Last month we stayed at The Hilton Birmingham Metropole for a short break before travelling to Alton Towers for a special party. On arrival at the hotel we were greeted by a rather odd sight.. Hundreds of furry characters. There was a conference at the hotel while we were there called Confuzzled – over 1000 people were attending it and most in a fur suit of some kind. The girls were a little wary at first but soon were in love with it all and it certainly made our stay a little more interesting!
After checking in, which considering the sheer volume of people staying there that day was an absolute breeze, we headed up to our family room which consisted of a large king size bed and a sofa bed. They had also provided a travel cot for Chloe and the children spent a good 20 minutes bouncing around the room on the various beds and chairs.
Soon after we headed downstairs for Afternoon Tea and a chat with head chef Paul.
This is an area of the service and reflection of the hotel which truly shone for me. As you probably know at the moment Chloe is dairy, gluten, egg and soya free and not only did one of the chefs email me the night before to advise what they were preparing for her but they actually created an entire new afternoon tea just for her. This included peanut butter cookies, chocolate cake, ham sandwiches, hummus sandwiches and a selection of fruit. The look on her face to see such an array of food just for her was a delight to see.
I don’t think she could quite believe it was all for her.
Paul ( the head chef ) chatted to us about his role in the hotel and how it felt to cook for so many people each day. He also explained how working in such a large hotel meant that they were easily able to cater for people with allergies as they have separate pastry teams etc.
Our afternoon tea was just as good as the girls, served in a unique way which showed off each aspect of the meal. The miniature cakes and sandwiches were delicious and we pretty much inhaled it in 30 minutes. Oops.
Next up was a wander around the hotel looking at the various characters strolling about followed by a dip in the warm and spacious hotel pool. The girls had a ball splashing about.
We headed up to our room after that and we relaxed reading books while the children watched a film on the TV. Bliss.
As the hotel was fairly busy we opted to have room service that night and once again the hotel kitchen went out of their way to prepare a meal which was suitable for Chloe and still appetising which is no mean feat! The girls thought it was great to have a meal in the room and treated it like an indoor picnic sat on the floor.
I had a roasted veg tartlet to start followed by Lemon and thyme chicken.
Izzy enjoyed chicken nuggets & chips whilst Chloe ate a Chicken burger & chips made especially for her.
We all enjoyed, I’m not sure why but I didn’t expect room service food to be of such a high quality and it was really lovely to be able to eat at leisure without worrying if the girls were disturbing other guests!
When they started to get sleepy I enjoyed a sneaky dessert which was rather awesome:
Chocolate honeycomb teardrop.
Long luxurious baths followed by two rather excitable girls who were thrilled at us sharing one room.. This meant sleep was delayed by a few hours but when they did sleep it was quite soundly so we were well rested the following morning.
Breakfast at a Hilton is always plentiful with a wide variety of options and the Birmingham Metropole did not disappoint. Lots of cereal options, cooked breakfast as well as continental style with hams, cheeses and Izzy was most excited to see cucumber batons as well as her favourite blueberry muffins. There was also fresh fruit, lots of different teas and coffee as well as yoghurts, pastries and toast.
It was with reluctance that we checked out after a wonderful stay. It’s not always easy planning a night away with two small children ( especially one with allergies ) but the Hilton managed to make it simple and straightforward for us from the travel cot provided to the adapted afternoon tea and the family changing facilities in the pool. This was our second visit to the Birmingham Metropole and I couldn’t pick a fault with either stay. Thanks to the Hilton for inviting us. I’m sure we will be back.
* Our stay was complimentary for the purpose of a review, all meals and drinks were gifted.
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