this is a beautiful hotel set in lovely grounds. its ideally…read morelocated just off junction 12 of the M6 and on the A5. I have been to many functions here and the staff are friendy proffesional and always on hand to help. the food is amazing and always plenty of choice. the surroundings are lovely and they have a lovely garden area ideal for wedding photos. they have ample car parking and security gates at the front of the premisies so there secure at all times. bedrooms are adequate and comfortable, breakfasts lovely and the resturant area is modern and tasteful.

Handily located just minutes off M6 Junction 12 on the A5 to break up a long journey with an…read moreovernight stop. At first it looks as if it's in the middle of nowhere, but there are another good couple of pubs/inns within walking distance just down the road. Room was basic but clean and comfortable - a typical 'conference' or 'workmans' hotel if you know what I mean but looks as if it does a good business in weddings. Large car park and looks relatively modern though still evident that it was once a Farmhouse, hence the name. Breakfast was included in the room that cost no more than one of the larger chain hotels, but as they don't serve until 7.15am and I had an early start, I missed out. Might stay again if I was making the same trip, though I'd possibly explore other options first and fall back on this as a plan B.

I never steal irons from hotels…read more.... So, why o why does it need to be fixed to the ironing board. The first one had to be replaced because it leaked, and the second was only marginally better. Friends staying at the same time had to have theirs changed twice. I need to get a glass to fill with water then to fill the iron from the glass. Not easy. You can't be expected to cart the whole contraption into the bathroom!!! Get real for goodness sake. Whilst you at it, check for stains on the ironing board. Otherwise they can transfer to clothes being ironed. The staff are pleasant. On checkout, even though I was told I had free continental breakfast, and I made this known when I entered the restaurant. On check-out they had added two full English breakfasts to the bill. Once I said that I didn't have a full English it was removed from the bill. Apart from that all else was OK. I'd take my own iron next time.... I didn't eat in the restaurant in the evening as we were booked into a restaurant elsewhere.

Stayed here for 4 nights during a business visit and was booked in the Club room on the top…read morefloor(11th floor). First thing I noticed was the reception and lobby area : pretty stylish and modern decor. I wish I had taken some photos... Room : Very nice clean room with huge comfortable bed and a pretty good view of Birmingham skyline. The bathroom had a shower AND bathtub(equipped with bathrobes) and the it was very clean. The room was well equipped for working professionals (desk chair, full size mirror, international plug points, coffee maker, iron-board etc etc) The cherry on the cake was their pillow menu(for people with different preferences/feathers- you can request your own choice of pillows) and the pillow spray for a good night sleep! Out of curiosity, I tried it and I found it great! Service - I think they were courteous and friendly and check-in and check-out processes were smooth. Food : Decent options, although restaurant had many more choices than the room-service menu. Location: very central; walking distance to Birmingham cathedral and shopping street(New Street) and train station which goes straight to Birmingham international airport. The negative: Shower could be a bit dark(no overhead lights) and the lifts were old. Only 2/4 were functional when I was there. Wifi - the standard free wifi was bad; only sufficient for light browsing/emails. In all fairness, they do say that the free wifi does only that but when you are paying 150 GBP a night, I think they should throw in high speed wifi. But overall, I had a pleasant stay and I would come back.

Newhall is a stately bespoke hotel that I absolutely love. I cannot say enough about the staff who…read moreare very professional and friendly and will go above and beyond to ensure that your stay is comfortable. Both the restaurant and bar offer a very tasty menu - top notch and mainly locally sourced. Nice Spa and fitness facility with an indoor, well kept pool. Very pleasant outdoor gardens, including a moat and several ponds - great for a walk. Very unique rooms in the older section are worth the stay.

New Hall is the oldest moated house in England and it's a truly special place. I stayed here…read moreregularly with work and the rooms were very comfortable. The breakfast is excellent, try the eggs royale! The restaurant, The Terrace Brasserie is a beautiful intimate restaurant. Our meal was delicious and the service is excellent, although per person it's about £45 a head for 3 courses and a drink. They do take Taste Card though and you can use hand picked hotel points to get a free meal! The reason I haven't given 5 stars is the price of the drinks, a Hendricks gin and tonic is £9.50!

First the positives:…read more The staff are very helpful, friendly, and fantastic. It is set in lovely location. It is very quiet. The dining room, although small, is a good low lit environment. The room I had was a good size, as was the bathroom. Good selection of toiletries. The food for dinner had a good selection, and breakfast too. The negatives: The water in both the sink and the bath (whilst having a shower) did not go down the plughole very fast Making it difficult to cleans one's teeth, and have a shower. I mentioned this to reception the next morning, and they said they would get maintenance to have a look. On my return in the evening it had not been resolved. Reception then tried to find me another room. There were none available. There would be a room available the next day, which I accepted. She also offered me a free bottle of wine to compensate for the the inconvenience. I declined as I didn't want to be seen as person moaning to get something back. Nevertheless, I think it was a generous offer. (SEE FURTHER RELATING TO THIS BELOW.) The TV is too small for the room. I struggled to get a signal on my mobile telephone, and it cut out several times. I did access the WiFi, and didn't have too many problems, I had to log back on a couple of times. No ironing board and iron in the room. I had to request one, and the first iron brought was black with caked on burnt material. They took that one back and said she hoped that one was Ok as there wasn't another on the shelf. Is there really only two irons for the whole hotel? No safe in the room. Sometimes a must for me if I have my work laptop. However, I had left it securely locked away at my office. The shower head is fixed and water went everywhere when I turned on, awaiting for warm water. The latter seemed difficult control, and was sometimes far too hot. I asked what wines they sold by the glass, I asked for white, I was told there was only one, and that was Sauvignon Blanc. This is extremely strange for any hotel, let alone a bar that only servers one white wine by the glass. They have three reds by the glass. Apparently they are trying to run down stocks before changing over to new list of wines. A good idea would be to reduce those wines by the bottle; I'm sure they would still make a profit. The menu was the same on Wednesday evening as the one on Monday. I asked how often it was changed I was told every NINE (9) months!! Another said that it was seasonal, the two answers didn't add up. Extra Notes. When I was transferred to another room, I found waiting for me a bowl of fruit, a small box of chocolates, and a bathrobe and slippers. I think that is exceptional service to say sorry. The room also had a expresso coffee making machine, which I sampled and really enjoyed. The new room was situated on the ground floor, and overlooked the balancing pond. Very idyllic. That all adds up to a big thank you. A three course meal is £26.95, but there are supplements. For example, I had a starter and a main which would be £22.95, but I had the 10oz ribeye steak, which had a £6 supplement. It was succulent and delicious. A pint of John Smith's is £3.60, and a large glass of Shiraz was £6.70. I discovered another lounge area just as I was leaving. All in all, would I return? The answer is: yes.

Madeley Court is part of the Clarion Hotel Chain, it was previously an old manor house but has been…read morebeautifully restored into a hotel & restaurant. The rooms are all delightfully furnished in tasteful styles, the service is excellent & the staff are friendly & helpful. The setting of the hotel & it's surrounding grounds are lovely. The restaurant offers a good, if small, selection of well prepared & delicious food, although the wine list is rather lacking. The service in the restaurant can be hit & miss, on some occasions it has been excellent, on others it leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, however it's generally a pleasant dining experiance.

Went for a festival and came back to my room one day and all my merchandise was gone. Went to the…read morefront office area to let them know about this. They told me to make an insurance claim, not let me talk to housekeeping, let me do some investigating, let me call the police, make a claim. I paid over $300 a night to get that. Never again.

VIEW: 5/5 SERVICE: 5/5 (updated service to 5/5)…read moreAMENITIES: 5/5 TV CHANNELS: 2/5 INTERNET: 2/5 FYI #1: The hotel has a weight scale. I don't think this is common, so a big plus. FYI #2: They have the 10x mirror in the bathroom. FYI #3: They have a cover for the peep hole. I've never seen this before, but I really appreciate it! FYI #4: They have a trouser press. VIEW: Today is my 2nd night here. The hotel is beautiful. I am sitting here on the 21st floor, overlooking the canal. The view is SPECTACULAR (for me on this trip). SERVICE: I arrived yesterday. I came with 3 bags + purse. There were two concierge outside and they saw me approaching the hotel, but they did not offer to help me. They did not greet me. Nothing. Not cool. On the way in this afternoon (one concierge different from yesterday) was at the door and he opened the door for the man behind me because he had one small suitcase. He was holding the door open for the man (not me since I didn't have any luggage)... but if this was the type of service provided for one man with a small rolling suitcase, how could they not greet me? open the door for me? I had bags falling from my hands and had to drag myself through the rotating door. I kept getting stuck in the rotating door because I had so many bags. It was quite frustrating. I'm disappointed that the concierge didn't help out. However, maybe the concierge yesterday was no good. Today, maybe he was just better. It's tough with this type of ....service business.... I guess it's a 3/5 for the concierge. I gave the 4/5 rating because the housekeepers did a beautiful job of taking care of the room. They changed my bed sheets -- it's very obvious. I left my shoes next to the ottoman, but they placed my shoes closer to the door (with care). I also had my toothbrush and other supplies just laying around in the bathroom, but they tidied the bathroom for me. I really appreciated it. They did a fantastic job with the room. Very pleased. I believe my luggage/concierge is probably a one-off, so I can't bang this hotel too much for that one experience. Just thought I'd share ... but it's really no different from some other place. Sometimes, it's just a hit or miss. AMENITIES: Bathroom is nice. Not the most fancy, but definitely have no complaints. It's clean and well maintained. No complaints here. Nicer than the average bathroom. INTERNET: No free internet. For 1 hour, it's 5 GBP. For 24 hours, it's 15 GBP. I'm from the States and am used to having free wi-fi when I'm at a hotel, so it's not very ideal.... TV CHANNELS: Theres only 20 channels + 5 music channels (total of 25). Again, I'm not sure what the standard is here in the UK, but I'm from the States and am used to having many options (50 channels) with plenty of things to watch. Unfortunately, with the limited choices, there's not much to watch on tv. Sooo, if you're too cheap to pay for internet and can't find anything on TV, there's really nothing to do while here. All in all, nice hotel. I would come back again. I will have to deal with the tv channels and paying for the internet - unfortunately.

We had one of our work's team away days here so this review is more aimed towards the conference…read morefacilities than the pub and hotel side of the business. Arrival in the carpark and a quick stroll up to the conference room we had booked and we were off to a flying start, fresh tea and coffee, freshly baked pastries and to top it off bacon filled croissants - great start! Throughout the morning we had regular fresh tea and coffee provided to the room and a platter of biscuits provided to help through elevenses ;) Lunch was a bit of a let down to be honest, we were given the option of a beef stew, vegetarian tomato pasta dish or white sauce chicken (maybe white wine?) I opted for the stew, nothing wrong with it but nothing special as the earlier experiences had instilled. Then back to the meeting room and things picked up again, more rounds of fresh tea and coffee and the coup de grâce came with the afternoon tea, freshly baked mini scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam - just wow! Upon leaving a token was provided for the carpark - no charges for conference use. The building and facilities available were all great and I honestly won't complain if we have our next away day booked here!

Not having much call to check out Hotels in Birmingham, I hadn't really had an excuse to visit the…read morePlough and Harrow before this weekend just gone. I'm pretty familiar with how it looks from the outside (being on Hagley Road, a main thoroughfare in and out of Birmingham Central), but wondered if the interior matched the grand aesthetic of the exterior. On Saturday night myself and Dan G. got our finest gladrags on and hoofed it down to the Plough and Harrow for the wedding of two of our lovely Birmingham Yelpers (Gem R. and Renfield C.). We jumped in a cab and after a very short journey, pulled up to the venue within about 5 minutes. The Plough and Harrow is a twenty minute walk from the Jewellery Quarter or around 25 minutes from the centre of town (making it an ideal venue for weddings or events). The blue plaque outside the venue exclaims that JRR Tolkien once stayed there, however, I'm pretty sure there are quite a few places in Birmingham that also share that boast. The interior of the venue boasts a timeless elegance, with dark wood and brass fittings oozing gentle sophistication. Before we headed into the actual function room (it's probably a dining hall on normal days), we rocked up to the bar to grab ourselves a drink. As you can imagine with this being a hotel, drinks weren't cheap; however they weren't too bad. A pint of strongbow was £4 and most pints ranged from £4 - £5 (even for something a little more exotic). They had a fine range of single malt's on sale for around £4.50+ a dram, so around what you might pay at a fancy wine or cocktail bar in the City. The function room was fairly large, bright and airy (with double doors leading to a small patio area for smokers and sunny days). There is also a largish garden area, although this is mainly just grassed and could have done with a few embellishments. The venue is well looked after and maintains an air of "crisp efficiency" and neatness throughout. The toilets were very well looked after and were spotless throughout our visit. This was the perfect choice for Gem and Renfield's wedding and I could see why they selected it. The food on the buffet was good, the staff were friendly and the venue was accomodating and just the right size. If I was around this area again, I wouldn't hesitate to pop in a grab a pint.

Not the best but it is a nice hotel. Cosy room and polite staffs…read more The main catch is the high street is 10 - 15 minutes down the road with loads of shops and restaurants. Nice clean bathroom which is always good and the room it self is nice but awfully cosy with no real views or real attractions to look at through the window. To tell the truth we plan to be out and about and just use this hotel as a spot for sleeping and it certainly tick that box. The breakfast here is highly forgettable if the food is not warm then it is cold, anything hot is all in your mind plus the selection is poor. The wifi set up is free but highly annoying to connect to.

Stayed for a couple of days to explore the area. The hotel room was a reasonable price, however…read moreBreakfast was quite overpriced. Good secure parking facilities which was very helpful and not too far from various shopping districts. The room was very well decorated and the staff were polite. I had no issues throughout my stay.

I am a bit sad to give the hotel three stars, as it could have been so much more…read more It has plentiful parking space, and located near the lake, which our room had a view of. The interior was in the style of grander times, but in my opinion that adds a character to the hotel. Breakfast was nice, albeit we had to wait for the potato hashbrowns - they were worth waiting though! However, it's like they don't give a crap. For example, one of the lamps in our 'superior' room wasn't working- we told them before left for dinner but nothing changed when we came back. The kettle in the room as definitely seen better days - it's filter had holes and might as well not been there at all. Some of the teabags weren't wrapped. It doesn't take much to change a bulb or provide a decent kettle (especially if you charge us for 'superior'). It was also quite cold in the room and no way to increase temperature.

I was there for three nights in 2006, as I was on a business trip in UK. The hotel (single room)…read morewas quite pricey for this part of the country. It lies in a quite remote place, which means quiet nights, but also a hard journey there unless you go by car. The hotel building itself looked quite romantic, also from the inside, I must admit. The corridors, however, can be a real maze (at least for foreigners), just like in an old English manor house. For Englishmen everyday life, but for foreigners somehow unpractical, is the bedding: Four (4) bed-covers which make you sleep like a corpse in a coffin and still freezing. What really made me upset was the shortage in warm water in the late evening. Taking a cold shower in UK is certainly not a good idea.