GeoGuessr 2 – Birmingham (Ibis Birmingham Bordesley Circus)
I was pleased to get a hotel in Birmingham city centre at such a cheap rate, just over £30, on the Saturday before Christmas, which included breakfast. Thank goodness for the Accor sale….
The view from the hotel window of, well, Birmingham. The check-in process was efficient, although I had to query where my drinks voucher was, which the staff member had forgotten. As seems to be typical of most Ibis hotels in the UK, they didn’t offer a welcome amenity, but Accor have told me to rate the hotel down when they don’t. The Ibis in Hull offered me a Mars bar as a welcome amenity, which was more than satisfactory. Accor haven’t sent me a feedback form for this hotel, so they won’t get my thoughts on how they could offer a Mars bar to cater for those who are easily pleased.
The festive Christmas tree in reception. I was pleased to note that the hotel wasn’t too Christmassy, as these things can be overdone.
Since there was enough alcohol the night before, this was the free welcome drink we went for the following the morning. Bottled Pepsi Max. It’s a rockstar lifestyle…. Or something like that. The hotel didn’t worry about providing a glass, they must have known I have low standards.
The breakfast arrangement, which I’d say was better than average. The bacon was crispy and a bit hard, but that’s my favourite way of doing it as that means that the fat isn’t all raw and unrendered. The sausages, beans and hash browns were all fine, with the muffins and croissants being a little bland, although every Ibis in the UK seems to use the same supplier of products. The ham was excellent, so much so I managed to eat nearly all of it, with yoghurts, fruit and cereals also available. I’m not sure that breakfast is necessarily worth the £10 it usually costs if purchased separately, but as it was included in the room rate, I was entirely content.
Overall, everything was fine in the hotel, it was quiet, clean and well maintained. The staff were helpful, the breakfast was of the expected standard and the Christmas decorations weren’t excessive. Perfectly decent value for money.
