Overview

Travelodge Birmingham Airport is next to the airport and about a 8 - 10 minute drive to the NEC. The hotel which is very accessible, has recently been refurbished and has a restaurant and bar, which I haven't experienced before at a Travelodge but is a great big plus. When we were looking for somewhere accessible to stay close to the NEC for the Motability The Big Event with Euan's Guide, having read Gordon's very positive review on Euan's Guide we booked knowing that this hotel was accessible and ticketed all our boxes. Thanks Gordon. We had a great stay.

Transport & Parking

There's a good range of travel options. I travelled by taxi. From the taxi rank at Birmingham International Railway Station it took about 6 - 10 minutes to get there. Likewise going to the NEC took about 8 - 10 minutes. The taxi passes the Travelodge and takes a turning immediately after it which opens out into the hotel's car park. There is a phone at reception connected to a taxi firm. "Cargo Terminal" bus stop is just round the corner from the hotel (2 - 5 minutes walk). One of our party took the bus. The buses that serve that stop are X1 and X12, both services have limited stops. One of our group used it and found it very good. X1 goes from Birmingham to Coventry and serves Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Coach Station, Birmingham Airport Bus Interchange and the NEC International Railway Station. X12 goes from Birmingham to Solihull and serves Birmingham Priory Queensway, NEC International Railway Station and Birmingham Airport. The hotel has 10 Blue Badge parking bays close to the entrance. There are signs with instructions about Blue Badge parking, see photo and contact hotel for details.

Access

The hotel has step free access. There are double automatic doors at the entrance. This leads into a spacious foyer. There is a reception desk, with no lowered counter, so seats with back support and arm rests, a a couple of vending machines and an accessible toilet. This leads though to an open planned lounge and bar with plenty of free standing tables and chairs. There is an alcove which has counters which are used at breakfast time. There is a manual single door which is opened by key card to the lift and stairs. There are 2 lifts which are quite spacious. Alternatively there are stairs with handrails on both sides. ACCESSIBLE ROOM I was in an accessible room, 202, on the second floor. The room was excellent. It was spacious, comfortable and clean. There were twin single beds next to each other. The choice of a double bed would be nice and would make the accessible rooms on par with the non-disabled rooms. The bed was comfortable but firm enough that I could transfer easily. There was a very nice comfortable, armchair, which I've found in there new Travelodge re-furbished rooms and they have arms and back support and I find them easy to transfer from. There's also a desk and chair, a small rail to hang clothes up and a flat screen TV. The bathroom was wheels in shower. It had plenty of grab rails, a shower seat and emergency cord by the shower. I noticed that the floor service is not entirely flat as it slopes down towards the shower. Fine when I knew it but a bit of a surprise the first time. The shower head was at the top. I struggled to reach it and a wheelchair user would not be able to reach it easily. The corridor immediately outside my room was poorly lit. I had to feel for our use the light on my phone to find/ see the card slot to open the door.

Toilets

There was an accessible toilet on the ground floor. There was an manual door which opened with key card. The toilet was spacious, clean and well maintained. There were plenty of grab rails and an emergency cord that reached to floor. The bin was on a slight raised ledge by the toilet so not obstructing access to the area adjacent to the toilet. When I used it a yellow hazard cleaning in progress sign was on the floor, see photo, which blocked the entrance way and I had to move to get in.

Staff

Staff were fabulous. At reception they were very friendly and helpful. I spoke to one member of staff about the dark corridor immediately outside my room and got a very positive response. She said no one else had ever mentioned it and immediately offered to come to see it, so she understood what the issue was. She said that she was going to check all the other floors and that additional lighting was needed. I also raised about the shower head being high up and possibly inaccessible for some disabled people and the yellow cleaning notice location in the accessible toilet, again these were positively noted and was going to be followed up. Staff in the restaurant and bar were very friendly. Service was excellent.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

We all had a great time, the hotel was very comfortable and we ate in the restaurant both nights. I can highly recommend the veggie pizza, its delicious and massive, and left me with no room for a dessert. The accessible rooms are all on the car park/ road side. There was road traffic noise in my 2nd floor bedroom but as I live in the city centre it did not bother me. Closing the window reduced the noise greatly. Another of our group had a non-accessible room on the opposite side and she could see and hear the airplanes taking off and landing. However, it stopped from about 10pm to 6am. It wasn't a deal breaker and the hotel's name Travelodge Birmingham Airport is big of a give away, so if you are a light sleeper you may want to wear earplugs. Overall, all three of us enjoyed our stay and enjoyed the restaurant both evening. It's an excellent option if you are looking for an affordable and nice hotel for the airport or NEC. Would definitely return.

Photos