforgettable experience.