Clarion Collection Birmingham

Disappointing Stay During Refurbishment – Potentially Better in the Future This review was written while the hotel was undergoing major refurbishment following its reopening after being closed for around three years. Many communal areas and guest rooms were clearly still being redecorated. I would be interested to see what the hotel looks like once the work is complete, but unfortunately our experience during this stay was very disappointing. Booking We were looking for somewhere clean, cheap and cheerful for a one-night stay while visiting friends in Birmingham. As we were travelling with our 7-year-old daughter, we requested a family room. Due to only a limited number of rooms being available, we were told that a Queen Room would be suitable. Check-in My concerns started almost immediately upon arrival. The reception, lobby and bar areas looked very untidy, with old furniture, stacked tables, refurbishment materials and general clutter visible throughout. The restaurant appeared to be out of service and there were signs of ongoing works everywhere. The receptionist remained on the phone throughout most of our check-in and then informed us that the Queen Room we had been allocated would not be suitable because our child was over two years old. After a considerable amount of back and forth, we were eventually moved to a larger room where we each had our own bed. At this point, it was already becoming clear that the reality of the hotel was very different from what had been advertised online. First Impressions & Communal Areas On the walk to our room, my daughter slipped and nearly fell because parts of the carpet were soaking wet. This also explained the unpleasant smell of damp cleaning products throughout the corridor. We passed numerous rooms containing decorating equipment, furniture and what appeared to be general junk. In my opinion, these items should have been screened off from guests rather than being left on display. The communal areas felt messy, unfinished and poorly maintained. The Room Normally you walk into a hotel room and get that "wow" moment. Unfortunately, that didn't happen here. The room was much larger than expected, with a huge wardrobe and fridge, but it felt tired, dated and unclean. Issues included: Sticky flooring Paint marks throughout the room An iron burn stain on the carpet Old furniture Dirty radiator covered in marks Stickers left on mirrors Flimsy voile coverings on the windows One side of curtain missing Loose bathroom tap Shower leaking from the pipework and spraying aggressively on its only setting Brown stains around the bath area Stains in the toilet Bathroom mirror light not working Room lighting issues TV mounted on a bracket that protruded so far into the room we nearly walked into it several times Socket hanging away from the wall No iron provided My daughter's single bed didn't even have a headboard, meaning her pillow repeatedly fell onto the floor during the night. One thing that particularly concerned me was that many doors throughout both the room and hotel did not sit flush within their frames. Whether this was due to the refurbishment or poor maintenance, it certainly didn't inspire confidence. The Only Positive: The beds themselves were clean and very comfortable, and we all slept well. Food & Drink There was no food available whatsoever. The kitchen was out of service due to the refurbishment, but this was not mentioned anywhere during the booking process. My husband needed water to take medication, so he went down to the bar. Despite the bar being fully stocked, the staff member on duty didn't know how to process a payment for drinks. As a result, he was sent back to the room with plastic cups of tap water. We were advised to visit a local shop instead if we wanted refreshments and offered the staff members energy drink which he pulled from his bag! There was no room service either, as no food service was operating. Staff & Service Unfortunately, the staff appeared poorly trained and unsure of procedures. The check-in process was disorganised, night staff were unable to sell drinks correctly, and overall customer service was well below expectations. Combined with the untidy communal areas, the hotel felt poorly managed during our stay. The Website Photos The biggest issue for me was how misleading the online photographs were. The pictures suggest a beautifully designed, modern hotel with stylish rooms and corridors. The reality was completely different. It genuinely felt as though professional images or design concepts had been uploaded to the website that didn't accurately reflect the current state of the property. The decor, condition and overall appearance simply did not match what was advertised. I strongly believe guests should be informed before booking that: Major refurbishment works are taking place The restaurant and kitchen are closed Some facilities are unavailable Certain communal areas may look significantly different from the advertised images Managing expectations would go a long way towards avoiding disappointment. Check-out Check-out was straightforward, although by this point we were simply ready to leave. Overall Would I return? Right now, absolutely not. However, I would consider visiting again in a few months purely to see what the hotel looks like once the refurbishment is complete. The hotel clearly appears to be focusing heavily on its large banqueting and events facilities, which can reportedly accommodate around 1,000 guests. Hopefully this will bring in a large stream of income and they can use that to do up thier rooms properly. At present, this hotel is only suitable if you need somewhere to sleep for the night and have very low expectations regarding facilities, cleanliness and service. Rating: 1/5 Would I return? 100% No (at least until the refurbishment is fully completed).

This hotel looks great in the pictures but it’s actually pretty bad looking once you get there. The lobby looks okay but the bathrooms in the lobby are small. Very slow elevator. The room I had back in April of 2022 was okay but not as nice as shown in the pics.

Came to Birmingham to celebrate my nephews engagement party which started at 5pm. Rang hotel and spoke to a lady who said dont worry you can check in at any time. So i was happy and contiued to enjoy the engagement. Me and my husband then arrived to the hotel to check in and was told sorry we overbooked and we have to cancel your room. Then they se tried to ring you and email you to let you know this. My battery was dead at this point so i had not seen this. But the cheek of it to ring and email on the day when we had travelled 3 hours to get there is Absolutely disgusting. I travelled from Essex to Birmingham and got told they were overbooked and cancelled my room and I had to drive another 3 and half hours home at night. Do not stay here!!!! Worse experience ever. Not coming back to Birmingham ever! :( booking.com and collection hotel you are a disappointment and have no customer service skills Mrs B