The days of being able to hang the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door outside a hotel bedroom may be drawing to end. 

Hilton Hotels have declared they will no longer allow their rooms to go unchecked for more than 24 hours at a time.

The change has been prompted by the Las Vegas shooting in the United States last October when a lone gunman was holed up in a hotel suite for three days with a ‘do not disturb’ notice on the door, before opening fire on the crowds in the plaza below, killing 58 people.

Hilton now reserves the right to visually inspect all guest rooms every 24 hours.

Details

Published: 15 January 2018

Hits: 4312

Dominvs Group, a property development company which operates range of hotels across the UK, are planning to turn an existing building in Bath into a new hotel. 

The Allen Building in James Street West is currently being used by Bath College. The Dominvs development scheme would convert this into a 206-bedroom hotel.

The scheme would also include a café, restaurant and bar, along with a gym which would be open to members of the public.

Dominvs are launching a consultation in the near future where members of the public can go along to an exhibition to learn more about plans and designs.

If the project goes ahead the new hotel will join the Apex City of Bath Hotel and Premier Inn Bath City Centre, both already embedded in James Street West.

Details

Published: 01 December 2017

Hits: 4415

One of the joys of the early New Year is perusing the Travelodge list of items left behind by guests.

The group has just published its latest list – and with 542 hotels throughout the UK it is some list. 

As usual it contains many ‘unusual’ items. Who, for example, could absent-mindedly forget to pick up their mother-in-law on check-out. It was a new bride staying at York Central Travelodge. She only realised when she got home that she forgot her most important new family member.

Another bride staying at Birmingham Bullring left the hotel without her diamond Mangala Sutra which is an Indian wedding necklace with the same significance as a wedding ring.  

The hotel manager at Manchester Trafford Park Travelodge got quite a shock when a ‘Starchaser’ space rocket was discovered at thehotel.

A pilot, from a well-known airline, was in such a rush to get to the airport that he left his pilot’s licence at Gatwick Airport Travelodge.

One superstitious business man had to take a day’s holiday to come back from the Netherlands to collect his rare Montblanc, Meisterstück Solitaire Skeleton Fountain Pen worth £8,000 as he said he could not sign any paper work without his lucky pen. 

An American stockbroker left London Liverpool Street Travelodge without his briefcase which contained over £500,000 worth of share certificates for a client.

See the full list: https://www.travelodge.co.uk/press-centre/press-releases/Starchaser-Space-Rocket-WW2-Bravery-Medal-Diamond-Mangala-Sutra-pilot%E2%80%99s

Details

Published: 08 January 2018

Hits: 4576

Birmingham is forever building new libraries in the city centre. The city keep them for a few years and then build another one. Sometimes the city demolishes the old ones but not always straightaway.

So the chance to view the Birmingham Old Library had me scratching my head – which one exactly? 

The Old Library in question is a restored Victorian building in the ‘Custard Factory’ complex in Birmingham’s Digbeth. It is the last remaining one of Birmingham’s five original Free Libraries and opened in 1866.

The Old Library is a bright, airy welcoming space – absolutely flooded with natural daylight.

The library has just been refurbished but the original architectural features of the Old Library have been retained including the vaulted ceilings and the beautiful arch windows.

A new bar was being fitted along one of the walls on the day I visited. The wall behind the bar had just been fitted shelves of books (500 books bought in bulk for £195.00 – bargain!).

Catering is available from breakfast meetings through to evening dinners with hot and cold buffet lunch options and refreshments throughout the day.

The Old Library will seat up to 160 guests for a theatre style meeting or up to 80 delegates in a classroom formation.

I suspect the Old Library will be seen in its best light when set up for a dinner or banquet. The room will seat up to 150 guests for a banquet or up to 250 guests for a reception.

There is not a great deal of parking in and around the Custard Factory complex although there are no parking restrictions in the streets off Digbeth. However, it is only a ten-minute walk from both Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Moor Street stations.

To make the walk more interesting the Old Library can arrange ‘walking taxis’ for delegates arriving in the city by train. During the walk, for example, the delegates can be treated to a historical overview of this fascinating district of Birmingham from ‘a local’.

It is a perfect way to relax delegates before a hard day’s work. Umbrellas can also be arranged on the very few days in the year when Birmingham experiences rain.

Details: https://www.theoldlibrary.co/

Details

Published: 28 November 2017

Hits: 4552