The England manager, 52, outlined his decision as preparations begin for the summer tournament in the United States. Members of the squad are due to report to St George’s Park for training ahead of friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, before travelling to Florida on 1 June for a pre-tournament camp that includes matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica.
England will then move to Kansas on 12 June, where they will stay at The Inn at Meadowbrook, a 54-room hotel described as an “English-style cottage” setting.
Fifa had encouraged teams to avoid permanent bases to reduce their carbon footprint, but several nations, including Argentina and Holland, have also chosen to remain in Kansas.
Thomas said: “That was the choice, to have a home, to have a home base, to have a bed that you’re used to sleep in, to have a bed with a good mattress, to have a hotel with privacy, a small hotel, not a 400, 500, 800-bed hotel where we see each other maybe just in the elevators or in the floor between breakfast and meetings.
“Or where the air-conditioning is on and you cannot open the windows. There are a lot of these hotels in America and I think that makes a difference, so we chose a hotel where you can open the window. We chose a hotel where it’s an intimate and small place. I think once we get used to that place, it makes sense to go back.”
The Football Association is exploring additional facilities for the squad at the hotel, including the construction of a basketball court and access to a swimming pool, while nearby golf courses are also available.
England’s World Cup campaign begins on 17 June against Croatia, following a short flight from their base.
Subsequent group matches against Ghana and Panama will involve further travel, including trips to Boston and New York. Depending on their group-stage finish, the team could later travel to Mexico City or Toronto for knockout fixtures.
Thomas said: “I have feedback from the players that they like that we start late in the tournament.
“They like that it then becomes condensed, so you have no chance to get bored once you go hopefully through the tournament. Maybe the headline is ‘We try to be as often in Kansas as possible’.”
England will train at Swope Soccer Village, a facility owned by Sporting Kansas City.
Several senior players, including Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have been given time off and will join the squad after the upcoming friendly against Uruguay.
