City Inn, Birmingham

...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 ...
...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 ... more

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.

Websites
www.lastminute.com
www.tripadvisor.com
www.cityinn.com
 

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