Citizen Birmingham

I came in with low expectations so I wouldn’t be disappointed, but I was honestly impressed. The room is narrow, but it has two levels, with the bedroom upstairs, plus a full kitchen. The setup is cute and there’s a lot of attention to detail. The beds and furniture are comfortable, the TVs are current enough to watch YouTube, and we even had a washer and dryer. I can’t complain much. The sink is too small, and brushing our teeth made a mess. There’s no bathroom upstairs either, so a middle of the night trip means navigating the spiral stairs. Those feel like minor complaints, though. There’s no facility parking, which was an issue, but we got lucky with street parking. Check-in and checkout are contactless, with instructions sent before arrival. The main entrance and doors use RFID or digital codes. I also enjoyed the lobby, where we hung out and played table games, something I haven’t done at a hotel in a long time. My kids kept asking to come back so we could spend time there, which says a lot. There’s no question I’d stay here when visiting beautiful Birmingham, AL. AAA+++

Mint House was fine for our weekend festival trip, though it didn’t leave a strong impression. The room was tidy and clean enough. The bed was quite comfortable, and the kitchenette was well equipped. The AC sometimes took a while to cool things down. There’s one big window, which is nice until you want sunlight without feeling like everyone walking by can see you on display. We had little contact with staff, partly because they were somewhat hard to reach when we needed help.

The room was nice, but there’s no parking on site and everything is handled online, so there wasn’t anyone there in person to help. Noise was much worse than I expected, from traffic, loud people outside, and other tenants. Even with a sound machine, it kept waking me up. If you’re looking for an Airbnb-style stay, this may suit you. Otherwise, I’d choose a hotel.

The room was gorgeous and comfortable, with a full kitchen rather than the usual kitchenette, plus an in-unit washer and dryer. There were free cookies and a couple of water bottles waiting. I had a gym card in the room but didn’t try it. Downstairs, there’s a self-serve kiosk for snacks and drinks on the honor system, along with mini foosball, air hockey, and a slider table. I was in town overnight and could walk to everything downtown. Amtrak was half a mile away, and most places I wanted to visit, like Birmingham Museum of Art, breweries, restaurants, bars, and Sloss Furnace, were 1-2 miles away. This is set up for self check-in with no staff interaction. Someone I first thought was in the business center turned out to represent the apartment side; they got someone from the hotel side to help me with the app and check-in, and helped me get into my room early since it was ready. The next morning they arranged bag storage because my train wasn’t until after 5 pm. Quiet hours start at 9 pm, but people were yelling, being loud, and slamming doors until after midnight.