Holiday Inn Express Birmingham - City Centre by IHG

The lift setup was a real weakness. With just three lifts serving all 16 floors, we spent quite a while waiting, especially around breakfast. The hotel itself is modern and nicely placed between the city centre shops and the bars and theatres off Broad Street. Our room was clean and had useful facilities, including an iron and ironing board.

The location near the shopping centre and railway was really handy, and for the price it was definitely worth it. The room was clean, and breakfast had plenty of different choices, including gluten-free options. Staff were lovely and helpful, and even let us choose whether we wanted a room nearer the ground floor or higher up. I'd recommend staying here.

We had to queue a few times because the hotel was extremely busy, but the staff were helpful. I also liked the flavoured water with fruit and herbs at the bar. Breakfast was busy when we went down around 8:30, but easy to get around, with fruit, yoghurt, cereal, pastries, cooked food and toast. There was even a pancake maker. I didn't try it, but it looked good. The room had a stain on the wall by my side of the bed, as if someone had thrown a drink at it. I know rooms need to be turned around quickly, but the walls could use a wipe down. Other than that, the room was spacious and well equipped, with a nicely laid out bathroom and a really roomy shower. As a bigger person, I often find hotel showers too small, so this one was great. The bed was super comfy and the pillows so good I was tempted to take them home and pay the charge. I'd stay again.

The staff made my stay wonderful. Everyone was friendly, welcoming and especially helpful to me as a first-time visitor. Sharada deserves a special mention for looking after me from the moment I arrived on Wednesday 27 of May. At breakfast she helped me refill my bottle, and we had a lovely chat about holiday destinations and her home country, which is one of the next places I'd like to visit. She was great.