Birmingham North (Sutton Coldfield) hotel

Very disappointed !! When we arrived told there was no lifts , we were in Room 217 , The room hadn’t been cleaned , M &M sweets all over the floor , it was a No Smoking room ….Cigarette butts stubbed out over the outside window ledge ( disgusting ) I got locked in the bathroom, the door handle came off in my hand , I don’t know what I would’ve done if my husband hadn’t been with me . Will not be returning !!!

I booked a short stay at the Birmingham North Premier Inn for two nights for the Royal Sutton Fun Run. It's a fair distance from the train station - just over a mile to walk, most of it uphill - but it's at least a straightforward journey. Cross over the main road, go past the Gracechurch centre on your right, head up Trinity Hill on your left, cross onto Rectory Road and follow it all the way up past the Good Hope Hospital, turn left onto the Whitehouse Common Road at the traffic lights, and head for the Esso petrol station. You'll see the Premier Inn signs next to the Greene King next door (its partner pub), and the hotel itself is accessible from round the back of the car park. Checking in was a smooth experience; the receptionist Emily was super-efficient and friendly. Premier Inn also provided bottles of water on Reception for the fun-runners which was a lovely gesture, I saw plenty of fellow bibs about so it must be a popular spot for tourist athletes to rest their head! The building is on the older side and quite small for a Premier Inn - it's only two floors. There were no lifts as far as I could tell, but there are rooms available on the ground floor should you need to avoid stairs. The corridors are accessible via key-card and are equipped with slow-closing doors to minimise noise. I hauled my rucksack into Room 104 and got settled. Premier Inns seem to have the same fittings and furniture across the board; no differences here. The electric is powered via a keycard slot near the door. There was a wardrobe station (with lighted mirror and hairdryer), a desk, a lamp, bed side-lights, a purple mood-light behind the headboard and the all-important Premier Inn mattress. The seating area was directly under the window which had good light, so I could relax and read after dinner that night. The bathroom had only a shower, no bath, but it made it easier to get in and out after nine miles of running! Good-quality towels were provided, and coffee/tea is on demand. Everything was clean and tidy. The bed was (as usual) very comfy, and I was able to get a good night's sleep before the event. No late-night noise at all from the pub as it shuts at 10.30PM, and you're set back a fair way from the road so not much bother from the traffic either. Fellow residents were courteous too; I could hear the occasional creaking floorboard from the room above or a door shutting in the corridor outside, but nothing disruptive. Breakfast is served in the White Horse pub - there aren't any deals offered with evening meals which is a bit of a shame. I'm guessing that this is because it's not technically an on-site restaurant, more a partnership with another business. All scran I had was delicious especially their Sunday lunch. If you need any essentials the petrol station next door has a Tesco Express. I ended up checking out early evening on Sunday thanks to needing to travel home sooner than expected, but I genuinely did enjoy my stay. No complaints at all! Recommended.

We booked for 3 nights to see family. The premier is outdated and staff not very friendly during our visit, there didn’t seem to be any staff around and when there was someone at the desk they never spoke. Just to say hello would have been nice. The first evening we arrived we had a member of staff knocking on the door to tell us they had received a noise complaint bearing in mind we had only been there an hour and it was late and we could also hear the people above us and those walking on the landing. It is an older building. We could hear everything. And so could every other guest staying. We left a night earlier than planned as we didn’t feel very welcome.

The room was comfortable and what you expected from a Premier Inn and therefore value for money. There were grubby marks on the walls and ceiling but generally clean. This one is an older property and the communal areas are in need of updating. Food is available in the adjoining pub.

Staying with a young baby and my daughter on the second floor with no lift !! Could have been a problem, but it wasn’t . Grace did everything she could to help us, including carrying luggage up and downstairs. I would certainly recommend staying here , just for the amazing staff . A big thank you to Grace who went above and beyond to help .