... That said, it is with pleasure I report that the City Inn in Birmingham is a hidden gem.
Location
The hotel is located in the trendy Brindley Place development just off Broad Street in Birmingham, and as such is ideally situated for pubbing, clubbing and general merriment and yet being ... Read review
situated in the heart of Brindleyplace combines a passion for modern design and innovation with contemporary living Each room features an Apple I Mac which ser...
attractions, the ICC, the NIA and the Symphony Hall. The NEC (National Exhibition Centre) is 20 minutes' drive away.The stylish, central and contemporary 4-star hotel has o...
Wolverhampton Train Station and Wolverhampton Bus Station, a short drive from Wolverhampton town centre.Some of the comfortable rooms at Premier Inn can accommodate 2 adu...
Symphony Hall and 10 miles from the National Exhibition Centre and the Birmingham International Airport. Hotel Features. Sofas and chairs line the main lobby, and...
Symphony Hall and 10 miles from the National Exhibition Centre and the Birmingham International Airport. Hotel Features. Sofas and chairs line the main lobby, and...
shops and many tourist sights including the National Sea Life Centre, the National Indoor Arena, the International Convention Centre, Cadbury World and the Jewellery...
shops and many tourist sights including the National Sea Life Centre, the National Indoor Arena, the International Convention Centre, Cadbury World and the Jewellery Quarter. The hotel is easy to reach from the train station and from the airport located 17 km away (transfer time is 20 minutes).
NEC and Birmingham International Airport. The ICC, NIA and Symphony Hall are within walking distance.The en suite bedrooms at the Comfort Inn each have TV, telephone, Wi-Fi, trouser press and tea/coffee.The Comfort Inn also offers a breakfast restaurant, and a bar with large-screen TV (Sky Sports) and drink promotions. There are 2 conference suites.Right next to many restaurants, bars, theatres and attractions, the Comfort Inn is an ideal location for business or pleasure.
hotel was fully refurbished in 2008 and now offers 252 well-equipped and air-conditioned en suite rooms.The Holiday Inn Birmingham City has a prime central location, just a 5-minute walk from Birmingham New Street railway station. All that the city has to offer is within easy reach, from great shops to art galleries and from pubs and bars to museums. Birmingham International Airport is only 8 miles (13 km) away.All of the hotel’s comfortable, modern rooms feature all the contemporary comforts and facilities you need in a restful, relaxing base. Each room has satellite TV, air conditioning and tea/coffee making facilities as standard.The hotel offers comfortable, high-standard accommodation at competitive rates, in the heart of Birmingham.
central attractions and a minutes walk from New Street Train Station Such attractions include the ICC Symphony Hall NIA Broad Street and Chinatown which are all located within a few minutes walk The newly opened BullRing housing over 200 stores including Selfridges and Debenhams is only a minutes walk from the Hotel Please note: Parking is off site and chargable to the guestThe Hotel restaurant opens for breakfast onlyCheck In Time: 2pmCheck Out Time: 11am
nightclubs and restaurants are also situated in the immediate vicinity. The famous Symphony Hall in Birmingham as well as the congress centre and the Museum & Art Gallery are also located close to the hotel. New Street train station is only a couple of minutes away on foot. In addition, the international airport is about 13 km away.
attractions and Birmingham New Street railway station, making it perfectly located for both leisure and business travellers. On the doorstep, you will find hundreds of exciting bars and restaurants, fabulous shopping and many major location attractions including: the International Conference Centre; the National Indoor Arena (NIA); Symphony Hall; Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery; the National Sealife Centre; and the Bullring. Easily accessible from all major road and rail networks, the Express by Holiday Inn Birmingham also boasts 3 well-presented meeting rooms with high-speed internet access, natural daylight and air conditioning.
minute walk from BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET TRAIN STATION and eight miles from BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT The Hotel features 252 bedrooms with amenities including en suite facilities air conditioning in executive rooms only satellite TV and refreshment making facilities as standard The hotel hosts both business and social gatherings with a total of 16 flexible FUNCTION ROOMS that can accommodate from 8 to 630 delegates Easily accessible by major UK motorways M6 M5 M40 and M42 The ideal PLACE TO MEET and a great base for exploring the many attractions the HEART OF ENGLAND has to offer Visit nearby attractions including CADBURY WORLD SEA LIFE CENTRE and the historic STRATFORD ON AVON The hotel is also excellently positioned within walking distance of the highly acclaimed BULL RING SHOPPING CENTRE The established in house RESTAURANT offers both traditional and modern cuisine and after a busy day the relaxing environment of the lounge bar complements the experience of the Holiday Inn Birmingham City PLEASE NOTE: REFURBISHMENT CONVERSION FROM SINGLE TO DOUBLES TWIN ROOMS SOME NOISE DURING THE DAY WORKING DAYS TIMES: MONDAY SUNDAY 900AM 800PM UNTIL 31ST DECEMBER 2008
A review by rickyshah on City Inn, Birmingham May 19th, 2006
Author's product rating:
Advantages:
Price, features of room, location
Disadvantages:
err . . . food is a bit bland and pricey
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I think I spend far too much time in hotels, and can be quite demanding. That said, it is with pleasure I report that the City Inn in Birmingham is a hidden gem.
Location
The hotel is located in the trendy Brindley Place development just off Broad Street in Birmingham, and as such is ideally situated for pubbing, clubbing and general merriment and yet being secluded (for a city) enough for a bit of peace and quiet. Brindley Place itself is home to a variety of trendy bars and restaurants including the (in)famous Bank and various luxury apartments. It's a mainly pedestrianised area, and is easily accessible by foot bus or train from New Street station. The majority of other hotels in the area are located directly on Broad Street, which can be quite noisy with the drunken hordes clamouring around after about 10pm. Mind you don't get vomit on your shoes, should you choose to venture out . Brindley Place is also very close to Birmingham's canal network, meaning there are some interesting excursions to be had. The NIA and Sea Life Centre are also within walking distance, as is the HQ of the Royal Bank of Scotland, should you wish to complain about interest charges.
Arrival and Check-in
After booking with Lastminute.com (shameless plug time) only a day or so earlier, we arrived last Friday (the 12th) just after the advertised check-in time of 3pm. The hotel lobby is modern, clean and spacious (with some great modern art), and there were 3 receptionists on duty, with the concierge, despite it being relatively quiet. We were seen very quickly, and the service both polite and attentive. After the mandatory credit card swipe, we were asked if we needed a wake up call (noooo….) and/or a newspaper. I was tempted to ask for the Daily Sport, but a sharp poke in the back from my missus soon put an end to that. Our room was ready and there was little waiting around, however we weren't asked if we needed help with our bags (being a strapping young man maybe they thought I didn't need it). All in all though, very stress free.
The room
Well this is probably the most important aspect of any hotel, and City Inn is a match and even beats hotels that are 3 times the price. The room we had was on the 3rd floor with a view over Brindley Place. All rooms come with floor-to-ceiling windows, which is a fabulous touch.
The bed provided was a Queen Size, a little small, but very comfortable. Crisp, clean white linen and a duvet were provided, a small point maybe but there have been many (expensive) hotels I have stayed at in the past who couldn't even manage this.
Unfortunately storage was a little cramped, but 2 cupboards are provided. Mind you, I seem to live out of my suitcase so this wasn't an issue for me. Two dressing gowns were provided in the cupboards, again something that many places do not, unless you stay in a superior room.
No minibar is provided, but there is a basket of items such as crisps and chocolate which you can eat for the usual inflated prices.
On to the good bits….
The hotel scores major brownie points on the inclusion of a widescreen LCD TV complete with Sky TV (and free Playboy :o) and DVD player, combined with a mini Hi Fi. The only hotel I have stayed at that provided comparable facilities was the Malmaison and I paid 4 times the price. DVD's are available from reception upon a deposit of £20.
In addition, the room feature free broadband internet, and either cabled or WiFi access to it. Incredible. I didn't actually use these, but am told access is speedy and reliable.
The bathroom features a walk-in shower and more towels than you can shake a small stick at. I gave up counting at 8. The toiletries supplied are of good quality, sadly not branded though.
Overall the room is very comfortable, with some incredible touches that make up for its slightly small size. The décor is modern and uncluttered. The hotel only offers one class of room.
Food
Room service is available with the menu being quite pricey (as is par for the course); the major gripe being that a £3 tray charge is added to your bill. Some dishes are available 24 hours, others only during the restaurant opening hours. The food itself is fairly standard, steaks burgers and the usual hotel fare, but reasonable quality. The hotel provide you with vouchers to use in the restaurant (such as free bottle of wine with a main course) should you choose to venture down, and the food there is much the same.
I plumped for breakfast in bed, due to laziness and a stonking hangover, which was (for hotel prices) quite reasonable. Well I lie, it is expensive, but as much as for example the Hilton or Holiday Inn. For £13 I received a full fried, cereal, coffee, fruit juice, croissant, Danish pastries, jams, rolls and had the option (although I declined) of having cold meats, yoghurt, fruits, melon and tea. They even ask if you want hot or cold milk in your cereal and coffee. It's delivered within a 10 minute timeslot of your choice. Well worth it. No lunch was required, although new trousers with a larger waist were.
Check Out
Check out time is midday, great if your suffering (like myself) from the after effects of a night out. This was again polite, efficient and hassle free, with a genuine "did you have a nice stay?" thrown in. You can either charge the stuff you ordered to the card that was swiped at check in, or pay by another. Unlike other hotels, we weren't hassled at 11.50 with a phone call asking us to leave (yes this has actually happened).
Price
I have deliberately refrained from mentioning the price so far since I wanted to try and build up a picture of what the hotel is worth. The location and room, combined with the service mean that I would happily pay around £130 a night for the hotel.
When I mention that in fact it only cost £65, I'm sure jaws will drop. By comparison, the 3* Travellodge and Jury's Inn start at £70, and an equivalent 4* (the Copthorne - which has really bad reviews) goes for upwards of £120.
A fabulous bargain, and the price is the same on lastminute.com and on the hotels' website, so it's not a limited deal or anything.
Conclusion
I wholeheartedly recommend this hotel. It's modern, comfortable, has great features and location, and provides exceptional value for money.
Advantages: Stylish, comfortable, modern Disadvantages: Not terribly good value
...booking in the recently opened City Inn. Here’s what I thought:
LOCATION
The City Inn is one of a cluster of new hotels that has sprung up within the vicinity of Brindley Place, to the West of the city centre. An explosive programme of office and leisure developments has made this one of the most up and coming areas of the city, with a clear focus on modern architecture. The City Inn is situated in Brunswick Square, which is indirectly linked ... ...bars and nightclubs in the city and towards the latter end of the week is a bustle of activity. The canalside development at Brindley Place contains a number of contemporary restaurants and cafes. The hotel is not the most suitable choice for visitors who wish to take in the shops, or other central facilities though – the main shopping centre is fifteen or twenty minutes away by foot (although regular bus services are available on Broad Street). ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Convenient locations. Fixed price per room Disadvantages: Lack character of older hotels
...There is growing competition for Britain's traditional lodging industry with the entry of budget hotel chains into the UK market. One of the recent entrants is the US company,Days Inn,and although a relative "new kid on the block",they are already making waves.Although not the cheapest they do offer quite high quality accommodation for your money.
Most of the Days Inn hotels are located near to the main Motorway network which make them locationally convenient for taking a city break or visiting a theme park. Their current network of hotels include :
***Days Inn Sheffield South
***Days Inn Basingstoke East
***Birmingham Days Inn
***Days Inn Warwick North
***Days Inn Derby South
***Days Inn South Mimms
***Days Inn Leicester Forest East
***Days Inn Bristol West
***Days Inn Swindon East (Membury)
***Days Inn Bradford South...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Chic, Gor-jus and a great location Disadvantages: Price, no help with my bag!!!
...with usage of the minibar, since a count is carried out after you've left and you'll end up being invoiced for it anyway.
Other stuff
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I forgot to mention the hotel has a small Spa (called Le Petit Spa, surprisingly) which offers a range of treatments such as facials and what-not. These are expensive - you have been warned.
To sum up
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This hotel was expensive, but it is very classy. There's not much to compare it to in the Birmingham area, however in the local area you do have the Hyatt, Copthorne, CityInn and Travelodge, all of which are significantly cheaper. That said, for a special occasion, this hotel cannot be beat. I would happily recommend it to all and sundry. If only they'd helped with my bag?....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Great shopping mecca for every shopoholic Disadvantages: None
...?
For a touch of class and sophistication we suggest the mal maison in the mailBox - located right in the heart of the City its in a great location for you to walk to the shops and all the attractions. Prices start from around £99 per room per night.
Or the Days Inn also located in the mail Box offers the budget traveler accommodation from £59 per night and the rooms are a very good standard.
Other Hotels to try which are all in great locations are: Travel Inn, Burlington Hotel, Cityinn and the Hyatt.
DISABLED ACCESS
Birmingham was recently voted one of the best cities for disabled people. If you are coming in by car for a one day shopping visit we suggest you park in the Bullring car park (Underneath Selfridges) here you can get a lift up to the shopping levels - all shopping levels are spacious with plenty of room, all shopsing withing...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
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