voco St. Johns Solihull by IHG

Great hotel You may need a towel for the room door (big gaps) My big concern is PARKING The system for parking here just isn't clear. If your a guest: or using the facilities there isn't a guarantee you won't get a ticket. Very confusing. A better system is desperately needed. Would I stay again? Yes Will I be worried about car parking tickets? Absolutely Yes Did it spoil my stay? Yes

Was there for a conference. Room very comfortable. Service mainly good but I ordered sweet potato fries which out to be not available. So I agreed to normal ones but had to point out I needed change. Because I'd paid by card it was a whole refund rigmarole including filling in a form - for 50p! Local traffic meant many people were late to the conference.

I initially planned to book a “Super King Bed” room via Booking.com for £116.58. However, after calling the number listed on Google, a hotel agent informed me that if I became a member, I could receive a better rate of £110.58. That seemed reasonable, so I proceeded with the direct booking. Upon arrival, my booking hadn’t synced with their system, and the agent had to manually check me in. I was also charged £10 for parking, which was a bit of a disappointment, though not entirely unexpected. Shortly after, we were given some small homemade flapjacks along with our key cards. However, when we arrived at our assigned room, we found a sign on the door that read “Having some me time.” Assuming housekeeping had left it, we entered only to find the room clearly not serviced: the bed was unmade, two pillows were on the floor, and the hairdryer was still plugged in. I tried to call reception using the room phone, but it didn’t connect, so I had to go down in person with my wife, daughter, and our luggage. The reception staff were apologetic and reassigned us to another room. While slightly larger, this second room had the same issue with the bed. It was advertised as a “Super King,” which should be around 6 feet wide, but the bed was barely 5 feet—smaller than the double bed I have at home. When I raised this, the receptionist simply responded, “This is a Super King size for IHG.” Neither of the rooms had a fridge. To be fair, I should have done my own due diligence and checked the amenities more carefully beforehand. When I mentioned the need to store my daughter’s milk, the receptionist helpfully offered to keep it in the bar/restaurant fridge, which was appreciated. A cot was also provided upon request. The TV was not a smart TV, which limited entertainment options. The gym is small but decent, and the pool is a reasonable size compared to other hotels. The steam room, while slightly outdated, was a nice touch. Access to the gym, steam room, and pool was included at no extra charge, which is a definite positive. The bathroom was a good size, but the view from our room was virtually non-existent. In summary, although there were a few positives—friendly staff, wellness facilities, and the kind gesture at check-in, several key issues impacted our stay: the booking hiccup, room cleanliness, misleading bed size, and lack of in-room amenities. This was my honest experience, and while I don’t enjoy leaving negative reviews, I’m unlikely to return to this hotel in the future.