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Hilton Birmingham Metropole {GBR}

Hilton Birmingham Metropole {GBR}

Old Mar 26, 2009, 8:53 am
  #46  
 
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I've stayed here about 10 times in the past two years. I have always been upgraded (first when I was a gold, then as Diamond). The lounge has an adequate breakfast (eggs and then mostly cold cuts, fruits, etc.) but I prefer to eat downstairs so usually get a breakfast package if staying on the weekends. The canapes in the evening are nothing special and they have been the exact same thing every time I have been there. I don't remember what they are exactly because I usually pass on them. The hotel is very close to the NEC so if you're arriving by train (or by plane for that matter) and have a small amount of luggage it is actually faster to follow the signs to the hotel than it is to call and wait for their courtesy pick up. The bar has fairly decent options for a la carte ordering, Miller's pub is slightly more expensive (although they sometimes have great deals that are keyed to NEC traffic), the main restaurant has a buffet for 30 pounds (or perhaps slightly more) and they have another more upscale restaurant that has only been open once in the 10 times I have stayed there. IMHO, the Living Well health club is one of the nicer ones in the UK.
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Old Mar 26, 2009, 10:24 am
  #47  
 
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Originally Posted by travisw
I've stayed here about 10 times in the past two years. I have always been upgraded (first when I was a gold, then as Diamond). The lounge has an adequate breakfast (eggs and then mostly cold cuts, fruits, etc.) but I prefer to eat downstairs so usually get a breakfast package if staying on the weekends. The canapes in the evening are nothing special and they have been the exact same thing every time I have been there. I don't remember what they are exactly because I usually pass on them. The hotel is very close to the NEC so if you're arriving by train (or by plane for that matter) and have a small amount of luggage it is actually faster to follow the signs to the hotel than it is to call and wait for their courtesy pick up. The bar has fairly decent options for a la carte ordering, Miller's pub is slightly more expensive (although they sometimes have great deals that are keyed to NEC traffic), the main restaurant has a buffet for 30 pounds (or perhaps slightly more) and they have another more upscale restaurant that has only been open once in the 10 times I have stayed there. IMHO, the Living Well health club is one of the nicer ones in the UK.
Thanks very much everyone for your insights. I'll do a report when we return (it's actually after the may day weekend and we're paying 56 a night).
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Old Aug 13, 2009, 6:31 pm
  #48  
 
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Originally Posted by Stephan Whelan
Normally the Gold benefits I get are quite good (room upgrades, bottles of wine, privilege card for free drinks at the bar, free breakfast, small gifts, etc...) .
I plan to stay here next month and I think it would be great if the above is still the case. Any updates? Do they offer Wifi for free? If not, any idea on the cost??
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Old Sep 1, 2009, 8:47 pm
  #49  
 
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Originally Posted by kats
I plan to stay here next month and I think it would be great if the above is still the case. Any updates? Do they offer Wifi for free? If not, any idea on the cost??
i have stayed there as a Gold a few times in the past year, most recently in April. they do not give free WiFi but do give you access to the executive lounge. i have not booked a specific executive level room so this perk was due to my choice of upgrade if available thing. i have not been told i could not have access to the lounge even when an upgraded room was not available.

i LOVE their lounge. the staff has always been great IMO and pretty much accommodate any requests i have made in the past. i am returning there in October. very much, this hotel is my home away from home in the UK.
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Old Sep 10, 2009, 7:57 am
  #50  
 
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I just checked out the hotel this morning. Hotel shuttle runs every 30 min during day time. When I arrived at the railway station around midnight, the hotel told me to take a taxi and that they would pay. The phone to call for hotel shuttle is located next to SUBWAY in the train station's main hall where you buy train tickets.

I was assigned to a refurbished executive room on the 3rd floor. The room is average size and clean, but I must say the view from my room was not so impressive because all I could see out the window was the building ceiling and some trees. Two small bottles of mineral water were offered for free.

Exec lounge on the 5th floor was very cozy and I enjoyed the evening cocktail with good food, beer and wine. Breakfast in the lounge did not offer a good variety and I took breakfast downstairs which they offered free as a D benefit. Their coffee in the restaurant is among the best.

I liked the sauna in the fitness club. I am not sure if it is common in Europe, but it was the first time to have experienced a sauna to be shared by men and women. Swimming suit was mandatory.

I liked the hotel but there was one big problem. Can one imagine any Hilton hotel in the world without internet access at least for 4 days?? Their internet provider is ibahn. If the hotel understands the seriousness of the problem, they should fix it right away!! They said they had problems on the hotel's end.
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Old Apr 25, 2010, 2:42 am
  #51  
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Just had two recent stays here and overall they were good experiences. The hotel looks *dreadful* outside but inside it's much, much better. I stayed in an Exec Junior Suite (upgarded from Exec Queen) and an Exec Queen (upgraded from Std Queen). Very nicely refurbished rooms. the junior suite offered lots of space over two rooms. Exec lounge was very nice - the usual nibbles/canapes and drinks but nicely done.

Now the negatives, but only on the 2nd stay; 3.50 for ice to be delivered to the room (no thanks!) and a mandatory 7.00 parking charge (no choice!) I (politely) challenged this on check-out but was firmly told "no exceptions - it's policy". Since when? I have stayed in many UK Hiltons and have never been charged for ice or parking - what gives? Is this a new way of nickel & diming Golds/Diamonds in the UK?

FYI - just stayed at Leeds Hilton and they were very happy to deliver a huge bucket of ice to my room, completely free-of-charge ^
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Old Apr 25, 2010, 1:47 pm
  #52  
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Originally Posted by NoY
Now the negatives, but only on the 2nd stay; 3.50 for ice to be delivered to the room (no thanks!) and a mandatory 7.00 parking charge (no choice!) I (politely) challenged this on check-out but was firmly told "no exceptions - it's policy". Since when? I have stayed in many UK Hiltons and have never been charged for ice or parking - what gives? Is this a new way of nickel & diming Golds/Diamonds in the UK?

FYI - just stayed at Leeds Hilton and they were very happy to deliver a huge bucket of ice to my room, completely free-of-charge ^
Never been charged for ice delivered to room, but often been charged for parking, mainly in the cities such as Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh.
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Old Apr 25, 2010, 2:05 pm
  #53  
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Originally Posted by NoY
... a mandatory 7.00 parking charge (no choice!)
Hmmm, this must be fairly new. I've not stayed there for a couple of years and never paid before.

Having said that, parking was always difficult at NEC exhibition time*, and on occasion I had to 'borrow' a space at the NEC.

Thanks for the heads up.

* Anybody stayed there outside NEC exhibition time? It's deadly
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Old Apr 26, 2010, 12:51 am
  #54  
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Originally Posted by cjd
Never been charged for ice delivered to room, but often been charged for parking, mainly in the cities such as Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh.
Interesting - just returned from Leeds - was offered free parking on departure - had no car this time though Consistently inconsistent?!
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Old Jul 29, 2010, 12:29 pm
  #55  
 
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Fire alarm at 4am sharp in Birmingham Metropole - is a report available?

Hello All,


I am just back with my family from Birmingham Metropole. On our last night before departure the fire alarm went off. We took it seriously, picked up the babies from the bed and we ran towards the exit just as we were after getting out of the bed on bare foot and in pyjamas. Soon one single fire engine arrived and we waited 45 minutes on the cold parking space tarmac before we were allowed to go back to our rooms.

Obviously, it never happens at good times but it was suspicious for me that it all happened at 4am sharp. It was exactly 4:00 when we were schocked by the noise and looked at the watch. I asked the lady at check-out what happened who told me it was an event from one of the bedrooms so they had to investigate it but didnt tell more. I am just wondering if anyone can request a detailed event report. The timing is pretty strange and this "bedroom" reason may be just a polite way of telling us nothing.

It also made me wondering as the Executive rooms are on top floors, what if it had happened to me when I was in the Niagara Falls Hilton? Running down from floor 47 or so and then walk back with kids... not the best location from risk point of view and what if there is a "real" fire.. nigthmare
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Old Jul 29, 2010, 1:11 pm
  #56  
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Originally Posted by Wadge
Hello All,


Soon one single fire engine arrived and we waited 45 minutes on the cold parking space tarmac before we were allowed to go back to our rooms.
It was cold in Alabama in July at 4 in the morning? I live in Atlanta, and the temp was around 90 degrees that a.m.
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Old Jul 29, 2010, 1:19 pm
  #57  
 
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Originally Posted by CNWO4LIFE
It was cold in Alabama in July at 4 in the morning? I live in Atlanta, and the temp was around 90 degrees that a.m.
Alabama? Hotel is in Birmingham, United Kingdom... you can try to stand on bare foot in pyjama with kids for 45 mins at 4am in July in Birmingham. It is not Hawaii... I could see my breath, you can guess the temperature.
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Old Jul 29, 2010, 1:24 pm
  #58  
 
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Originally Posted by CNWO4LIFE
It was cold in Alabama in July at 4 in the morning? I live in Atlanta, and the temp was around 90 degrees that a.m.
Me thinks there might be about a 4200 mile communication gap here!
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Old Jul 29, 2010, 1:30 pm
  #59  
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Why does it matter if it was 4am on the dot? You think the hotel deliberately triggered an alarm cuz they get their jollies having folk exit & then decided to come up w/ something wrong in one of the rooms to cover their tracks? Would it have mattered if it had been 3am on the dot? Maybe there were people partying in the room & started a fire in the trash can & it set off the alarm. Maybe they hung something on the fire sprinkler knob & it got set off. Maybe someone ran the shower too long & steam set off the alarm.

The fire alarm version of Murphy's Law is that they always occur in the middle of the night!

I experienced a 3:30am fire alarm evacuation from a Hilton property a couple of months ago. Did the walk down the 6 flights of stairs, stand outside for 45 minutes & then walk up the stairs back to room after the all-clear. Did I know what caused the alarm - or care? Nope. As long as there wasn't a fire, my sole concern was getting back to room & going back to sleep. Didn't matter to me what caused it, as long as it wasn't a real fire & whatever caused it wasn't going to happen again/cause the alarm to go off a second time.

BTW - it would have only taken 10 seconds to put shoes on, even in an emergency situation, 30 if you had to get them out of the closet. I've been through a few fire alarms in middle of the night, and shoes always go on.

If you're in a property that has a lot of floors & you're on top floor, then you've got a lot of walking ahead of you to get down the stairs (presumably after the fire alarm is cancelled, you'd take the elevator/lift up, although it might take a while if everyone is queued up for it). If the fire was in a place where they didn't want you walking & to stay in your room, they'd announce that over the PA.

I'd say a) be glad it wasn't a fire; b) be glad it wasn't the middle of winter.

There's actually another thread going right now re: hotel alarms in the middle of the night & whether compensation is due (consensus is no). Perhaps this one can be merged w/ that one. Here it is:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...pensation.html

Glad you & the family are ok.

Cheers.

Last edited by SkiAdcock; Jul 29, 2010 at 1:46 pm Reason: add link...
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Old Jul 29, 2010, 2:00 pm
  #60  
 
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Originally Posted by Wadge
I am just wondering if anyone can request a detailed event report. The timing is pretty strange and this "bedroom" reason may be just a polite way of telling us nothing.
You might be able to get information from the local fire department (or "fire brigade," as I guess you'd say) -- but I suspect it would be little more than "hotel called 4:00 with report of alarm on 6th floor, arrived 4:04, investigated, no fire found."

It also made me wondering as the Executive rooms are on top floors, what if it had happened to me when I was in the Niagara Falls Hilton? Running down from floor 47 or so and then walk back with kids... not the best location from risk point of view and what if there is a "real" fire.. nigthmare
You're actually less likely to be disturbed by a false alarm in a building that tall, because in most high-rise buildings, the fire alarm will only sound on the floor where it's been triggered, plus a floor or two above and below. When buildings are equipped with modern fire-suppression equipment (sprinklers, automatically-closing fire doors, etc.), then people more than a couple of floors away are in more danger of injury from the evacuation than they would be from the fire itself.

But, yes, you do have to make the tradeoff between the various benefits of being on a high floor and the risk of a fire breaking out. (It is, though, a very small risk.)

By the way, please don't go literally running down if you ever have to evacuate again.
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