Hotel du Vin and Bistro

, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Hotel du Vin and Bistro

, Birmingham
4 star

Rooms: 66

Church Street - Birmingham - England - B3 2NR - United Kingdom | 0121 200 0600
261 Traveller

Reviews - Hotel du Vin and Bistro

Historical Traveller Reviews of Hotel du Vin and Bistro

Whats hot - not my first two rooms here

from johnBroomhill
Two diferent stays and two different experiences, the first a freezing cold room to return to after dinner, as the radiator didnt work, it was jan and about 3C in the room let alone outside. My new replacement room was so small I couldnt get dried in the bathroom after my shower and it was even hard to dry and get dressed in the bedroom. Not an unforgetable experience more one you really want to expunge from the memory. However visit two was much better, upgraded to a large double I had a good time, plenty of space this time and everything seemed much more pleasant.

Staff are friendly and helpful, the gym, sauna and relaxation room are great to unwind in, the food is good, although varied from night to night, was it a diferent chef, or just more effort some nights than others? Long waits for courses but if you dont mind that then the sense of not being rushed is refreshing.

Good continental breakfasts - I was being healthy for once - I had to get up early a couple of times and freshly cooked pastries were a novelty although they had 'gone a bit' on the days when I had a lie in and got down around nine.

Wine by the glass is a bit expensive and the prices not really justified; the only bottle I had was about double the price it should have been, £23 for a fair but not exceptional Cote du Rhone is a bit much - and that was one of the cheapest on the list.

A nice time was had. HdV Birmingahm could do with a bit of TLC around the edges, the contemporary decor is nice but fading a bit and a refurb is really in order, its almost at the shabby chic end of contemporay at the time of writing.

The Grumpy Bistro

from broadwood24
We had lunch at the Bistro. It was pricey and the service shabby and rude.
Being a vegetarian there was no vegetarian starter on their Menu Rapide priced at £14-50 for 2 courses and coffee .
I asked the waitress if I could have a vegetarian starter as part of the menu.
The manageress came over as if I had made a complaint and stuffily told me I couldn't, then just walked off.
The wine waiter huffed , grabbed his wine list and stalked off when we told him we wanted only water.
The food whilst well prepared was tiny with its portions.
The main courses were really kiddies' meals.
My vegetarian main course comprised one small half piece of a baguette drizzled with oil and decorated with a few rocket leaves, onion and cherry tomatoes , ie salad on a piece of toast, not very imaginative or filling for an adult meal and at £12-50 (US$20) very expensive.
The coffee,two cups,almost £6 (US$10) was charged as extra when it was shown to be included in the price.
When it came to paying the bill,the waitress cancelled the pin number I had entered and asked me to enter a gratuity before entering my pin.
Nil out of ten for the sniffy service...two out of ten for the portions and seven out of ten for the quality.
The portion sizes and service would come as a complete shock particularly to American guests, who pay much less for much more and much better.
Don't waste your money. You can do much better elsewhere in the area.

not as good...........

from A TripAdvisor Member
this was our third visit here and we feel it has gone down hill a bit(maybe since being boughtout by malmaison?) The hotel looks a bit tired inside with a lot of chipped paintwork and scuffs on walls and the atteniveness of staff was a bit disappointing.I know its de rigeur to have french staff but when they dont understand you and you have to repeat questions 3 or 4 times........We queued up for 10 mins to check in with only 1 girl on reception but 3 members of staff visibly in the office behind huddled over a pc checking thru the argos website and looking a bit embarassed when they looked round to see the queue(but still didnt come to help!) Henley and brighton are the ones to stay at

Individual hotel, good location, room rather odd

from jvs2711
Stayed in a family room for a weekend with husband and 4 year old. By moving a few parking cones, we managed to park immediately outside for the whole weekend for free, which was a stroke of luck as the majority of residents are directed to a multi-storey car park a few hundred yards away. You need to book a parking space outside the hotel in advance.

The room had the standard Hotel du Vin furniture and fittings, including the comfy king sized bed with the sharp wooden protruding corners on which I always manage to come off worst and usually leave with bruises on my shins. We didn't get the usual HdV bathroom with walk through shower separate from big deep tub though, which was a pity.

In, fact, the room was a bit disconcerting altogether. Incredibly high ceilings, and a rather clinical feel. I know this was a former eye hospital, but I felt that the bathroom was one which had been left over from the old days and just tidied up a bit. Very high ceilings, lots of hard white hospital tiles, and the big shower over the bath itself.

There is no lounge area, so we ordered coffee in the pleasant ground floor bar, but we weren't allowed to order cake to go with it as that had to be eaten only in the restaurant apparently. Odd. There is also a cellar bar, but we didn't use it. There was an odd smell around the bar area. Hard to describe.

Breakfast was very good. Staff were pleasant. Enormous queue to check out on Sunday and only a small reception area to handle both arrivals and departures, which caused some murmuring.

Happy to use HdV again - but a pricey weekend.

Thought it was excellent

from A TripAdvisor Member
A very brief review, we really enjoyed our double delux room at the hotel, the room was large with a great bath & shower. Hotel is in an ideal location for walking around the main areas. Car valet service was prompt.

Mostly we enjoyed the service, restaurant and amazing wine choices. All staff were very helpful.

Would stay again.

loved Birmingham

from Holiday_Webs
Just had a great couple of days in Brum - the city centre is now fantastic & it was very easy to do some great shopping.

We booked a deluxe double at £155 becase I prefer a separate shower (smaller size room is shower over bath) but when we arrived we were upgraded to what they called a 'suite' - whatever it was it was a fantastically large room with living area. The bed was large & lovely. All the rooms have TV, CD & DVD player. You can borrow CDs & DVDs although we didn't.

There was coffee & cafetiere, selection of teas, milk in the fridge plus usual mini-bar stuff.

The bathroom was pretty good with a massive shower but I think they could have reused the space to have more storage area. There was only one wash-basin with no storage space & the mirror/lighting was awful for make-up. I had to lay my cosmetics on the floor. The lighting in the room near the mirrors was no better either. There are large bottles of shower gel, shampoo & body lotion which you are invited to take - so I did.

The decor is quite stark & brown although I do love modern styles - I should think it was designed by a man, or a woman who doesn't wear make-up or look in the mirror!

I had enquired about wi-fi connection for my laptop but all you can do is plug into a telephone line & pay their phone charges. I found a cybercafe in the Pavillion shopping centre & there is also FREE internet & wi-fi in the basement cafe at Beatties!

We had drinks in the bubbles bar (£8 for 2 campari & orange) but there is a never-endly supply of nuts & olives & the 'Italian' decor is great. The open courtyard is also lovely.

The bistro food was not bad - about £50 for 2 - but we made the mistake of asking for a wine recommendation & were a bit out of our depth with the choices offered.

Breakfast is charged separately & I really enjoyed the fruit & museli etc. My husband was surprised there was nothing savoury e.g. cheese, ham etc. Cooked was available.

Parking is a bit of a bind. In the end we put £12 in coins in to the Pay & Display multi-storey in Livery street & left it there for 24 hours. You are within walking distance of the centre.

There is a good size gym & spa in the basement at standard spa prices. If I'd had longer I would have tried the treatments. As it was I just had time to get my eyebrows tidied but it looked like a lovely place.

But all in all, despite a few niggles, we loved the hotel & Birmingham & will be back (& will stay a little longer next time)!

Great Weekend at the HDv

from A TripAdvisor Member
Just spent the weekend at the HDV Birmingham. Stayed in the Deluxe room type spacious rooms with a king bed and the most devine mattress!! The bathroom was just a little smaller than that of the bedroom with a stand alone bath and the most amazing drench shower.. ( the toilet was in a seperate room of it's own) all mod cons that you would expect for this standard of hotel.
Friendly staff although the service was a little slow at breakfast. Excellant choice of wines in the bubbles bar but prices a little steep £11.00 for a brandy & coke!!! staff always at hand for wine / cigar recommendations. In a nice part of town and only a couple of minutes walk into the main shopping area.
A nice relaxing break was had by all ..

Nice atmosphere, but overpriced...

from dunno
Friendly staff. Efficient check in and check out.

Booked a large double and was quite disappointed with the size. Bed however was big and comfortable with nice linen. Expensive - £135 a night without breakfast.

Excellent tea and coffee facils - cafetiere and ground coffee, peppermint and camomile tea and fresh milk in the fridge.

Bathroom disappointing - not enough room to put your toiletries down. Hotel du Vin toiletries nice - but only shower gel, soap and shampoo. Interesting growth of mould around shower area of bath.

Bathrobes, but no slippers.

Good atmosphere, 'Bubbles' bar very smokey - made you want to leave (which we did!) Drinks expensive - 4/5 star prices. Extensive wine list, but limited range available per glass.

Breakfast - disappointing - continental had no cheese or ham. Cooked ungenerous portions.

Dinner - overpriced - Dinner with drinks came to almost £60 a head and was not worth it.

Carpets in public areas need either replacing or cleaning.

Good location, 5 mins to shops, 10 mins to new Bullring. Valet parking good - checked out on Sunday and car had been parked opposite hotel (free parking on Sunday), so could easily shop before leaving Birmingham!

Overall nice atmosphere, but overpriced for what it offers. Would however stay there again if feeling particularly wealthy!

A great stay!

from A TripAdvisor Member
After booking at this hotel, I read the reviews on this page and was worried I had made the wrong choice. WRONG!! I paid £135.00 per night and was upgraded on arrival to a suite. It had the real 'wow' factor - a huge room, massive bed, lovely lounge area, and bathroom that you want to copy for home!

Check in was totally painless, and it was easy to leave the car outside and hand over the keys for somebody else to take away!

The whole stay was a joy - Birmingham was shopping paradise and the service in the hotel impeccable. We also ate on Friday night and the food was absolutely delicious - not over-rated at all. Weren't able to eat on Saturday night however in the hotel due to it being fully booked so remember to book it you want to eat here!

A weekend to remember and we shall certainly stay at the Hotel Du Vin again.

Small Rooms, not the quietest hotel

from Andrew005
Stayed at the Hotel Du Vin March 2nd 2005. Parking outside was very difficult, the staff park your car, but you have to find a spot to park it outside of the hotel first! Check in terrific, staff excellent. Took me to the room and showed me the facilities, which does not happen too often these days. Room was very small, literally only a couple of feet at each side of the bed. TV remote out of batteries. Shower in room excellent, no roll top bath in my room. Gym was fantastic, it also has membership locally so equipment was very good, lots of machines. Free sauna and steam room certainly worth a visit both large for a hotel and very clean. Complimentary newspapers delivered 6am, and thrown down outside every door with a thud, very noisy. The hotel room door didn’t seem to block any noise, was woken a couple of times in the nigh and I'm a very heavy sleeper. Breakfast OK not fantastic, but service was good. Car delivered on time and safe and sound. Check out took longer than I thought it should as only one receptionist, but she did a very quick job when my turn arrived.

Top Local Tips for Birmingham

Parking If you're on a 1-night stay, don't bother with the £20 valet parking - there's loads of street parking around the hotel that's free from 6pm-8am and it's a safe area so no need to worry.

Local building styles Make sure you look up above the shops when walking around the city. There are some absolutely fantastic Victorian era buildings that you might miss otherwise.

Shop around.... always shop around you can find great bargains on vaious sites and once you have found a bargain, call the hotel to see if they will match it. usually they will match the price and throw in breakfast, complimentary. hotel du vin did not.

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Other names for Hotel du Vin and Bistro

  • hotel du vin
  • Address: Church Street - Birmingham - England - B3 2NR - United Kingdom
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