My World Cup Bracket

As we enter the quarterfinals week of this summer’s headline-dominating World Cup, I think it’s finally time to share my team bracket.

My illustration, though, isn’t quite relevant to the actual sport being played. Instead, I rank the countries according to their team hotels, from Austria checking into The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara to Portugal at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach.

In all honesty, with the amount of travel these matches entailed, I have no idea how much time these teams actually spent at their respective hotels (let alone how many of the amenities they were realistically able to enjoy aside from, presumably, the fitness centers—and even those might be in question given personal trainers and routines) but the range of hotels piqued my interest.

I began my bracket at 16 teams to both eliminate the hotels I wouldn’t recommend to a luxury traveler (call it my qualifying round) and to align with where we’re at in the tournament. And… candidly, so I didn’t need to play Tetris with 48 teams as I’ve never filled out a sports bracket in my life (read: go easy on me).

Don’t call me biased because this is in my backyard (and no, I’m not predicting France to take home the actual FIFA trophy) but this recently renovated, luxury property is an icon in the city.

Things I think the team would love: the coffee concierge who delivers complimentary pourovers, frontrow access to the Boston Common, an eighth-floor indoor pool (hello, East Coast heat wave but also to keep those muscles limber) and Whirlpool, in-room massages and nostalgic snacks hidden behind a secret door on select floors.

One of the main reasons this famously luxe property on the Riviera Maya took the runner up spot, rather than the top title, is that the location feels too remote for a football team to be coming and going. For travelers, though, this seclusion is a strength; an oasis that offers the best of both worlds with jungle canopy and white sand beachfront.

Things I think the team would love: ensuite plunge pools, eight restaurant concepts, the Sports Club with tennis, pickleball and padel courts, the Vichy shower, the spa and its rooftop vitality pool.

Seaside under the Florida sun? There are much worse places for Ronaldo to cry at. Cabanas and cocktail classes stand out to me, along with cute MOKEs to easily scoot from pool to beach and a house driver for sites further afield.

Things I think the team would love: a soothing coastal palette that makes you physically exhale when you walk into your guest room, the adults-only pool, yoga classes, CBD spa treatments and eucalyptus steam room.

I love a hotel that’s juxtaposed between coast and ridges, which is exactly the locale here between the Pacific swells and Santa Ynez Mountains. The Spanish architecture ups the ante on the coastal Mediterranean-meets-California allure.

Things I think the team would love: a recently renovated gym with all the latest fitness machines, three pools, uninterrupted beachfront, various outdoor nooks with cozy firepits, the cold plunge and redwood sauna at the 42,000-square-foot spa.

A line up of destination-specific offerings include a bespoke boot fitting and a behind-the-scenes concert pass that really screams sense of place. I’m also a sucker for hotels with property trails to explore that make working out on vacation feel less of a chore.

Things I think the team would love: the location in a laidback, creative neighborhood that makes it easy to explore in the limited time they have, the outdoor, saltwater pool, the Sol Summer ritual that uses Texas botanicals and bamboo fibre during an 80-minute treatment as part of the hotel’s seasonal spa special and the Himalayan pink salt wall in the relaxation lounge.

A San Diego stalwart, this celebrated property features four pools, six restaurants, including chef William Bradley’s three-Michelin starred restaurant, Addison, and glamorously decked out villas that might make you want to move in (for which they do offer long-term stays).

Things I think the team would love: access to the outdoors (400 acres, nonetheless), daily yoga and meditation classes, hydrotherapy and reflexology.

A haute fashion heritage defines the interiors in this Pacific northwest hub with a central location to the design district and cafes. The rooftop lounge is where you’d find me from coffee to cocktail.

Things I think the team would love: a downtown location, modern comforts in a historic building, separate weight training and cardio rooms and a 3,000-title library.

I’ve always appreciated Marriott properties for their reliable service and amenities. And in cities across the U.S., an extra perk they seem to come with is a connection to shopping centers, just like this one is linked to the Buckhead neighborhood’s upscale Lenox Square.

Things I think the team would love: the heated indoor lap pool, proximity to the stadium, a history of hosting sports teams, spacious rooms starting at 250-square-feet.

• Algeria: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Lawrence (MO, USA)

• Argentina: Origin Kansas City, a Wyndham Hotel (MO, USA)

• Australia: Claremont Resort and Club (CA USA)

• Austria: The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara (CA, USA)

• Belgium: Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Seattle’s Southport (WA, USA)

• Bosnia-Herzegovina: RSL Academy Residence (UT, USA)

• Brazil: The Ridge Hotel (NY, USA)

• Canada: The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver (Canada)

• Cape Verde: Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay (FL, USA)

• Colombia: Grand Fiesta Americana Guadalajara Country Club (Mexico)

• Congo (DR): Omni Houston Hotel (TX, USA)

• Croatia: The Satire, Autograph Collection (VA, USA)

• Curacao: Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center (FL, USA)

• Czech Republic: Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel (TX, USA)

• Ecuador: Le Méridien Columbus, The Joseph (OH, USA)

• Egypt: Northern Quest Resort & Casino (WA, USA)

• England: The Inn at Meadowbrook (MO, USA)

• France: Four Seasons Hotel Boston (MA, USA)

• Germany: The Graylyn Estate (NC, USA)

• Ghana: Graduate by Hilton Providence (RI, USA)

• Haiti: Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel (NJ, USA)

• Iran: Tijuana Marriott Hotel (Mexico)*

• Iraq: The Greenbrier Resort (WV, USA)

• Ivory Coast: Hotel Du Pont (PA, USA)

• Japan: Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown (TN, USA)*

• Jordan: The Nines, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Portland (OR, USA)

• Mexico: Centro de Alto Rendimiento (the team’s own facility in Mexico City)

• Morocco: Somerset Hills Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton (NJ, USA)

• Netherlands: Hotel Kansas City, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt (MO, USA)

• New Zealand: Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine (CA, USA)

• Norway: Grandover Resort & Spa, a Wyndham Grand Hotel (NC, USA)

• Panama: Nottawasaga Resort & Conference Centre (Canada)

• Paraguay: Signia by Hilton San Jose (CA, USA)

• Portugal: Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach (FL, USA)

• Qatar: Courtyard by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta (CA, USA)

• Saudi Arabia: Four Seasons Hotel Austin (TX, USA)

• Scotland: Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel (NX, USA)

• Senegal: The Heldrich Hotel & Conference Center (NJ, USA)

• South Africa: Camino Real Pachuca (Mexico)

• South Korea: Westin Guadalajara (Mexico)

• Spain: Embassy Suites by Hilton Chattanooga Downtown (TN, USA)

• Sweden: The Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf Resort & Spa (TX, USA)

• Switzerland: Fairmont Grand Del Mar (CA, USA)

• Tunisia: The Westin Monterrey Valle (Mexico)

• Turkey: Courtyard by Marriott Mesa at Wrigleyville West (AZ, USA)

• United States: Marriott Irvine Spectrum (CA, USA)

• Uruguay: Fairmont Mayakoba (Mexico)

• Uzbekistan: JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead (GA, USA)

*The hotels marked with an asterisk were not in the original publication by Voyages d’Affaires but I have included them in this list as the properties were confirmed when the teams were knocked out of the tournament.

As far as I’m concerned, there are two types of travelers. There’s the throw-your-stuff-in-a-suitcase-the-night-before style. Then, there’s the ones who start setting aside outfits a few days (maybe even a week) before their trip; they ultimately roll them up and neatly place them into packing cubes. I am in the latter group.

The main purpose of travel cubes is to allow you to pack more (thanks to their compression) but I swear by them for organization, arranging my outfits by day and night in their respective cubes. For this reason, I’m a fan of the medium-size cubes, of which this set comes with two of them (and they’re on sale!). I like to use the larger cubes to organize my travel essentials around the house.

Traveling to golf? New courses ensure you still experience the destination.

Searching for a fave, new Italian wine? Puglia answers.

Still celebrating America’s 250th? Raise a glass like Jefferson.

XO,