I stayed in Malmaison for a four day training course last week and I wasn’t going to write a review because it is so similar to the one I wrote on Malmaison London, I would have just repeated myself. However, there were quite a few little things that could have been improved with the meeting ... Read review
The chic, memorable Malmaison Birmingham is housed within The Mailbox - the place to go ... more
for great shopping, food and drink in Birmingham city centre.As well as the brasserie, bar, gym and luxurious Le Petit Spa, Malmaison Birmingham offers you luxury h...
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Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Located in the landmark Mailbox near the City centre and main Trainstation we have 189 of ... more
the chicest individually designed rooms and suites in the city A stunning Bar and Brasserie combining light and style with traditional and wholesome French cook...
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Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Advantages: Comfortable stay in a large, clean room Disadvantages: Meetings were not thought out properly
I stayed in Malmaison for a four day training course last week and I wasn’t going to write a review because it is so similar to the one I wrote on Malmaison London, I would have just repeated myself. However, there were quite a few little things that could have been improved with the meeting facilities and I thought I had to air my views!
===The Room===
Ok, so briefly I will write about the room. As we booked through work I ... ...was so much bigger than the one we had in London. The bed was huge and there was a lot of walk round space in the bedroom. There was a large desk with broadband internet access – either from a cable or wireless, a large TV, CD player and a really big wardrobe. It was really comfortable and was air conditioned. The only thing was that the window was quite small and overlooked the Mailbox, but this was a minor fault.
===The Bathroom=== more
I stayed in Malmaison for a four day training course last week and I wasn’t going to write a review because it is so similar to the one I wrote on Malmaison London, I would have just repeated myself. However, there were quite a few little things that could have been improved with the meeting facilities and I thought I had to air my views!
The Room
Ok, so briefly I will write about the room. As we booked through work I assume we only had a standard double room, but it was so much bigger than the one we had in London. The bed was huge and there was a lot of walk round space in the bedroom. There was a large desk with broadband internet access – either from a cable or wireless, a large TV, CD player and a really big wardrobe. It was really comfortable and was air conditioned. The only thing was that the window was quite small and overlooked the Mailbox, but this was a minor fault.
The Bathroom
The bathroom had everything I would have expected – a really large bath with a shower over and a large sink with plenty of space for lots of toiletries. On the first night I had a face cloth, which I used and it wasn’t replaced the next 2 days which was a bit disappointing.
The Meeting Room
All the meeting rooms are on the same floor which makes it easy to find, however it does also create some problems when all the meeting rooms are in use. There are 5 meeting rooms in total and I am not sure how many they can fit into each room. On the first day we had a group of about twenty and then we moved to a smaller room for the next 3 days as we went down to only 8 people.The rooms are well equipped. We had 2 flip charts, a data projector and screen and there were pens and paper provided as well. Our course was computer based so they had set up 5 terminals that we could all work from. These all had internet access but we did find that they were quite ancient and the internet connection was very slow. Also, if we all clicked on the same thing and the same time when instructed, all the computers crashed and had to be refreshed. Eventually we learnt to do it in turns to make things quicker.
There was also plenty of glasses and bottles of water on the table and there was also a small mini bar at the back of the room which was stocked with coke and red bull. I think this was a brilliant idea as by the end of the week I was sick of drinking tea and water and would have killed for a red bull, even if it was to keep me awake! They were quite expensive but if the whole group wanted one you could buy 6 for £10.
One of the things I noticed was the air conditioning. All the meeting rooms are air conditioned and there is a control panel at the back of the room if you wish to change it or turn it off. On the second day we were all shivering and we went to turn it up but nothing happened. Then we went to turn it off for our lunch break so the room would warm up, but when we came back an hour later it was still blowing out cold air even though the panel was off!
On the second day the room was too warm and then on the next 2 days it was cold again. I think the temperature of the room is very important, especially if you are sitting in it for a lengthy period of time, and they just couldn’t get this right.
The Breakout Area
Outside the meeting rooms is a large communal area with sofas and arm chairs which is used as a breakout area for tea and coffee breaks and for lunch. Again, I think it is important to have somewhere to break to, especially if the course goes on for a long time like ours did.However, this is what caused the most problems. First of all, this area was also air conditioned, so having been shivering away in the meeting room, we went out for our coffee break and were still cold. Being the beginning of October, is air conditioning really needed at all?
Also, as mentioned above, when there are lots of meetings going on at once this area can get very crowded. Even with the 8 of us we had to spread out over 4 sofas in order to be able to sit and have lunch. This wasn’t too much of a problem as our lunch breaks didn’t clash with anyone else’s and I assume they stagger them so they don’t have this problem.
On the second day it was clear that all the rooms were occupied because each drinks station had a sign next to it saying which group it was for. This really helped as although we knew which station was ours, groups who were on their first day might not have been so sure.
However, for the afternoon coffee break all the signs had been taken down and we came out of our meeting to find someone else drinking our tea and coffee! So we went to another station which had also been set up and took drinks from there, only to find that meeting came out and there were almost fisticuffs as they were appalled we were drinking their coffee. I don’t know why the signs had been taken down when there were clearly lots of meetings going on and I also don’t know why the other group assumed that was their drinks station when they had been using a different one earlier!
The Food
Each day we had a buffet lunch provided as part of the meeting package. It was a hot and cold buffet and consisted of mini fish and chips, salads, mini mal burgers, cold meats and open sandwiches.On the first day it was really nice. On the second day it had changed slightly, with the sandwich toppings being different and slightly different salads, but that was about it. By the end of the week I was bored. It was the same everyday. Surely if they know a group is in for four consecutive days they can create some variety? Just thinking about it now makes me feel sick and I am glad if I will never see another Malmaison buffet for a long time.
Don’t get me wrong it was really nice food, but it just needed some variety in what was being offered. Also some sort of dessert or sweet would have been nice.
There also wasn’t anything offered to drink with lunch. We had our glasses of water in the room, but some juice would have been nice and it would have made a change to the water and tea we were drinking all week!
Would I go back?
Overall I had a really comfortable stay, it was just the meeting facilities that put me off. There were so many things that could have been improved and even though it is meetings, and separate to the rooms side of the hotel, you are still providing a service and being hospitable. In order to provide a good service the customers’ expectations need to be exceeded and I really don’t think they were in this case. I will quite happily stay again but don’t want to attend another meeting here!
Advantages: Chic, Gor-jus and a great location Disadvantages: Price, no help with my bag!!!
A while back I stayed at the fabulous Malmaison in Birmingham's Mailbox as a treat for my birthday. A so called "boutique" hotel (whatever that means), it is one of the few places I have stayed at that thoroughly deserved it's 5* rating. And so, on with the review….
Location (The Mailbox? A Postbox? With a hotel in it?)
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Well, the Mailbox isn't actually a giant postbox, rather ... ...the canal. It's a very unique building, the only way I can describe it is as a covered street. You have many famous names here, including Harvey Nichols, Armani, Boss and even Aga, should you decide you want a cooker. Past the shops and overlooking the canal are a variety of bars and restaurants, including Bar Estillo, Zizzi, Santa Fe as well as many, many others, It's possible to spend an entire evening just here, but Broad St (Birminghams main ...
rickyshah 15.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Malmaison, Birmingham
Advantages: Fabulous décor and service Disadvantages: Expensive!
Introduction
One of the main advantages of going away on fieldwork with my boss is that he refuses point blank to stay in grotty hotels if he can help it, but also makes sure that I get to stay in a good hotel too. Generally, we have a budget or around £50-£80, which means three star hotels - perfectly adequate, but sometimes it is nice to stay somewhere a bit more extravagant (especially when I'm not paying for it). My first introduction to the ... ...I was very impressed. Booking
This is very easy by visiting www.malmaison.com and clicking on the relevant hotel. Alternatively, you can call 0121 246 5000.
Location
The hotel is located in Birmingham's Mailbox complex, home to designer shops such as Emporio Armani. The Mailbox was apparently once a Royal Mail sorting office, hence the name. The hotel is within walking distance of Birmingham New Street and therefore the Bull Ring Centre and all ...
sunmeilan 22.11.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Malmaison, Birmingham
Advantages: Great location, trendy and sumptuous Disadvantages: Parking costs a bomb
My company exhibits at the NEC once a year. This year I persuaded them to splash out on accommodation at the Malmaison - a boutique hotel in the Mailbox. Situation
The hotel is in a development of trendy bars, restaurants and shops. If you like designer gear a trip to Harvey Nicks is a must. At the back of the development is a lovely canalside pedestrian area full of a wide choice of bars and restaurants. If you like clubbing the Mailbox is handy ... ...Place another couple of minutes away. Parking is on site, but be warned it is expensive - I paid £17 for the night. Otherwise you can walk or get a cab from a train station (about 6 minutes walk from New Street or 15 minutes from Moor Street and Snow Hill).
Checking in
The reception area was very swish and the girl very smiley, but unfortunately they had not received notification of my booking. I'd booked a twin room via the website Superbreaks. ...
A1ValuedOpinion 03.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Malmaison, Birmingham
Advantages: Great location, beautiful rooms, good food Disadvantages: Parking
For the most part of summer 2005 I was based in Birmingham, and my lovely bosses picked the Malmaison hotel to be my home away from home. Of all the places I have been fortunate enough to stay in this has to be one of my favourites.
Location:
I was told this hotel was located in the mailbox, which instantly confused my dopey head. A hotel in a mailbox? Only the mailbox is a designer shopping mall home of Hugo Boss, Bang & Olufsen, Armani and DKNY ... ...when they don't put the prices in the window.) This sets the tone for this hotel. As soon as you walk through the door to this place and enter to dark wood and leather sofas this place screams class. Apparently the name the mailbox comes from its origins as a Royal Mail sorting office in the 60's. It is about a 10 minute walk to all the main shopping, eating and drinking establishments in Birmingham.
Checking in:
At the reception desk I never had ...
beckle_82 19.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Malmaison, Birmingham
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Advantages: Very clean and comfortable Disadvantages: Breakfast was disappointing
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Booking:
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