Feng shui expert called in to lift hotel 'jinx'

A feng shui expert will be visiting a five-star hotel today where he will attempt to end a losing streak for football teams staying there.

The St David’s Hotel and Spa in Cardiff Bay, Wales, is calling in guru Paul Darby in a bid to lift the “jinx”, which has hit about four teams already.

Dr Darby, who is from Nottingham, last year tried to cleanse an “unlucky” changing room at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, which appeared to doom to defeat whichever team was allocated it.

Front-of-house manager James Turner said: “We have a lot of international and national teams which come to stay with us and unfortunately all the football teams have been on a losing streak.

We have yet to have a football team which has won.

“Dr Darby will be doing different things, including throwing some salt and doing a blessing on the building.”

On Sunday, Arsenal and Manchester United will meet at the Millennium Stadium in the FA Community Shield but Mr Turner said he could not reveal whether either team was due to stay at the hotel.

But he said if there was such a thing as a jinx on the hotel, bosses were hoping Dr Darby would be able to lift it.

“It will be fascinating to watch,” he said. “But we will have to wait to see if it works.”

It has not been all bad luck for sports teams staying at the hotel – it has also played host to the England rugby team and the Barbarians when both have gone on to victory.

Dr Darby’s bid to beat the changing room curse saw him scattering incense and sea salt, ringing bells, chanting a Buddhist ritual and leading a horse around the pitch.

But the Arsenal fan later saw his team win the FA Cup Final when opponents Chelsea used the “unlucky” south room.

The losing run came to an end a few months later in the same week that artist Andrew Vicari drew a mural in the changing room in another bid to beat the curse.