March 6th, 2010
On Wednesday gone, I spent the night at the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club near Birmingham. This is a large sprawling hotel set in acres of beautiful Warwickshire countryside, yet only 15 minutes away from Birmingham Airport. I arrived at around 5pm and was quickly checked in by a friendly receptionist. I made my way up the two flights of stairs (there is a lift available) to my room which was large, clean and airy. It had a huge queen size bed and a great flat screen TV. If only I had the time to watch it. I dropped my bags and then made my way to the main bar area near Oaks restaurant where I met some colleagues for a little ‘work’.
We were offered drinks by a small friendly waitress and having ordered it, my decaf latte soon turned up from the Costa concession that seems to be a regular feature of Marriott hotels these days.
We dined in the restaurant later that evening. A large brightly decorated contemporary space, I was happy to discover linen napkins on the tables. The food served up over the next two hours was very good by hotel standards and I was pleased with the way they cooked by Sirloin steak. Served up with ‘almost’ home cooked chips, it was seasoned perfectly and medium cooked as requested. The service itself stood out. The staff were very attentive and seemed almost put out, if you found yourself reaching for the water jug, to top up your glass. They were friendly and professional to the point of being available, but not getting in the way of the conversation around the table. I think most of my colleagues were equally pleased as well.
Opting for a reasonably early night, I had a really good sleep. The window in my room opened wide and the fresh freezing Warwickshire air filled was wonderful to breathe as I tucked myself under the white crisp duvet.
Breakfast was served up in the main restaurant and was very tempting. A chef stood by waiting to cook your morning eggs just the way you liked them. The decaf coffee I ordered up though was a bit of a disappointment. It had little by way of taste.
Later that day, we made use of the conference facilities for a meeting and were well looked. Coffee, Tea and cakes were on offer throughout and lunch was a freshly served buffet with hot and cold dishes. The chocolate profiteroles in a glass were particular welcome by me but not my waist!
All in all a great hotel. I just wish I had the time to explore more of its facilities which included a spacious spa, leisure centre and golf club.
Pryordurkin rating 4 stars.
Posted in Accomodation