This is the first glimpse of the 150-room hotel at Carrow Road which will soon open its doors to guests wanting to eat, drink, and sleep football. The multi-million pound Holiday Inn, which joins the Jarrold Stand and Barclay End Stand, finally opens in April.

This is the first glimpse of the 150-room hotel at Carrow Road which will soon open its doors to guests wanting to eat, drink, and sleep football.

The multi-million pound Holiday Inn, which joins the Jarrold Stand and Barclay End Stand, finally opens in April, when people staying at the three-star complex will be able to choose from a number of football-themed packages.

Formal planning permission for the hotel was submitted to Norwich City Council in 2003 and fans have been watching its progress as it has taken shape between the Barclay and Jarrold Stands.

The development is the latest in a string of hotels to be built in the city in a bid to make Norwich an ideal location for major conferences.

A spokeswoman for the InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns Holiday Inn, said: “The hotel is in a superb location and represents the positive investment currently being made in Norwich City Centre.”

Guests will be offered the following deals:

t The Premiership package starts from £35 per person per night and runs from April 2 through to August 31. Guests will be able to enjoy, champagne, truffles, strawberries, and a robe and slippers waiting in room on arrival.

t The Championship package, which starts from £20 per person per night, allows people to enjoy a bottle of specially selected red or chilled white wine, internet access, and robe and slippers.

t League One package starts at £15 and allows people to enjoy complimentary movies, internet access and iced lager.

A spokesman for Norwich City Football Club, said: “The land on which the hotel sits is no longer Norwich City's. A 150-year lease was granted to the hotel company Kerrison Hotel Ltd in return for a payment of £1.1m. In addition, the club negotiated a 30pc stake in the business which, it is hoped, will benefit us financially in the medium to long-term.”

Michael Nutt, managing director of Visit Norwich, said: “We're delighted to see a new hotel opening in Norwich, particularly one in the city centre.

“We've seen a lot of development, particularly in the budget hotel sector, in Norwich recently, but this is the first new hotel that is more of the upper end of the market and is exactly what Norwich needs.”

Mr Nutt added the new hotel would be particularly good for business tourism because of its proximity to the conferencing facilities at the football club.