
The grand city hotel that feels like going back in time after £50million makeover
BEST BRUM The grand city hotel that feels like going back in time after £50million makeover
THE Grand Hotel in Birmingham has undergone a multi-million revamp in recent years, as well as welcomed some famous guests.
We've explained everything you need to know from what to do at the hotel to the best thing to eat at the restaurant.
Advertisement
3
Spacious bedrooms offering large bathrooms with walk-in showers
Where is the hotel?
Located on one of Birmingham's most esteemed business addresses on Colmore Row, this hotel is right on the doorstep of Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, and a great mix of nightlife.
It has the perfect location of a 5-minute walk from New Street railway station and the city centre.
There is no hotel car park, but guests can get a discount at Snow Hill car park, which is extremely close.
What is the hotel like?
The Grade II-listed property is a grand place inside out.
Advertisement
Having welcomed a number of rock stars in the past, guests can pretend to live like royalty in one of its 185 rooms.
With £50million in refurbishments in recent years, this hotel takes a luxurious step back in time.
The showpiece is the grand marble reception and ballroom with capacity for 300 people.
What is there to do at there?
Fancy some yoga? In-room yoga classes are available with mats for an early morning stretch or pop into the gym which has great equipment.
Advertisement
Between Wednesday and Sunday, you can enjoy their traditional afternoon tea (£35pp) in the Madeleine Bar.
What is there to eat and drink there?
To start, the full English breakfast is superb with all ingredients locally sourced.
3
The grand marble staircase
The artistic Parisian-chic style strongly follows through with the Madeleine bar and its drinks menu.
Advertisement
And a cocktail at the hotel's plush bar is a must.
I tried the Strawberry Bon Bon made with vodka, toffee and strawberry (£13.50) which was delightful.
Around the corner is Isaac's, the hotel's New York-style brasserie, which has a great atmosphere with cracking burgers and an array of fresh seafood.
What are the rooms like?
The rooms have dark wood panelling, stylish lamps and tall windows overlooking the city feature, with an array of seven categories to pick from.
Advertisement
If you want to make it a night to remember, the Penthouse suite offers infinite qualities from in-room Yoga sessions to a walk-in wardrobe like no other.
But with a double room, I still enjoyed the old-style rotary phone, fitting with the quirky look, as well as a spacious bathroom offering a huge bath and walk-in shower.
Double rooms start at £159, including breakfast.
Is the hotel family-friendly?
There is a family package special offer which includes bathrobes and cuddly toys for your little or older ones, to family-friendly bars and activities for kids to create their own milkshakes.
Advertisement
Your pooch can also be brought along if it weighs less than 36kg. Don't forget to book their arrival in advance too.
Is there access for guests with disabilities?
Lifts are accessible at the main entrance and from meeting rooms to ensure ease of movement, alongside disabled toilets.
There are 7 bedrooms equipped for guests with disabilities.
Looking for a place to stay? For more hotel inspiration click here.
Advertisement
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
‘I'm so proud to be English' – Chloe Kelly steals the show after scoring winning goal in TWO Euros finals
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ENGLAND'S saviour Chloe Kelly stole the nation's hearts with her passion - and her winning penalty. The 27-year-old Arsenal star fired home the crucial spot-kick to seal the Lionesses' dramatic victory over Spain on penalties in the final of the Women's Euros. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Chloe Kelly has ice in her veins to score the crucial penalty Credit: Getty 4 Chloe Kelly celebrates after her winning spot kick Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 Chloe Kelly's famous celebration at Wembley after winning Euro 2022 Credit: PA And three years ago, she scored the winning goal in the final at Wembley as England beat Germany in extra time. She famously whipped her top off and ran around the pitch at the winning moment. And once again Kelly led the celebrations in Basel. After booting in the all-important goal, Kelly grabbed a microphone from ITV to belt out Sweet Caroline with the fans. And then when she went in front of the cameras, she sealed her place as a national treasure with her pride at winning the Euros again. Kelly, speaking to BBC One: "I am so proud of this team. So grateful to wear this badge. So proud to be English. "I was cool, I was composed. I knew I was going to hit the back of the net. I don't miss penalties twice. "Unbelievable. All the staff behind us and Sarina Wiegman - she has done it again! Unbelievable. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS "It is going to be crazy. I hope the whole of England comes out to support us and shows their love to these girls as they deserve it." Kelly is the new favourite with bookmaker Coral to win the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. her odds were slashed to 5-4 (from 20-1) following her winning penalty for England in the 2025 Women's Euros final. Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton is third best in the betting at 5-1, while captain Leah Williamson is at 12-1. England star Beth Mead forced to retake penalty that she SCORED after rule change in Euro 2025 final Fans immediately paid tribute the nation's heroine. One wrote on X: "Chloe's got that icy vibe" while another wrote: "Better pen taker than any one on the men's side." Another wrote: "Chloe Kelly showed incredible calm and confidence when it mattered most. Truly ice in her veins!" One fan predicted: "Balon Dor Chloe!" and another said: "She has been sensational."


The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
People say I'm setting women back, but they're mums relying on boyfriends or benefits says Bonnie Blue in shocking chat
'DON'T stand too close to me, you might catch something,' quips Bonnie Blue as we pose for pics. As The Sun's Sexpert, there's not much that shocks me. I've been to swinging parties, witnessed 50-strong orgies and even taken part in an orgasm contest in New York. 5 5 You could say I'm unshockable, and I'd have agreed with you — until Bonnie burst on to the scene. I've covered the industry long enough to know what's what, and I count porn stars, escorts and OnlyFans models as friends. But such is Bonnie's determination to perform the most degrading stunts imaginable, she's a tough one to defend. Her shock claim to fame — bedding over 1,000 men in 12 hours — and filming sex content with 'barely legal' students saw her accused of 'setting women back 100 years'. She has even been branded as dangerous for women as toxic masculinity influencer Andrew Tate, not least for referring to herself as a 'slut'. 'I love sex with public' So today, I'm sitting down with the 26-year-old to find out what really drives her — and maybe even get under her skin. Readers will know that The Sun does not make a habit of interviewing porn stars. But Bonnie is more than that. She is the disturbing reality of what happens when pornography and the world of 'influencers' collide, just as much a staple on the unregulated social media pages your kids scroll through as she is on adult sites. Bonnie is riding a new wave of anything-goes promiscuity that's genuinely worrying — and that's coming from someone who has built a career on being 'sex positive'. Real name Tia Billinger, she grew up in Draycott, a village between Derby and Nottingham, and was virtually unknown until she catapulted to fame in October last year. Bonnie Blue CANCELS disgusting 'petting zoo' event after extreme backlash, but reveals 10 THOUSAND men applied Her extraordinary story is laid bare in new fly-on-the-wall Channel 4 documentary, 1,000 Men And Me: The Bonnie Blue Story, airing tomorrow. With immaculately blow-dried blonde hair and a preppy style, she's far from the stereotypical porn star. There's an old-money vibe about her — part of her appeal no doubt, and the shock factor. I ask her about being permanently banned from adult platform OnlyFans last month, after inviting men to have sex with her in a twisted so-called 'petting zoo'. Claiming to be inspired by David Blaine, she wanted to tie herself up inside a glass box in the centre of London, which would be 'open for the public' to do 'whatever they want' with her. 'It's frustrating, I've never broken a single f * g rule,' she fumes. 'I went from earning £2million a month to zero. It makes me look like I lie to my fans. "They [OnlyFans] would prefer me to do a cooking show or a dog's yoga retreat, but it's a sex site. People say I'm setting women back, but when I check their profiles, they're often stay-at-home mums relying on a boyfriend or benefits. Bonnie Blue 'I love having sex with the public and that is not going to stop. OnlyFans has tried to cancel me, but it's done the opposite.' So does Bonnie think she's setting women back with such degrading behaviour, teaching young men that it's OK to treat them as objects? 'I say I'm not a feminist, but a lot of my views are,' she says. 'I believe in equality, women being in control and not feeling intimidated by men. I do what I want, when I want, and I feel safe doing it. 'People say I'm setting women back, but when I check their profiles, they're often stay-at-home mums relying on a boyfriend or benefits — and I think, hang on a second.' Bonnie's controversial bonkfest during Nottingham Uni Freshers' Week, which saw her have sex with 150 18-year-olds — many of whom she claimed were virgins — made news. But it was her stunt in January that really caused outcry, as she claimed to have slept with over 1,000 men in 12 hours, working out at less than 45 seconds per fella. 5 5 She later revealed she was left covered in bruises and bite marks from the sex marathon and issued a thank-you to 'all the barely legal, barely breathing and the husbands'. One of the first things that strikes me about Bonnie is how tiny she is. When I go to give her a hug, she's so delicate and pint-sized I worry I might crush her. I can't help but think about her being thrown around in her infamous gang bangs and wonder how she wasn't seriously damaged. I imagine my young kids — already exposed to social media — stumbling across her content and shudder. I'd be heartbroken if my three-year-old daughter ever thought this was inspirational, and asked Bonnie what led her down this path. 'Everyone wants me to say I've been through something traumatic in my past,' she says. 'But it's not true. They just can't accept that I want to do this because I enjoy sex.' I enjoy sex, too, but I find it hard to believe anyone could genuinely enjoy a 1,000-strong orgy. I ask her if she actually orgasms during these stunts and how her body felt the next day. 'Oh it's completely hit and miss,' she explains. 'Even in my personal sex life, I have to remind them how I like it. "Most of these men are inexperienced, so I don't, but I enjoy giving them a good experience. My jaw hurt more than I did down there after the 1,000 challenge,' she adds nonchalantly. 'My legs were burning, too.' Bonnie says she ordered a burger and watched Dexter on Netflix that evening as she was 'too excited to sleep', then treated herself to a massage and facial at a spa the next day. Another Brit OnlyFans content created, Lily Phillips, pulled a similar stunt in December, bedding 101 men in 24 hours and documenting it for YouTube. Unlike Bonnie, Lily, from Derbyshire, claims the experience left her in tears — yet she still pledged to go a step further and sleep with 1,000 men in 24 hours. But Bonnie nailed the challenge first — and in half the time. The pair previously made joint content, but Lily has since claimed their views 'don't quite align'. Last month, Bonnie sat down to debate with misogynist Andrew Tate, who described her as 'the end point of feminism'. 'I'd been called the female version of Andrew Tate for a long time,' she tells me. 'His opinion is that women have fought for years to be in control and have their say and do what they want with their bodies. I do exactly that. So if that's the outcome, so be it.' Like Andrew, she's a Marmite figure — loved by some, loathed by others — and receives hundreds of death threats a day online. 'Last time I went out by myself was six months ago,' she explains. 'It's not safe.' It's hard not to find this incredibly sad. What's the point of making big money if you can't actually enjoy it? 'I want to be the best at what I do,' explains Bonnie. 'I'm not driven by material things and would rather be at home doing a puzzle than glammed up at a red carpet event.' 'Part-time nun' When she's not filming controversial content, she spends her time fishing, surfing and doing jigsaws. She says the only time she's been hurt was when someone uploaded a photo of her late grandad and falsely claimed he had sexually assaulted her. 'My family are getting double looks in the street,' she revealed. 'It made me realise the impact I was having on my family.' So how did someone like Bonnie, who seems to have it all, end up here? 'Growing up, I loved dancing,' she explains. 'But you've got to have money to make it. All the big dance schools are in London and I couldn't even afford a train ticket there.' Bonnie was studying midwifery before she dropped out of college and worked for the NHS doing recruitment finance. She later moved to Australia in her early twenties with her ex-husband Ollie, an estate agent. 'The move really helped me become a sex worker,' she recalls. 'It got me out of that small-town mindset where you're constantly comparing yourself to others.' She was inspired by women on TikTok flaunting their sex work earnings and decided to give it a go. 'I wanted money, freedom and to feel in control,' she says. Bonnie was racked with nerves before starting, but her ex-husband was her rock. 'My palms were sweating. I had no idea what I was doing — I didn't even know all the sex terms,' she recalls. 'I had a separate laptop next to me and any time someone asked something I didn't understand, I'd quickly Google it because I was too embarrassed to admit it. They expect me to drop my pants because they're famous. Bonnie Blue 'Some guys were just lonely and wanted a conversation, other guys wanted me to strip down within 60 seconds with a sex toy inside of me.' Bonnie claims that, before she got into sex work, she'd only slept with five people and described her sex life as 'vanilla'. 'We had sex three or four times a week after watching Netflix,' she recalls. 'My friends would say they had a threesome at the weekend and I'd say, 'Oh my God that's crazy. I'd never even had a one night stand.' Bonnie separated from Ollie last year and their divorce will be finalised next month. 'I'll always love and care for my ex dearly,' she explains. 'But I didn't look at him in the end and think, 'Oh I want to have sex with you'. We became brother and sister in the end.' Bonnie tells how big celebs slide into her DMs, but she's not interested. 'They expect me to drop my pants because they're famous' she laughs. 'But unless they'll film content and be identified, I'm not going to sleep with them. I'm like a part-time nun. I'm one extreme to the next.' She would like to start dating, but it's not a priority. 'I've done what people think is happiness,' she says. 'Marriage, buying a house, a nice car, having money — and they didn't make me happy.' Bonnie struggled to conceive with her ex and isn't naturally maternal. If she decides to have kids, it would be through IVF or adoption. I like Bonnie — she's witty and self-deprecating, cracking jokes at her own expense and clearly enjoys shocking people. But I can't help wondering if it's her armour against the world. As we talk, I wonder what her life will be like five years from now. When her looks fade, will she have to go to even greater extremes for attention? 'If it doesn't make me happy, then I'll be the first to stop,' she explains. 'I'm in control.' Bonnie tells me she hopes the documentary will shift public perception — not just of her, but of the men who sleep with her. 'I want people to know these men aren't disgusting,' she says. 'They're nice people. 'I'm also happy because everyone assumes that behind the cameras, I must be crying, upset or broken — but that's not the case. 'People think I must be sick in the head to enjoy this. But I'm living a life I'm incredibly grateful for. I feel very, very lucky.' But at what cost?


Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Billy Joel sets record straight over DUI rumors after multiple concerning car accidents
is setting the record straight. In his candid new two-part HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, the music legend tackles the ups and downs of his life in the spotlight, including long-standing rumors that he's had multiple DUIs. The 76-year-old singer, who announced he is battling the brain disorder, normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), earlier this year, makes it clear: those stories are false. 'I didn't like the tabloid kind of press. For example, there's this rumor that I have all these DUIs,' Joel says in the film. 'That never happened.' 'But people keep repeating the myth. 'Oh, he's got so many DUIs.' I never had a DUI. So f**k you,' he adds. 'The press can be mean. So having that much attention paid to you is not easy.' The deeply personal documentary, now streaming on HBO, explores a turbulent chapter in Joel's life during the mid-2000s when he stepped out of the public eye. During that time, he was involved in several car accidents, leading many to speculate about substance use. In June 2002, Joel crashed his 1999 Mercedes-Benz. The following year, he drove a 2002 Mercedes into a tree in Sag Harbor and was treated for head injuries. Then in 2004, he lost control of his 1967 Citroen in Bayville, crashing into an empty house. The final accident left him with a cut finger and minor damage to the car, according to the documentary. Still, Joel insists those incidents weren't alcohol-related. In a 2013 interview with The New York Times Magazine, he clarified: 'I never had a DUI in my life. That's another fallacy. Look at the police records.' Instead, he attributed the accidents to emotional struggles. 'My mind wasn't right. I wasn't focused. I went into a deep, deep depression after 9/11. 9/11 just knocked the wind out of me, and I don't know even now if I've recovered from it. It really, really hurt that man could do that to man. And then there was a breakup with somebody, and it took me a while to get me back on my feet again.' And So It Goes, directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, not only clears up misconceptions but also takes a closer look at Joel's battles with depression, substance abuse, and the road to recovery. As Joel told People in a recent cover story, it wasn't easy to revisit some of those moments. 'Some of the stupid stuff I did, that's painful to talk about,' he admitted. Initially hesitant about the documentary, Joel said, 'My goal was to get it over with… When I do interviews, people just ask you about yourself and you get a little self-conscious about it eventually. It's almost embarrassing. When you're talking about your personal life detached from the material… I suppose there's a little bit of wariness involved.' The film also includes insights from those closest to him, including his sister Judy, daughter Alexa Ray, 39, and longtime friends and collaborators like lighting designer Steve Cohen and booking agent Dennis Arfa. Cohen reflected on Joel's resilience and drive: 'You make mistakes. He always said to me, "You show up. You do the best you can. You admit when you're wrong and you let other people tell you how good you are. You don't tell yourself how good you are."' And ultimately, Cohen hopes fans walk away with a deeper understanding of the man behind the music. 'I hope fans walk away realizing how f**king human he is, and I hope they come back listening to these songs again with a deeper affection. I hope that you walk away from this thing going, 'I now justify my fandom. I know why this guy is as good and why I respond to it, because that's the kind of guy I can relate to his life. I can relate to those emotions.' Despite his hesitations to do the documentary, Joel was an open book as he looked back on his failed marriages, battle with alcohol, financial troubles and much more. The singer also opens up about pre-fame suicide attempts and his mother's alcoholism. And So It Goes has already gained glowing reviews from Rolling Stone, Variety, and Newsday. In May, the Piano Man singer shared that he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The condition has impacted Joel's 'hearing, vision, and balance,' according to the social media post. A spokesperson for the singer said that his condition had been 'exacerbated' by recent performances. Normal pressure hydrocephalus is caused by too much fluid collecting in the ventricles, or spaces in the brain and spinal cord, putting pressure on these areas and triggering its symptoms, including struggling to walk, an inability to control the bladder and memory problems. This happens because the excess fluid compresses and stretches the brain tissue, interfering with the control of muscles and communication between nerve cells. When diagnosed early, NPH can often be effectively treated with surgery that drains excess fluid from the brain, relieving pressure and symptoms - but it can often be mistaken at an early stage for other illnesses such as dementia. However, if left untreated, the condition may lead to permanent damage in its later stages. Joel's illustrious career as a musician began back in the mid-1960, which led to the release of debut studio album, Cold Spring Harbor (1971). But it failed to gain any real traction until after the success of his follow-up, Piano Man (1973), that peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Adult Contemporary singles chart. Now an established name on the musical landscape, Joel became a million seller with the release of Streetlife Serenade (1974), but his commercial breakout making him a bonafide star came with the release of The Stranger (1977), which featured the hit singles Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), Just The Way You Are, She's Always a Woman, The Stranger, and Only The Good Die Young. He would go on to release a 13th album - Fantasies & Delusions (2001) - that features classical compositions from Joel, a first for him during his career. With over 160 million records sold worldwide, Joel is one of the world's best-selling musical artists, and the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States.