During a recent visit to Birmingham to visit The National Running Show, Ellie & I found a reasonably priced deal (£118 + 15 + 15 for double room w/breakfast) via Booking dot com for the Genting Hotel at Resorts World Birmingham. Usually we look for hotels in or very near the city centre.
PERFECT LOCATION IF YOU NEED TO BE NEAR THE AIRPORT, THE N.E.C., OR RESORTS WORLD
However, we were only going to arrive late on a Friday night, and be checking out the following morning to spend a day trying out new running shoes. This meant that the location, 10 minutes’ walk from the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) and Birmingham International was perfect for us.
EASY TO GET TO
From Birmingham International Train Station (which is a stop on the line from London to Birmingham) it is a 10min walk. Half of it will be outdoors, so best to have appropriate clothes and an umbrella, if the weather should be English. Simply follow the signs to Resorts World, pass by the Bear Grylls Adventure Park and take the first entrance into the Resorts World shopping centre. Conveniently, the hotel is located inside the shopping centre complex. The hotel reception is close to the entrance of the shopping mall on ground level, and well signed out.
NO TROUBLE AT CHECK-IN
We were greeted very warmly. The check-in took no more than a minute. Not having done much research beforehand, we were shocked how gigantic the hotel is. Several hundred rooms. The hallways are pleasantly furnished, but almost seem never-ending.
VERY PLEASANT ROOM
At 27sqm (290 sqft) the standard double felt more on the spacious side, even for a four-star. While it was nothing out of the ordinary, I would consider the furniture and interior décor in general pleasant and up to scratch. There were surprisingly many relatively minor, but still significant signs of wear and tear. My guess is that some of the guests party real hard, and that’s how these scratch marks happen.
NICE BATHROOM AND SHOWER
We were pleased with the bathroom and the shower. Equally, we liked that there was a fridge in the room and large wardrobes. The bed was exceptionally comfortable.
LARGE SWIMMING POOL AND SPA AREA
At least on the day of our arrival, the swimming pool and the adjacent spa area were open to guests until 10pm. All you needed to do was register and enter the area by 9pm. Use of all facilities was limited to 90 minutes, unless you chose to pay extra. The pictures of the sauna, outdoor whirlpool, massage area, and salt cave on the website all look inviting. I only checked out the swimming pool. It is of an appropriate size for a large hotel like this.
I felt lucky that for half the time, I was entirely on my own. The rest of the time a few kids in their late teens just hung out in one corner of the pool, fooling around. Not getting in my way. The outdoor whirlpool and the sauna areas seemed to be very popular.
GREAT BREAKFAST
Breakfast the next morning was absolutely fabulous. Some of the best fruit and yogurt selections I’ve seen. A few real good cold cuts and sliced cheeses. Excellent pastries and bread. Plus English Breakfast (also from the buffet). Every guest has one warm breakfast order included, too.
Ellie was very pleased with her mushroom omelette, which must have contained three large eggs. My “EggS [pl.] Benedict” for some reason only contained one single poached egg. But no complaints. One of the best hotel breakfasts we’ve had in a very long time, and outrageously good value. The atmosphere of the fancy rooftop bar was lovely, too. Even though we didn’t make use of the large balcony due to the Arctic temperatures.
ABOUT GENTING BERHAD GROUP
Genting Hotel at Resorts World Birmingham is owned by Genting Berhad. The latter is a Malaysian global investment holding company. Founded in 1968, its activities cover the Resorts World venues, various casinos, power plants, oil & gas, biotech, and palm oil plantations. Their collaboration partners include Universal Studios, Hard Rock Hotel, and Hilton.
CONCLUSION
While the casino or the amusement park resort are of no interest to us, the location was brilliant for the location. We greatly enjoyed our brief stay and would give the Genting Hotel at Resorts World Birmingham a 4.75 out of 5.
Looking for more hotel reviews? Check out my posts about Hotel Schloss Moenchstein, Salzburg, The Corner House, Canterbury, Haven Hotel, Sandbanks, The Swan Hotel, Wells, the Cotswold House Hotel & Spa, Chipping Campden, The Sheep on Sheep Street, Stow-on-the-Wold, Hotel Bisanzio, Venice, QT Bondi, Sydney, or Le Mareuil in Paris.
