Hyatt Regency Birmingham, United Kingdom

When in Birmingham we generally have stayed at the Hyatt Regency and this time around we had it included in our itinerary for a night in October 2015. This was our fourth stay at this beautiful hotel.

We arrived shortly before the official check in time. The hotel has changed and was fully renovated.

Check in was done by a trainee and took a bit longer than usual. The wait was worth it, because we were asked which preferences we had. They were all fulfilled. We had booked a Club Room with King bed. It was located on the 22nd floor, a corner room and near the club lounge. We had views - as requested - over the Alpha Tower and the new library. The building site opposite the hotel didn't impact us.

The room was large with a king sized bed, a white colored wardrobe and dark furniture.

The storage space is good for a short stay.

The club chair with ottoman and coffee table was comfortable.

We liked the orange colored upholstery of the writing desk chair, the grey blue carpets and the artwork depicting a Birmingham Canal and a sketch of a bridge in the city.

The flat screen TV offered regional channels, BBC24 or Sky News. There was no dedicated intern. business channel.

The mini bar was stocked with typical beverages, like Coca Cola (3.50 GBP / ca. 4.50 Euro / ca. 5 USD), water (2.50 GBP / ca. 3.25 Euro / ca. 3.60 USD), wine (5.50 GBP / ca. 7.10 Euro / ca. 7.90 USD) and liquors at 6.50 GBP (ca. 8.35 Euro or ca. 9.30 USD).

There were also tea/coffee making facilities and included a wide choice of Twinning’s Teas.

The bed was very comfortable and it was difficult to get out of it the next morning.

The full 24 hour in room dining was available via the TV.

The free WIFI internet access was fast.

The bathroom was large with a bath/shower combination, toilet and a sink. The bathroom amenities were by Portico (Verbena) Spa, made in Canada. We like the products, but they are a bit difficult to squeeze out of the bottles. Either I had too much or nearly nothing.

The public spaces have changed too. There is now a seating area near the reception. It is thoroughly contemporary and has also a small Shakespeare library.

Trees and shelves are used as dividers and Aria, the bistro, is in the center of the atrium. I will write a review about our dinner too, coming up soon.

There is also the spa and the Gentleman & Scholar Pub.

The club lounge offers breakfast Monday to Friday from 06.30 hours to 10.30 hours and on weekends from 07.00 hours to 11.00 hours. There is an evening service between 17.30 hours to 19.30 hours with canapés, desserts and a wide selection of wines.

During our evening we had the choice of stuffed zucchini with cheese, cakes, savory tarts, salads, olives, crackers and cheese.

It was a taste of what Aria had to offer, as the lounge staff explained to us.

Breakfast had a good choice of cereals, milk and soya milk products, eggs, cold cuts, bakery items, juices tea, coffee and much more.

We checked out soon afterwards, because we had a lunch reservation at Purnell's and a different hotel for our next night.

The concierge stored our luggage until our return from lunch.

We enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies of the hotel, the dinner, club lounge, friendliness of the staff and comfort of the room.

When going back to Birmingham this will be our go to hotel.

©2016

1st Class Virgin Train Travel from London Euston Station to Birmingham New Street Station including visit to the 1st Class Virgin Departure Lounge in Euston Station

During our trip to the UK in October 2015 we bought one-way 1^st class train tickets online from London Euston Station to Birmingham New Street Station with Virgin.

 

It meant we had access to the 1^st class departure lounge in London and the arrivals lounge in Birmingham.

 

Euston Station was at the time going through a renovation, so there were some building sites, but I guess the end result will be a more beautiful building and better infrastructure.

 

The Virgin 1^st class lounge was located on the 1^st floor, airy, contemporary with some unusual design elements and colors. We felt welcomed and right at home. It was already busy, but not noisy.

 

There was a quiet area to work and a central point for magazines, newspapers, snacks and drinks, like orange / apple juice, soft drinks and hot beverages. There were also snacks (biscuits, Uglies and fruits).

 

We spent around an hour there, before making our way to the train. The interior was kept mostly in brown, blue and some signature Virgin red.

 

The seats had been already selected for us. We had a table which could be used/seated by four people.

 

The air conditioning was over our head and on full blast, which we didn’t enjoy that much.

 

The table and one of the seats were unclean and full of crumbs, but I assume the turnaround times for the train are too short to properly cleaned by the staff.

 

The seats were comfortable.

 

The journey began on time, and we really liked it, watching the English countryside pass by.

 

Soon after leaving London behind lunch service arrived with juices, other cold and hot beverages, beer, wine, snacks, chocolate and a choice of Mediterranean Vegetable Pastry, Potato and Bacon Salad and Poached smoked salmon sandwich.

 

He had the salmon sandwich, while I had the pastry. Both were good.

 

We also arrived on time in Birmingham. The journey had passed very quickly and it was pleasant.

 

New Street Station was unrecognizable. It has been completely renovated and looks stunning.

 

We would take this train trip again. Service was friendly, the seat comfortable and travel time not too long with ca. 1.5 hours.

 

©2016