Holiday Inn Birmingham M6 Jct7, Beacon Suite

This hotel has possibly one of the best buffet breakfasts I've ever had in a hotel... Coffee machines, fried breakfast that's actually great quality, waffles, cereals, fresh fruits and an assortment of cheeses and salad. Get the breakfast! Swimming pool smaller than expected, but warm and combines with the spa and sauna it's excellent!

Hotel was easy to find, lots of parking, but do register your car at reception desk. I received a very prompt check in and a warm greeting after a long drive, which was really welcome. My PA at work booked a premium room for me, but I was placed miles away at the other end of the hotel. Walking the corridors was like something from The Shining. The room was basic, the mattress was a bit too springy for me, but there is a nice couch to relax on. There is also a minibar, not sure if it is complementary, but it's the company picking up the tab. The bathroom is not the biggest bathroom on the planet, and there was not enough room when I needed to sit down on the toilet. I had to use the public facilities near the bar. Being 6' 5" and being a big 20 stone, this toilet did not cater for the larger person. The same is with the bath. I like a bath before bed and a shower in the morning. The bath was so small, even Bilbo Baggins would have struggled to bathe in there. Again, for the larger human being this bathroom was not suitable, but I did prevail in the end. For £126 a night i would have expected better. Food wise, there is a really nifty device on each table where you can order you food, drink and pay. I used this service, but the only gripe I have was an automatic "gratuity" was placed on the bill which couldn't be removed. It's probably best to order at the bar to counter this issue. I detest this issue of "tipping" as I should be the one to decide if I reward good service, not the hotel using a system to supplement staff salaries. Having said this, the burger i ordered was good and juicy with perfect chips and onion rings. I am writing this at 10pm, just before I attempt to sleep on the mattress. The hotel is a decent, but the small things let it down, like the micro bathrooms or the forced gratuity. The staff, however, are great, happy, friendly and polite. I will be testing the breakfast in the morning, so I'll update my review then. I am also on a training course here in the morning, so I'll review the training facilities.