The Rotunda is an iconic building, that is Grade II listed, within Birmingham, that was first built in 1965, which was refurbished from an office block into apartments in 2008.
It is now part of the Staying Cool apartment chain.
With all the hype and legacy that the building has, I had very high expectations.
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| The reception area that leads to the lifts. The concierge is at the reception from 08:30 to 22:00 daily. |
As soon as you walk into the reception, you are welcomed by this ceiling light artwork and sleek hallway. The concierge was very friendly and talked me through the rules of the establishment and gave me a quick how-to guide for getting in and out of the apartment. I was handed a double-sided A4 size sheet of paper with an overview of the rules. I was a little surprised that they has an excess fees for guests that are in your apartment past 11pm, partying and noise, smoking, for taking the toiletries and damaging the windows. I understand its a residential building too but if you are staying here for a long time then this would quite inconvenient, not being able to have guests or having a party for your birthday.
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| The view as you walk in |
I took the lift up to the 18th floor to my room 1806. Unlike Staybridge Apartments, you use a key to get in and not a card, which does feel like homey but was a tad awkward. I was given a Mini apartment, which is basically a Studio. It was quite spacious.
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| The bathroom |
There were robes in bathroom, as well as bath products, extra toilet rolls and hand towels, all the products you would need really. The robes were not as soft as they looked and I couldn't wear it for more then 5 minutes.
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The shower |
The bathroom was very small, the toilet felt too close to the sink and the shower was a very tight fit. I am quite skinny and found it hard to manoeuvre around in the shower but the pressure and temperature were really good.
It didn't look as if the shower had been cleaned properly.
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| Bathroom products |
I liked how the washing machine was placed and they had given some washing tablets too.
Within the same cupboard was the wireless router. Each room has its own Wifi password, so the Wifi signal is strong and wouldn't be altered by how many people use it. This was an issue I had at Staybridge because at around 6pm, the signal was very weak but top marks to Rotunda for this clever solution.
The kitchen was very well stocked.
With a kettle, oven, coffee maker, cafetiere, oils, knifes, toaster, juicer, 4 oranges in the fridge, 2 types of cereals, chopping board, corkscrew, oven glove, pans, cutlery, plates, a bread bin, 2 types of tea, coffee from Urban Coffee Company and hot chocolate sachets.
There was also a microwave within a cupboard, can you guess which one?
Unlike Staybridge Apartment's, there was no dishwasher and that feeling of luxury was missing.
The living room was quite small but the view made up for it.
The TV was a little on the small side too, it wasn't facing the sofa and there is no way you could see it from the bed, if you wanted some bedtime viewing. You could see barriers in the image above, this is because you can slide open the windows. I have to be honest, I was a little scared to slide them open.
I was also a little disappointed with the blatant wear and tear of the apartment. Considering how much you would be paying for the apartment, it seems that a little glossing over would not be totally ridiculous not break the bank.
I did like the colour scheme of the apartment. The white of the walls and grey in the carpet was contrasted with hints of orange, pink and red.
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| Welcomed with magazines and a Ipod speaker (which worked very well) |
The view from the 18th floor was spectacular.
The bedroom section was quite comfortably done but I wish it was facing the view.
The bed was very uncomfortable and I did not sleep very well.
I just could not get over how beautiful Birmingham looked from there.
Overall I found my stay quite interesting and found that the Rotunda did not live up to my expectations. The room was quite basic, with some special mod cons, very convenient location and amazing view, it doesn't seem to be value for the amount you pay. However, if I did stay here again, I would have to go for the penthouse because that is the luxury that I expected and hoped the studio would give me.
Cleanliness - 2/5
Comfort - 3/5
Location - 5/5
Staff - 5/5
Value for Money - 3/5
(My stay was free but the review is 100% my opinion)
Until next time
xx
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