Paragon Hotel, Birmingham
145 Alcester Street, Birmingham, B12 0PJ
A magnificent example of Gothic architecture, the Paragon is situated in the heart of the city, lovingly restored into a modern, stylish, urban retreat.
Rooms from £30
(≈ $59) per night
7/10
Overall rating
from Solihull , GB on
May 8, 2008
from Bristol , GB on
April 23, 2008
"great time and will come again" (97570230)
smart and up to date
tv on standby
1 of 1 people found this review helpful:
from Norwich , GB on
June 16, 2008
"In all, an unsatisfactory stay in a potentially good hotel - very disappointing." (97617404)
Staff extremely courteous and helpful. Room clean and freshly decorated.Hotel quiet.
Shower attachment not working at all - impossible to shower in morning: no time to change rooms. This should have been checked by staff prior to letting room. "Full" cooked vegetarian breakfast completely inadequate, consisting of 1 tomato,2 hash browns and 1 tablespoon of baked beans: not good value. Room decor, although in good repair, was gloomy and depressing (why dark sage green? Inappropriate colour for bedroom).
from Epsom , GB on
June 12, 2008
"Excellent value for money." (97400796)
Newly refurbished room, large screen TV, clean well-equipment bathroom.
Windows not double-glazed, a little traffic noise (but not much traffic).
on
June 11, 2008
"excellent, we both had a great time!" (97186460)
very clean, well mannered staff, posh looking hotel, value for money, quiet, overall very impressed..
breakfast was a bit dear.
from Sheffield , GB on
May 27, 2008
"The location is very good. An easy walk in to the city centre. Friendly nearby pubs and food. 20 minute drive to the NEC against the flow of rush hour traffic.Room was small but clean.Shower was very good. Bed was comfy. Could not have asked for more for the price." (97140652)
The location is an easy walk to city centre and 20 min drive to NEC.
Room a bit small.
from Leeds , GB on
April 16, 2008
"The hotel is architecturally very fine and nicely re-furbished. However the area is run down and quite distant from the city centre. Our room was very small, the bathroom had no shelves, hooks or towel rails and the shower tray was mouldy. The hotel was not able to provide a cup of tea in the lounge area in the evening because the tea machine had broken down and there was no jam or marmalade with breakfast because they had run out." (97820871)
Architecture and quality of internal spaces
Run down area, small room, under-equipped bathroom and poor customer service
on
March 19, 2008
"We felt that the room itself was not very good value for money. It was very tiny for a superior double. It felt very cramped and the bathroom was so small you had to shut the door just to get past the toilet and into the shower! Bearing in mind the extra cost incurred for the Superior room, I would rather have paid the reduced tarif for the standard room. The photo of the room included on the website is a good likeness for what you actually get, it's just a lot smaller in real life! I would not rate this as a double room.
On the positive side we had a very nice meal in the restaurant, and the hotel was in general of a high standard of cleanliness. You're also relatively close to the city centre for the shopping and Cadbury World!" (97797809)
The restaurant.
The room.
from London , GB on
February 29, 2008
"The hotel and the rooms a very dated and show a lot of wear and tear. The facilities are adequate but nothing special. There is absolutely no restaurant, shopping or any other kind of leisure activity arround for 1 mile radius, even though it is near the centre of Birmingham!
Don't bring the misus there!!!" (97678504)
It was one of, but not THE cheapest!
Located in the middle of the market area. Scary at night!
from Pto de mazarron, murcia 30860 , ES on
February 12, 2008
"Excellent staff. The reception staff were amongst the most helpful I have come across in years. Our luggage was lost by the airline on our return journey to the UK and the staff couldn´t have offered more help or been more courteous. We found the same standard of attention from Reception on our earlier visit to the hotel." (97607030)
Overall cleanliness of public areas.
Decor in room very poor, but I understand the hotel is about to undergo renovation.
from Birmingham , GB on
January 4, 2008
"The hotel is being re-furbished at the moment and all efforts are being made to ensure that comfort for guests is maintained
Always a pleasant stay at the Paragon." (97819450)
Warm and comfortable bed.
from Northampton , GB on
December 19, 2007
Not really in the hotel long enough to comment on this
Your reception staff were not at all helpful when asking for the car park before 3. All she said was that you could not book in before then. Cleaning staff were chatting outside our room at about 8.45 and this was loud enough for us to hear it in bed.
on
December 9, 2007
The room was great but the people beside us in room 317 very not very nice people they where very loud and very noisey every nite from 12 untill about 3 in the monrning it was not very nice i had a 22 month old child with me and we did not get much sleep over are sty
on
December 8, 2007
"Poor customer service & inflexible check-in. Room in very poor state. Not much to recommend this hotel & comfortably the worst accomodation that I've experienced in many years." (97822416)
Location
Room was in a very poor state, paint peeling, old and dirty ensuite.
on
December 6, 2007
the friendliness and sense of humour of the staff
the dirty and torn sofas and armchairs in the downstairs rooms
from Cannock , GB on
December 5, 2007
"Booking in was long and tedious and resulted in us being late for the wedding we were going to. The evening's stay was not brilliant. Breakfast the next day was very nice, yum yum." (97474894)
The ground floor and banqueting facilities were very nice.
On arrival at the hotel, the booking in process took nearly an hour due to a large number of complaints due to overbooking. Once we had made it too the front we surprisingly did get a room, although this was a twin. The room was not the nicest room I have ever stayed in and for the amount of money paid we felt it was slightly over priced.
from Woolstone , GB on
November 28, 2007
Room quality was fantastic
That is was very noisy (air conditioning unit outside the room) so noisy that I did not sleep and the pillows were like bricks
from Eire , IE on
November 24, 2007
"excellent okay" (97437248)
not bored
not at all
from Aylesbury , GB on
November 14, 2007
Freshly decorated and the clean white linen on the beds, breakfast was tasty
nothing
on
November 1, 2007
Clean room, comfortable bed.
Condition of the bathrooms, check-in process, customer treatment.
from Sandhurst , GB on
October 29, 2007
"The ground floor of the hotel has been refurbed and is loveley. The bedroom floors are terrible! The rooms are tiny, smelly and tatty. Our room had a hole in the en suite door. Refurb of these floors is much needed but PLEASE lower the number of rooms and make the rooms bigger." (97313808)
Too small, too old, poor condition.
on
October 24, 2007
"Had a great experience, very central location" (97979399)
Room was very nice
nothing
on
October 23, 2007
"I'd have liked wi-fi to be available in the bedrooms as well." (97008500)
Possibly the friendliest, most helpful hotel staff that I've met.
The extractor fan in the bathroom should have shut off automatically when the light was switched off, but it didn't, and it was too high to turn off manually without standing on the toilet!
on
October 22, 2007
Clean, nice and modern room. Fully equipped.
Sound insulation could be better. Not impressed with food quality in restaurant.
on
October 18, 2007
"Despite the pleasant staff and excellent rooms we will not be returning as both times we have experienced a hotel with limited facilities. This time even the TV was not working properly as most channels sound was several seconds ahead of the picture." (97601813)
The rooms are spacious enough for weekend breaks which is why we booked to return a second time.
The Naylor Bar was being 'refurbished' (used for a convention meeting) and the bar for a 300 plus room hotel was no bigger than a changing room. We had to find other places to eat on both nights we stayed due to noise, unpleasant atmosphere and no room.
from Ashford , GB on
October 16, 2007
"OK for the price and location." (97247064)
Reasonably priced and close to centre. Staff friendly.
FREE parking is on street and so NOT secure. Shower too small. Breakfast was cold 20 minutes before the end of service and after waiting 20 minutes for it to be replenished - left without eating.
from Gent , BE on
October 9, 2007
the facilities are good, clean, b'fast was superb!!
good infrastructure but lowest class service! very disappointed to the receptionist, totally unfriendly and arragont!
on
October 2, 2007
Breakfast
Size of room, poor decorative order, cluttered reception, age and quality of bar staff, mould in bathroom, heating
on
October 1, 2007
"Generally an enjoyable stay. I would certainly come again and use an executive room because I have been put off the having a standard room by some of the comments on the site I used." (97418001)
Executive room was roomy and en-suite bathroom well stocked with complimentary toiletries.Bed was extremely comfortable.My room was very quiet and I had a really good nights sleep.
Some of the staff did not appear to be very happy but all my requests were carried out promptly.
on
September 30, 2007
Staff were very helpful and polite
Noise from the road outside
on
September 23, 2007
Central location, but not near anything, i.e. shops
Poor sound proofing.
from Heywood , GB on
September 7, 2007
"The hotel was tired and filthy it looked like it needed a good scrub I know you are doing a refurb but you shouldnt let it get to such a dirty state" (97182641)
the traditional building
dirtiest hotel I have ever stayed in - you should never let it get to such a state before you refurb
from Whitchurch , United Kingdom;GB on
July 25, 2007
"My main complaint would be about the bar prices.
I was charged £5.70 for a large Bells whiskey and ice.
The tarrif at the bar said spirits from £2.00. When I asked for any large spirit I was told they were happy hour prices and that they no longer had a happy hour." (99205100)
It was very nice with good views over Birmingham from bedroom
on
July 19, 2007
"Very comfortable and pleasant, the staff were very pleasant and attentive. Some parts had seen better days but refurbishment was in progress and indicated that this will lift the hotel wonderfully. Have stayed in far worse and for more!" (97776739)
Spacious and comfortable. The hotel itself was luxurious, with nice attention to detail.
Not a lot. The decor and carpet in the bedroom was tired, but the hotel is being refurbished and we deliberately went for an unrefurbished room.
from Middlesbrough , GB on
July 18, 2007
"I have stayed at The Paragon before so I know how good it is ." (99079330)
Check in was easy , nice room , friendly staff .
Nothing to really dislike but no shower .
on
July 18, 2007
location
unrefurbished
on
July 18, 2007
"i would have no complaints at all about my stay. when i initially made the booking, my debit card was charged for half my stay in error. I informed the hotel, and by the time I had arrived, they had resolved the issue completely. All the hotel staff I came into contact with were very helpful and friendly. It is the second time I've stayed at this hotel and my experiences have been excellent on both occasions. It is a beautiful building, in a very convenient location. Overall, this hotel is superb value for money." (99518352)
beautiful building, convenient location, staff could not have been more helpful. breakfast was excellent
nothing
on
July 12, 2007
"The room was very basic and sparse - more tea/coffee making facilities would have been useful, alathough I did not ask for more which could have been done - staff were very helpful after a very lond delayed meal which was originally undercooked - free drink offered. For an overnight stay it was fine - might not have agreed if I had been there any longer. Conferecne facilities the following day were fine - staff dealing with the conference delegates ensured the day ran very smoothly - provision of tea and coffee and lunch was well organised and the food was very good." (99558215)
clean, tidy, tea/coffee making facilities.
The noise - the bedroom window overlooked the main row, was poorly fitted (ie; did not shut fully,with no double glazing; therefore very noisy.
from Madrid , ES on
July 10, 2007
The bed was very comfortable
More space in the room and more windows
from Chester , GB on
July 9, 2007
Breakfast buffet
Noise level in room (traffic)
from Sidcup , GB on
July 9, 2007
Communal facilities were very good and well staffed
The room was too small, the firedoor kept hitting my wall waking me up, there were no power sockets in my room to charge my phone, there was rising damp in the room, the shower tiles were in a bad state.
on
July 4, 2007
"On booking the room we understood that parts of the hotel were under maintenance and on arrival were given a dodgy room with a broken heater and a rusty bathroom, However once we had notified the staff they moved us to a more up to date room which had recently been decorated. It was much warmer and smelt better.The staff were extreamly helpful in finding us a more comfortable room. The breakfast was exellent and the staff were extreamly friendly." (97119439)
There was an lcd t.v. in the room clean fluffy towels a yummy welcome buscuit and a clean soft comfortable bed.
The first room we were expected to sleep in.
on
July 4, 2007
"most staff seem to be new and inexperienced in the hotel business. hotel under major renovation. in derelict part of the city. can be noisy from other guests, especially at weekends. would only stay here if paying really cheap rates." (99903744)
from Grantham , GB on
June 23, 2007
"Fairly decent value for money and my room had been updated so was clean and comfortable. However, lighting weak. Hotel communal areas still being upgraded so a bit scruffy. Breakfast good, but evening meals very limited and not great." (99956899)
Hotel has made an effort and is upgrading, so room clean, fresh and fasirly comfortable.
Very little storage space in room, only two small drawers, one of which had hotel stuff in it already. Lighting weak and not helped by two bulbs going during my stay. Also room over boiler room and quite noisy.
from Ashton under lyne , GB on
June 16, 2007
"i really enjoyed my stay, it was a superb hotel and i would deffinately reccomend it to friends and i would most certainly visit again." (99170477)
The decor of the hotel itself, it was very exquisite. The tea and biscuit facilities when i checked in were a nice touch in my room. The breakfast was top notch too, great value and wonderfully presented. The bathroom was larger than expected, concidering it was a single room it was quote large!
the only thing was the SKY TV, i got channels 1 -5 but only extras were the information channel and a very very fuzzy CNN and SKY News. this didnt bother me as i was a late check in and had to be up early the next day anyway.
from Castres , FR on
June 14, 2007
"apart from the fact that the lady in charge of the restaurant did not have any change (nor the person at the reception) which was quite annoying for us, we are happy to have staid at this hotel and would be glad to go again." (99702578)
the style of the this old hotel is very interesting and so much better looking than the modern chain hotels : thick carpets and traditional names of rooms.a very special atmosphere in corridors,it feels just like being a guest to an aristocrat family who would have invited you in their palace.
accomodation : good , excellent quality for the price of the room.
from Worcestershire , GB on
June 14, 2007
The accommodation was basic but comfortable. We had twin bedrooms and the beds were comfy. There was tea making facilities which was very nice to wake up in the morning too. The hotel was centrally based and we were able to walk into the city centre. Although we were only in the hotel for a short time we felt relaxed to come and go as we pleased. We had a very pleasant stay.
from Harrow,middlesex , GB on
June 2, 2007
The room was very good with all the facilities inside the room
from Gloucester , GB on
May 31, 2007
the room was a bit small but ok for one night
on
May 25, 2007
Clean, comfortable bed. The views expressed on this page are the personal opinions of guests and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of Active Hotels, Active Reservations or our distribution partners (About our hotel reviews).
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Category
Average Rating
7/10
Check-in process
7/10
Your room
7/10
Working order of facilities / equipment
7/10
Order and cleanliness of the hotel
6/10
Performance of staff
7/10
Overall experience
7/10
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"it doesn't matter where you stay in the world so long as the hotel is always clean and tidy you can not fail to enjoy your stay. The Paragon was certainly clean, well run and tidy and we enjoyed our stay." (97209684)
clean simple tidy
not enough lighting around the mirror area
1 of 1 people found this review helpful: