My room was bright, the bed and pillows were comfortable, the room was quiet, and the AC worked…read morevery well (although it made some strange sounds). It is only a three mile Uber or bus ride to the university and there are quite a few nearby restaurants. A major complaint is serious lack of outlets in the room, and none near the bed. The walls in the hallway look terrible and needed repainting a long time ago. I had a light dinner (Mezze plane) in the restaurant and it was not very good.

I'm glady I stayed at this hotel - very clean and nicely decorated…read more Free breakfast with great hot & cold selection. There were signs for fitness center, but there weren't. If you are a runner, there are prenty of great joggin paths (You may want to run by the castle...great XC course!) This location is very convinient to visit the old castle, downtown kenilworth, or even Coventry (I'm glad we didn't stay in Coventry...people warned us about it, and my colleague wasn't too happy with the Holiday inn express there...) I didn't care for Starbucks, but oh well, it's convinient. Good wifi connection, TV was brand new flat screen. Cofee maker and free frat bread (yeehaa) Front desk was hit and miss - one guy was SUPER nice, drawing map and telling us where to go, etc. The other lady was...well, kinda lame. Compare to the "original (reads as USA)" Holiday inn, this location is probably better in many ways, good service and very updated rooms.

Despite many great events popping up at The Bond this year, I only managed to get down to check it…read moreout this weekend. When I heard that a Gin Festival was hitting Digbeth, there wasn't a chance I was going to miss out. So, the Gin Festival was planned over the same weekend of City of Colours which meant that Digbeth had one buzzing weekend planned. I had hoped to get out on Saturday, but after hitting a nightclub on Friday night for a friends birthday; I was a little worse for wear in the day and didn't make it. It did mean that I had a rather special Sunday instead (which ended up being an even better choice than originally planned). Enough with the wittering and down to business... The Bond is located off the main drag of Digbeth and the other side of Heath Mill Lane from the entrance to the Custard Factory. You can walk down Digbeth High Street to get there, but we found it significantly quicker to walk down Fazeley Street from behind the back of Hotel La Tour. It's not that obvious when walking down from Fazeley Street, but one you get outside it there is a big iron sign which tells you that you have arrived. I imagine the building was once a warehouse used for stocking barges (as it's well positioned right next to the canal with a small area for boats to pull in), but it's now an events space. First thing of note... it's pretty big. There is plenty of outdoor space both covered and uncovered and a couple of buildings that were being utilised for the Gin Festival. It may be even bigger than this, but we only saw what was being used on the weekend. It has a large conference style room with a toilet block towards the back, a further indoor space with a smaller room and another toilet block and a large "car park" style area and another largish covered area outside. There is a cafe onsite (which was serving hot dogs on the weekend) but I'm not sure what the permanent fixtures of the site are as I have only been for the one event. I have to say, I really liked this venue. I liked the layout, the mix of outdoor and indoor spaces and the plentiful loos. Seeing as the event was held on a scorching Sunday afternoon, the shaded areas were very welcome and everything was laid out very sensitively. I would definitely attend another event in this space! I can't comment on drinks prices (as I was at a drinks based event), but I'll have to update this review if I get back to more events here.

I nice venue tucked away in Digbeth. There is a lovely courtyard area on the canal which is great…read morefor outdoor event. The are also two big rooms which can be hired out for weddings or markets. I came to a wedding in October and it was warm and cosy and the food was great. This weekend I came along to a winter food market. They had plenty of temporary food shacks set up in the courtyard selling waffles and burgers etc but inside there was stalls selling breads, pies, beers, as well as goods like cards and jewellery. It was a cold but sunny day and a pleasant place to be in. Only a ten min walk from the City Centre I would say.

Beautiful venue, with a pretty music hall feeling, good-size-for-not-a-city theatre- red velvet,…read moreold decor. The kitchen is huge, halls for hire- the crush hall, theatre (with a well stocked bar), conference rooms. They're making more effort with weddings, hold fayres, events, pantos, burlesque, tributes, amateur and pro theatre (It's definitely worth checking out what is on)- they just held a very busy vegan fair. Staff are fab, facilities are great- it's not super shiny, but they are constantly working to improve it.

Rooms for public hire are what justifies a review; there's very little scope for appraising it as a…read morecivic landmark unto itself. "Rooms", though, may be a little broad; we're really talking about a range of genuine halls and suites available for weddings and wedding receptions, conferences, meetings, exhibitions and other social activities. They've even been known to hold the odd inquest. In appearance, they are very 'town hall', all a bit brass and velvet, although the formal decor must carry an attraction, especially judging by the amount of wedding guests you see milling around outside on Saturday evenings (and they're just the smokers). Versatility is the watch-word, with the venue able to cater for both a range of numbers and a range of food needs, from buffets to literal banquets. The venue has its own catering team. Menus and rates are available on the site's comprehensive website.

I know a lot of people use this magnificent building as a walk-through - I do too - but I am in awe…read moreof this place. As an event planner (amongst other things) this place is a dream. Years ago, I attended a few industry events here - all amazing. More recently, I have been to amazing events in the amazing Symphony Hall, housed within the ICC including Glen Campbell and the exclusive event when Beverly Knight got her 'Broad Street Star.' However, my best experience was actually recently when I had a behind the scenes tour for which they allocated one of their security guards - the man in the know - to do this for us. The way this place transforms with a touch of a button (or hundreds of buttons) to make every event special is amazing. As a bonus, he had so many back stage stories to tell it was hugely entertaining!

The ICC holds all kinds of conferences from party conferences (it's the only place which has had…read moreall 3 main political parties) to Slimming World conferences. Most people see it as a corridor from Centenary Square to the canals and Brindley Place and in a lot of ways it is. I'd much prefer to walk through the ICC to get to the canals then walk that small stretch of Broad Street especially at night/in the rain. However, what a lot of people don't realise is behind the fronts you walk past there are over 10 halls, some with the capacity to hold over a thousand delegates. They're all really swanky too, and they have a wonderful events team that can transform any space as far as the client's imagination can reach. The staff are friendly and always smiley. A great place to pop to the toilet too if you're in town.

A large conference centre in the city centre of Birmingham, inside it, is pretty modern and…read morefeatures a few stores including a WHSmith, Subway and Starbucks - do take note of the opening hours of these though as some might not open on Sunday's and/or close early sometimes. It's now served by the Library stop on the West Midlands Metro, following the tram extension which goes onto Broad Street. It is also next to The Library of Birmingham, while the building isn't as stunning as the aforementioned, it still remains rather modern and cool. The conference auditorium has a capacity of 1,500 which is quite impressive. I do think the staff didn't seem too helpful, I originally asked where the Starbucks was and felt the need to explain myself as he seemed rather confused. It is pretty expensive inside with one of the most expensive Starbucks' locations I've seen ever outside of a travel location (airport, station or motorway services). 3*

A well designed events complex with additional pop-up stores including an art gallery.read more

I've been here a few times over the years. Mostly, it's been to see their open days which are free…read moreto enter. It's a lovely old house that's great to see is still intact and right on our doorstep. Whenever there are events on you get to see inside the building. There are loads of lovely rooms both downstairs and up and the main reception hall is quite a space. When the events are on inside, you'll find various stalls dotted round both floors and in almost all the rooms. This can make it quite tricky to squeeze round with a pushchair, and my daughter wasn't too keen on the crowds squashing her in tighter spots. For me the best tine to go if you want to take the whole family are the summer open days, the next one is 15th July. You can get round both the house and gardens and there's just more space as everyone's not crammed into the one space at the same time-unless it's raining, of course! There are refreshments available and on family special days, there are lots of activities for the kids to join in. Check out the events calendar on the web page for details of more free family events through the year.

I've been to Highbury a couple of times previously - as a child I was dragged round on a school…read moretrip and don't really remember much about it except for a shameful game of rounders in the grounds after (I was always useless at rounders). Later still I went to a brilliant play here - all Victorian melodrama and audience participation. Anyway this weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a wedding here and I have to say the setting, the gardens, the ambiance, the staff - everything was perfect. Things that stick out - apart from the fact I got to wear a fascinator, which was of course brilliant - the main reception room with staircase is stunning. Secondly the room where the wedding took place - with patio doors that lead out to the garden was straight out of Downton Abbey - and because it was south facing I could blame the sunlight for making my eyes stream (and not have to admit I was blubbing because it was all so lovely). Thirdly - the grounds - absolutely resplendent. The whole event was incredibly well organised and the staff were really, really sweet. I can't recommend this enough really - history buffs take note - this was the family home of Birmingham MP Joseph Chamberlain MP who lived here from 1878 onwards. To find out more it's worth popping along to one of their open days - full details can be found on the website.

This place is downstairs from Bodega and is opened up on weekend afternoons…read more Bodega is rammed all the time, the guys making silly money up there so when things get a little crazy on a weekend he opens up this extra part of it (with its own bar and food menu) to earn even more money. I hate the seats so much, they have very high seats on stools or even low seats on sofas, I'm really tall and i struggle with both I swing around on the stools and often fall off, and my legs are basically behind my head on the sofas. But the reason people come down here is to stand up and dance, the music stays authentic, as do the cocktails. Alto of the people i know who come down here use it as a prefer ed preshrinking area before a big weekend night out. Not a bad little area just wish they would fix the seats.

The Sugarloaf Bar is situated underneath Birmingham's popular South American cantina; Bodega…read more Many people may not have noticed Sugarloaf as it is only open Thurs-Sat from 5pm and like me, if you go to get a table upstairs and it's fully booked (it usually is) you might just skulk off somewhere else... *sad face* Sugarloaf is a dimly lit (in the best possible way) basement bar with great decorative features like brightly painted walls with mexican wrestling mask inspired lanterns and sugar skull artwork. Bare bricks, vintage chandeliers and comfily upholstered, low bench seating make this a trendy and comfortable place to while away a few hours. Although you can't get the full range of Bodega's amazing food and cocktails, there are bar snacks and cocktails aplenty in this great after-work haunt. I can recommend the Batatas Fritas (V) £3.25 (sweet potato fries with sour cream), Frijoles (V) £2.75 (double cooked black beans with crumbled cheese, rice and cream) and the Raspberry Caipirinha £5.00 (Cachaca with fresh raspberries, raspberry liqueur, fresh limes and sugar). Beef Burritos are a firm favourite too although they are better from upstairs with all the trimmings. Sugarloaf is available for free private hire (subject to a minimum spend) and can accomodate up to 80 people. Please contact the bar to discuss your requirements.

Very nice and comfortable hotel. Great location near plenty of bars and restaurants. Birmingham is…read morea small city with an extensive pedestrianised downtown so everything is within easy walking distance. Stayed for two nights over the Easter weekend. Room was big enough, if not massive, for two people but the beds were excellent and the bathroom well appointed and spotlessly clean. Had breakfast only once in two days which was a mistake. Should have done it both days. Very good. While the rest of the neighbourhood heaves at night, the bar here was quiet, mostly because they only allowed residents into the hotel at night. We were grateful for the comfort. Very happy to recommend and will stay here again.

Jurys Inn is a wonderful Central Budget Hotel…read more I managed to get a good deal on a couple of nights over this easter and it was great having a hotel with such a central position in the city. Just by the canal and an abundance of restaurant. All main attractions in the city less than ten mins walk away. It actually took ages to find a decent place at the right price based on previous reviews. Everyone commented on the noise from party goers everywhere - and in particular with Jurys Inn - the noise from the maids lift. But we plumped for Jurys Inn because they had the B&B deals and the company has a good rep. We simply requested a room away from the lift. As it was on the 11th floor we had two peaceful nights sleep in the most AMAZING bed ever. It was so huge I didn't even notice the Mrs was in the bed next to me when I woke up. The rooms are spacious and so so clean. There's no faffing in the room and no mini fridge (ie temptation) which is perfect for us. The whole hotel was clean and bright and pretty. Good security at night and efficient service throughout. Negatives -Awkward moment when checking in - the guy behind the counter was a tad baffled about two women sharing a double room, bless. -Annoying heating/air conditioning in room. It's just stupid, but if you admit defeat and call reception they can adjust it from there. -Breakfast. Poor lay out, naff choice for veggies. -Paid Wifi Despite the not so goods - for the price you can't get better for Bham City Centre. I would recommend it for couples on a city break of those who are looking for a decent place to rest and refuel.