You can’t miss the place – even the road leading to the hotel is officially named “World Champion Street.” Subtle, right? SP Resort is situated in the village of Závodie, just 2 kilometres from Žilina’s historic centre. The hotel boasts air-conditioned rooms, a restaurant with a sunny terrace offering views of Žilina, the Malá and Veľká Fatra mountains, a café, a wellness centre, massage services, a fitness centre, and an impressive museum.
The hotel itself? Think a mix of American and neoclassical vibes. Inside, it’s modern, clean, and cosy. Above the reception desk, you’ll find clocks showing the current time in Richmond, Doha, and Bergen – the cities where Peter clinched his world championship titles. Nearby, gleaming gold medals from 2015, 2016, and 2017 are proudly displayed in a spotlighted case. If you’re feeling contemplative, you can sit in one of the armchairs under a black-and-white portrait of Peter rocking a leather jacket.
The hotel logo, featuring intertwined SP initials, is everywhere – on the reception desk, on glasses, on the marble wall leading to the lobby, at the bottom of the pool, on the menu, in the museum exhibit, and even engraved on the trash bin enclosures. Classy and ridiculous at the same time.
And then there’s the slogan: “Why so serious?” – a famous line from a film Peter claimed as his own that has become his trademark. While we didn’t run into Peter himself (he lives in Monaco, after all), we did catch glimpses of his older brother Juraj, also a former professional cyclist, who manages the hotel.
Each room is named after a milestone from Peter’s career, significant races or cycling disciplines. You can choose to stay in California, Roubaix, Flanders, MTB, Gravel, Tour, Slovakia, Switzerland, Quebec, Australia, Vuelta or Giro. Every room is themed and filled with design elements and memorabilia celebrating Peter’s life and achievements.
For those eager to learn more about Peter’s accomplishments, the hotel offers a 300-square-meter exhibition hall for just €5. It’s packed with trophies, medals, jerseys, and bikes from his most famous races. For a museum dedicated to a living person, the scale is almost over the top – but hey, Peter Sagan never did things halfway. The exhibit is a celebration of talent, bravery, adventure, and life on two wheels.
The one downside? The beige carpeting in most rooms. If you’re here as a regular guest bouncing between the restaurant and the wellness centre, you’ll be fine. But if, like us, you’re testing the famed OKO Everywhere trails in the muddy hills surrounding the hotel, you might have a problem.
The local soil is heavy with clay, and after a week of rain, the trails turned into a mudslide that clung to our bikes, clothes, and shoes. Returning to the hotel each evening, we looked like we’d just survived a mud wrestling match. Despite our best efforts to keep the mess contained, we inevitably left brown footprints everywhere. The staff, however, didn’t bat an eye – even when our mud-caked group crossed paths with wedding guests dressed to the nines. It’s clear the hotel is cyclist-friendly, though I imagine it took a pressure washer to clean up after us.
SP Resort & Spa is a hotel built by a cyclist for cyclists. If you’re looking for a unique gift for a Peter Sagan fan or cycling enthusiast, book them a stay in Žilina. They’ll love it. And don’t forget to try the OKO Everywhere trails while you’re there – but that’s a story for another time.
Photos: Adam Maršál, Petr Bureš, and SP Resort & Spa
