Best hotels in Birmingham: From luxury stays to budget self-catering

With Birmingham having hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, it’s placed itself on the map as a UK city break destination to contend with London, Edinburgh or Manchester. If anything, it’s a better snapshot of modern Britain, with a swish, trendy hotel scene to match.

This is a real locals’ city – living, breathing, thrumming with creatives and entrepreneurs who demand a dining, shopping and nightlife scene to match. This is evident from its five Michelin-starred restaurants – the most of any UK city outside London – not to mention major arenas for touring artists, and a smattering of smaller indie music venues.

After you’ve strolled the city’s unique canals, you’ll want to stay in style: enter a raft of boutique, city-slicker and stylish budget hotels to choose from. Whether you’re after Peaky Blinders-themed cocktails in Art Deco surrounds or a spa break in a futuristic glass tower, Birmingham has the bolthole for your bang-on-trend city break in England.

The best hotels in Birmingham are:

Neighbourhood: New Street

Reflected in the shiny steel façade of New Street Station, this Victorian hotel retains much of its old charm. Its rooms have period features from its Midland Hotel days, but the decor, beds and bathrooms are all thoroughly modern. Famous guests have included Laurel & Hardy and George Harrison, but this was also where Enoch Powell delivered his infamous “Rivers of Blood” speech.