Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Birmingham

...day Conference held at The Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, so my workplace thought it appropriate that I had a two night stay at the venue: who was I to argue? It’s the HILTON after all!

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The hotel is located beside a lake in the grounds of the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre [address and contact details at the end].

802 bedrooms, a total of 5 restaurants and a ...
...and telephone:

Hilton Birmingham Metropole
National Exhibition Centre
Birmingham, B40 1PP GB
TEL: +44 (0) 121 780 4242
FAX: +44 (0) 121 780 3923

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My Final Thoughts:

I was looking forward to staying at this hotel and I was very disappointed: with the standard of décor (quite a few public areas were ... more

I recently attended a two day Conference held at The Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, so my workplace thought it appropriate that I had a two night stay at the venue: who was I to argue? It’s the HILTON after all!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The hotel is located beside a lake in the grounds of the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre [address and contact details at the end].

802 bedrooms, a total of 5 restaurants and a bar as well as The LivingWell Health Club make up the bulk of this establishment.Other amenities include:

• 24hr Laundry/Valet Service
• ATM Cashpoint
• Baggage Storage/Concierge Desk
• Florist
• Foreign Currency Exchange
• An on-site Convenience Store (magazines/confectionary etc)
• 24hr Room Service

AND SO TO BED…The standard bedrooms are equipped with private bathroom and shower, direct dial telephone, air conditioning, hairdryer, tea and coffee-making facilities [no biscuits!] and multi-channel satellite television.

If your flexible friend can take it [and your credit card doesn’t mind either], a suite will provide a spacious room with a separate seating area, a desk with modem, bathrobes, complimentary chocolates, newspapers, flowers, air conditioning, mini bar, adjustable thermostat, telephones with data-port, trouser press, hairdryer, cable TV, complimentary tea/coffee and a balcony.

Hm… guess which one was reserved for Tiger?

Yes folks, mine was the more ‘basic’ of the two: I was booked in for a twin but I couldn’t find the twin(s), so I went to my room instead… ;)

Once inside, the first thing I noticed about the room (apart from its very dreary furnishings) was that it was unbearably hot - I'm talking sauna HOT - so I went over to flick on the air conditioning: zilch … didn’t work at ALL.

After some investigation I discovered (via Room Service) the hotel’s generators were down - NONE of the rooms had air conditioning. Did I suffer that night? You bet… along with the other 801 room-dwellers I should imagine.

The bathroom was average. No ‘wow’ factor to describe to you - everything looked dismal in the horrid glow of the bathroom lighting. If the architects were aiming for a ‘soul-destroying appearance’ in design, they succeeded with honours.

The bed(s) were uncomfortable (I tested one on each night - just for the hell of it - and to give the cleaners some variety in their household tasks). Personally, I think the previous occupier(s) had been a bit too bouncy on the springs…

Which brings me nicely on to my next door hotel-room neighbour.

Picture this - first night: having been up since the crack of dawn, travelling from London, working a full day and then trying desperately to get some shut eye before another hectic day ahead, the guy next door takes to tormenting me with his booming voice on his mobile phone at WAY past 1am… [grrrr]

So, what does he do on the second night of my stay when I’m due to wake up at 6am? Yes, that’s right, he decides to have 'company’…

Now, don’t get me wrong - I’m not the type to shun bedtime manoeuvres in the dark, but when he’s grunting like a crazed gorilla and she’s yelping like a hyena with a stitch - and they’re BOTH out of time with EACH OTHER [like a very badly choreographed porn flick] then yes, damn it, I object!!

To tell you that this lust-filled union lasted for 3 hours (!?) and perhaps the whole FLOOR could hear them will no doubt give you sufficient indication of just how thin the walls are?

…FEED ME…

The hotel has a total of 5 restaurants/bar which include:

Millers --> an American style grill bar;
Primavera --> an Italian restaurant;
Caffe Cino --> the hotel's continental coffee bar [which offers a selection of coffees, pastries and deli sandwiches];
Boulevard Restaurant --> for hors d'oeuvres and hearty roast joints; and
the informal lounge area --> serving drinks and snacks on a 24-hour basis.

Being part of a conference delegation, I didn’t have the opportunity to sample the main restaurants, but the Boulevard Restaurant doubles up as a breakfast room and I did eat there each morning.

For breakfast there’s a hot buffet (English and American cuisine) comprising: sausages, hash browns, grilled tomatoes, sautéed potatoes, waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs (too runny - not to be recommended), fried eggs, bacon, baked beans and maple syrup.

There’s a selection of juices (orange, grapefruit and apple), cereals, fresh fruit (including prunes, grapefruit segments and bananas) and chilled yoghurts on one counter and toast, croissants, bread rolls and Danish pastries on another.

Tea and/or coffee is brought to your table on request, where you have milk and a selection of preserves already set for your convenience.

The quality of the food was adequate. Again, nothing much to write home about.

The Caffe Cino coffee bar served its purpose, even if the waiter service left MUCH to be desired (over 40 minutes waiting to be served, and the place wasn’t even packed to the fins, let alone gills). The coffee tasted good though and cost the regular ‘coffee-house chain’ price for a modest sized cup.

…AND RELAX…

If you’re the active type The LivingWell Health Club assures guests of relaxation in the sauna and steam room. You can take a dip in the heated indoor pool or pamper yourself with a session in the solarium. There’s a well-equipped gym overlooking the swimming pool so you can pump away while those below you take lap after lap…

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FURTHER INFORMATION:

Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International Railway Station are only 10 minutes away using the hotel’s courtesy coach service. There is free car parking for 700 cars.

Check-In Time: 16:00
Check-Out Time: 11:00

Address and telephone:

Hilton Birmingham Metropole
National Exhibition Centre
Birmingham, B40 1PP GB
TEL: +44 (0) 121 780 4242
FAX: +44 (0) 121 780 3923

*************************************************************

My Final Thoughts:

I was looking forward to staying at this hotel and I was very disappointed: with the standard of décor (quite a few public areas were in dire need of a lick of paint), the unappetising cuisine [even at the Conference Dinner which was a set meal for 250 delegates], and of course the uncomfortable/unattractive accommodation.

I consider myself very fortunate not to have paid the £110 per person per night rate for the ‘privilege’ of staying at this hotel. If I had, I would seriously have asked for a refund.

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Thank you for reading :)

 

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