Hillscourt

The area abd the breakfast

There was a party going on until 12 am

Spacious rooms, very clean, comfortable bed. Excellent value for money.

Good location, clean, good breakfast

The fire alarms went off while I was blow drying my hair. Probably needs to be upgraded a bit. Did not really seem like a hotel when I got there.

A very welcoming hotel, with staff who are very professional, friendly, and provide a high level of service. Step free access is good in all buildings, however the grounds/car park are a little uneven in places. Accessible Room was comfy, however small, and may not be suitable if you are not a part time/ambulatory chair user. Lunch dinner and breakfast were VERY good - fresh cooked dishes with only desserts being bought in. Conference facilities are modern, and have step free access via a platform lift, and has its own accessible toilet on the ground floor. Would happily stay again. Disabled Access In and Around: Automatic doors to buildings everywhere that was wheelchair accessible - however reception is accessed by a large glass door that requires you to open manually. Accessible facilities: Lift to some areas, Step-free entrance, Step-free access to most areas. Parking & Transport: I travelled to this place by car. The venue is a hotel and conference centre split between an older converted school building and newer accommodation and conference blocks in separate buildings. The carpark/property has parking with barrier entry. To enter or exit you are required to press and hold a 1cm button on the buzzer panel until the barrier lifts. This requires moderate pressure, and some hand dexterity. Two large car parks are available - both with a 100-200m walk to the entrance, which includes approximately 20 steps of stairs. Three reserved blue badge parking spaces are available next to the main building - however they do not have any marked areas to each side or behind the spaces. The car park is tarmac and brick tiles. There are undulations and slopes throughout the outside areas but navigable by my power chair. Wheelchair access to the reception is via a dedicated sloped pathway. Double doors to the building open with a push button. Accessible Toilets: The accessible toilet in the main building also doubles as the baby changing area. The door does not fully open due to a doorstop in the floor. A moderate sized power chair still fits through okay. On the left as you enter is a light pull to turn off the light. A large baby change bin takes up a lot of space that makes turning a wheelchair in the space difficult. The transfer area is quite small and has a narrow sanitary bin. The sink and mirror are at wheelchair height. I struggled exiting the room as I could not easily turn my power chair around to open the door. The emergency cord was hanging to the floor to the correct height and had both of the grab pulls at the correct heights. Staff: Staff were all superb - friendly, professional and always offered help with doors/getting food in the restaurant etc but never overstepped/forced help if you declined. MAIN BUILDING - RECEPTION, BAR, RESTAURANT Reception is on the right hand side as you enter the building in a separate room. You are required to open a wide glass door to enter the reception room - this opens inwards. Staff will open this door for you if needed. I was not provided with a PEEP to complete despite being a chair user, and had to prompt the staff for one. The form had been photocopied so many times it was impossible to read most of the text indicating what information went in each box. There is a lowered check in desk. In the main building there is step free access to the bar area (the door is fairly narrow), restaurant, and accessible toilet. The bar area has a narrow door to enter, from the building however there is a ramp to the fire door which can be opened for access from outside. There are men and women’s toilets off of the bar - both have a step up to enter. The restaurant is large and has plenty of space to navigate in a wheelchair. Lunch is served from the hot counter which is not lowered for wheelchair use, however staff are present to assist with serving, and offered to carry my plate to the table for me if I wished. Dinner is table service, and everything is brought to you, with the exception of dessert which was self serve from a table next to the hot counter. This was accessible from my chair. Breakfast is just like lunch - served from the hot counter and chilled counter - both not at wheelchair height, but helpful staff on hand. ACCOMMODATION: I can only give information about my room in the accommodation block, which is in a separate building to the main building. To access this, required exiting via the main buildings entrance/ramp, and wheeling outside over to the accommodation building through the car park (tarmac and brick tile). The door to the accommodation block requires a 4 digit code provided when you check in. The panel to enter the code is on the wall to the right of the door, and the buttons are 1cm and require little pressure to push. The door opens automatically outwards (towards you when entering the building). To exit there is a green push button on the right hand side of the door as you exit. As you enter, on the left is the stairs to the upper floors. Directly in front of you is the corridor with the three accessible rooms on the left hand side (rooms 1, 2 and 3). Two are single rooms, and one has two single beds. I stayed in room 1, which is pictured. ROOM 1 - SINGLE ACCESSIBLE BEDROOM The main door to the room is a standard modern door width, but still narrow compared to many accessible doors. There is no self closing mechanism and the door was only a little heavier than a standard internal house door. Access to the room is via a keycard you tap on the lock. The room was fairly small, but I had plenty of room to turn the chair around. The carpet was fairly thick, and my power chair struggle to reverse on it due to the low speed/power in that setting. The light switch is on the right as you enter the room (left hand side of the room door as you look at it from the inside). The light is a cold daylight colour temperature, so if you are sensitive to aritificial lighting or prefer a warmer light, I would recommend using the wall/side light which was sufficient to light the room but quite a bit dimmer. The single bed is a standard height bed - it is slightly higher than my power chair, but quite a bit higher than some manual chairs. The bed was medium-soft, with two synthetic pillows. There is a shelf to the side of the bed with a phone, tissue box, and a double socket with two USB A charging ports. Above the shelf is the wall mounted lamp, which has a small tactile button to turn on and off. The tea and coffee making facilities are on a deep floating shelf for use from a power chair. A small TV is mounted above the tea and coffee shelf. The wardrobe has two sliding doors - on the left hand side there is a hotel safe at a chair user’s height, and the right hand side has lowered clothes rail and hangers. **SAFETY WARNING** The emergency pull cord in the bedroom hangs next to the headboard/bedside shelf and is hard to grab because of this. It also does not have looped/plastic pulls at all. I would not rely on this for assistance because of this. ROOM 1 - ACCESSIBLE WET ROOM The wet room is fairly small, containing a lowered sink, tap and mirror. The toilet is standard height, with a seat and no lid. There is no backrest. A drop down grab bar is on the right hand side as you look at the toilet. There are grab rails around the sink. The area between the wall and the toilet is very narrow - this is how you access the sink. Even a manual chairs may struggle to fit. I sat on the edge of the toilet to use the sink. The wet room has a small shower cubicle with a wall mounted shower seat. Control of the shower is via rotating dials, which needed a moderate force to turn, however there are sticks on each dial to aid turning. The shower head is mounted on a rail and can be adjusted up and down. It is fairly powerful, and a good shower! There is a hairdryer mounted to the wall by the sink - simply lift and it turns on. It is lightweight but can only be used in situ. **SAFETY WARNING** The emergency pull cord in the bathroom hangs next to the towel rail and is hard to grab because of this. It also does not have looped/plastic pulls at all. I would not rely on this for assistance because of this.

A late last minute stay which we booked whilst travelling to the area, arriving at 10pm. Our room was on the first floor and was in an older part of the building, no lift. A good sized room which had been modernised, but with only two double sockets at the side of the bed and one above the tv which we used for the room fan as it was exceptionally hot. The condition of the fan was poor with a cracked casing, but it worked. Breakfast was hot buffet, but it wasn’t hot. There was plenty of food and also cold food options. The car park has excellent security barriers and CCTV. Reception staff were helpful and very accommodating.

Everything

Nothing

Nice room. Peaceful surroundings in a beautiful garden.

N/a

A wake for 60 people. Good atmosphere, bright and airy room. Spacious, food very good. Staff polite and helpful. Facilities for video and music.

The hotel location was ideal for sightseeing and local travel. The grounds were very well kept and had a pleasant outdoor garden area for relaxation. Hotel staff were very professional, amiable and did all they could to ensure customers needs were met.

The Family room was totally ill equipped having hardly any storage furniture for clothes, etc. The furniture was cheap, flat pack style and sparse. Breakfast was terrible, food was cooked well before the start of breakfast service. It was laid out in a hot shelf area which resulted in dry, tough and sometimes inedible food.

Every year a group of us go to Hillscourt, it is always a positive experience and just gets better. The staff are friendly and helpful, this year Amy impressed us with her energy and cheerfulness. Rooms are clean and the food good, we get a private room to use on a Saturday & Sunday, and the bar area is always welcoming.

Lovely location right by the lickey hills with a comfy bed, friendly staff and powerful shower

Shower stall was very cramped and the bathroom lights went out while I was in the shower (sensor issue). The bathroom wasn’t as nice as the room. No aircon but a fan was provided which was very effective.

Handy location for me. Easy parking. Have been before and will be back again.

So hot at the moment - air conditioning would have made for a better night's sleep.

Good location for me. Easy parking. Good breakfast. Bar meals OK but menu needs a change.

Air conditioning in bedrooms please.

Location. Un-hotely-ness.

All the staff were super, efficient, professional and pleasant. Reception staff brilliant: girls in the restaurant were all lovely and very helpful at breakfast.

Breakfast

Bed a little soft. An extra blanket would have been nice.

The beds in the single rooms are very comfortable and the breakfast is exceptional.

I was looking for a reduced rate for a long term.stay. The price I was quoted was higher than the price I paid via booking.com!! Presumeably booking.com took a slice of the fee I paid, so this just gives the impression the hotel is very over priced.

clean,

size of room tiny, window on a restrictor - would only open a few inches. No work space or dressing table area - travel kettle not functioning properly. Very maze like to reach bedroom - hall ways narrow and complicated. Room located on top of boiler room or similar - loud , continuous noise and hum. Ensuite bathroom very basic with a very small shower cubicle - but up three steps to actually use - a hand rail had been fitted. All in all, very disappointed and decided not to stay. Reception did offer to change my room, I declined. Didn't like the student lodgings vibe.

Good sized room, excellent breakfast

Nothing

Very helpful and friendly employees

Not well sign posted

Hotel in general

3 flights of stairs

everything was perfect.

No problems.

Staff were so friendly, particularly Charlotte in the restaurant. Bed was very comfortable and I slept very well. Food very good at dinner and breakfast.

I hadn't realised it was a teacher training centre - not that this was a problem, was just a bit surprised on arrival.

Stayed one night but ate on both. Greated by the most friendly and welcoming reception staff. Nothing too much for them and so helpful. Felt valued, special and left with a smile. Room was 31. A single bed. TV and work desk... no chair though?! Been before and there was one! Ensure large and clean. Powerful shower and quality shower gel and hand-wash. Tea and coffee in room. Would like decaf options in room though... and more than 2 milks. Comfy, spotlessly clean thanks to the excellent housekeeping team. Had a bar meal when I arrived. Homemade leak and potato soup served with two warm bread rolls. Perfect thickness and tasted so fresh and creamy. Main was chicken and wild mushroom pie, mixed fresh veg, mash and a jug of gravy. It was so good. Sprinkling of tarragon added some extra depth to the flavour. Everything about the meal was spot on. Veg was fresh and varied. Cooked to perfection. Thank you chef Paul. The next day I had breakfast... black pudding, beans, fried bread... you nsme it. Quality and tasty food. Served as a buffet. Later I had a special meal with others. Set in the 'officers' room it was superb. 3 course. Brie tartlett. Pork fillet Wellington. Mixed fruit crumble and custard. Others had sea bass, melon and brulee. All were super fresh, hot and showed off the talented chef/s. Paul our chef is well experienced and knows his craft. As do the other chefs. The food here is second to none. Bar service. The bar is reasonably priced. I would say the seating needs upgrading due to stains and underneath fabric hanging down. Some leaks in the ceiling obvious and many stains or peeling plaster and cracks. They need sorting. The bar area is quite formal.. in keeping with a conference centre... but probably needs to be more cosy and comfortable as it is a hotel at the end of the day. Rachel in the bar was superb. (You rock!) Friendly, chatty and knew her drinks. Recommended both food and drinks. Service is something that stands out here. Servers from the kitchen staff... all friendly and efficient. I give this a 5 star rating due to everything that makes this a great place to stay. Not expensive. Better than some chain budget hotels. Food and service stand out.

Exceptionally well appointed and comfortable accommodation. Surprisingly quiet but staff were always in evidence. Lovely peaceful grassed area behind the building. (see photo)

It seems, on first sight of the drive entrance, more like a conference centre (which it really is intended as) rather than a hotel. I checked my booking before driving the car to raise the barrier at the entrance.

The exterior, bistro and particularly the restaurant are nice.

The bathroom was pretty tired, the automatic sensor light was annoying - it kept shutting off during showers, and the pillows were very flat.

Convenient for visiting friends and relatives. Very pleasant stay, with friendly staff, comfortable room, lovely breakfast, and good value evening meal in the bar.

Nothing.

Beautiful grounds and setting.

Nothing.

Clean friendly staff couldn’t make breakfast so a pack lunch offered

Nothing

The interior,

Breakfast had finished, and we arrived late into the night and was told we could have some. After talking with staff to rectify this, the kitchen made us a breakfast which was lovely. So they keep their promise.

Everything

Nothing

Very clean

My neighbour had their TV on loudly until midnight. The dividing walls are quite thin so it wasn’t great.

very helpful friendly staff , excellent food, beautiful gardens, lovely room with view of garden

Well looked after, professionalism. Breakfast was excellent.

Rooms a bit cold. Tissue paper too light.

Lovely grounds. Quite a nice breakfast.

The beds were tiny. It has a very sanitised feel, like a hospital or old people’s home.

Location Clean Secure

Nothing

Large bedroom and bathroom. Very clean and well appointed.

Lovely setting and nice room and bar

Handy for me when visiting family. Always clean & housekeeping staff very helpful if you need anything. Shower room is lovely size.

Bedrooms could do with freshening up & more or larger shelves would be of great help. There’s nowhere to put anything & I have to take my nebuliser daily. Having to use it on the floor isn’t ideal at all.

The hotel is surrounded by the nature where you can hear lovely bird chirping in morning. Staff are very friendly. The dinner at hotel restaurant is surprisingly wonderful.

The bathroom is a bit dated but very clean.

A nice location, clearly set up for conferences and larger groups. Each bedroom unit is quiet, comfortable and contains everything you want. Lickey Hills are stunning at all times of year.

Quirks of the place: Because it's a conference centre, it feels corporate rather than personal. Staff are lovely but nothing else is individual. Deserted when "out of season". Bathroom light is a movement sensor, so if standing in the shower, with the door closed, it may not see you and you'll end your shower in the dark. It comes back on when you want to step out of the shower cubicle. The coffee tasted bitter, even when provided in a pot at breakfast. I'm used to it out of the packets, but was disappointed to taste it that way at breakfast.

Good standard of breakfast with plenty of choices

Great value. I had to leave before breakfast, but they offered a packed lunch instead

Nothing

Very clean! Very comfortable bed. Bathroom super clean, hot shower and good pressure.

Staff friendly and welcoming, Bedroom was clean with everything you expect in it and the bed was super comfy quite possibly the best night sleep iv had in a hotel for months. Breakfast was yummy! hot, fresh and plenty of choice. 5*

Nothing not to like.

It's absolutely perfect. Location, comfort, staff professionalism, helpfulness, friendliness and generally being welcoming are excellent. So much so I stayed a second night. Plenty of free parking. Great WiFi. Good breakfast and on sight evening meals at great prices. Comfortable spacious room and great views. I've stated in very many hotels costing far more. This beats the lot on quality and price.

It's all good.

An excellent facility located within easy distance of central Birmingham and surrounding towns. It's extremely comfortable and accommodating. On site excellent breakfast and perfectly adequate evening meal range.Grest quality and prices. Superb room, very clean and warm with a good bathroom and soft towels. All staff are very accommodating, amongst the very best I've come across. I'd expect to pay more for the quality of the accommodation and service.

Excellent location for my needs. "omfortable room with good facilities. Very good breakfast choice. All staff members were friendly.

There is no lift at the property.

Room was clean and a good size, staff helpful and friendly. Good location, close to motorway but quiet

The decor! This is actually a teacher training centre which was kind of bizarre so decor wasn't as expected. Good stay overall though

Big rooms, breakfast

Cold room, couldn't adjust heaters, we were frozen. Shower had quite a lot of mould in. High step to shower and awkward to get in. Would have liked a full length mirror.

Excellent for the price. Nothing exceptional. Clean room and bathroom. Good breakfast. Lots of parking. Good staff.

Access to room awkward no lift. Parking good but small uphill walk to hotel.

A last minute booking for one night that turned out to be excellent. Easy access with plenty of car parking led to a period property. The building has been tastefully updated and had a welcoming atmosphere. The reception staff as with all the staff we met were friendly and helpful. Our room was spotlessly clean and very well maintained. We had breakfast included and that turned out to be exceptional. Well prepared, served hot and huge. Plenty of choice including continental and full English. We would highly recommend this hotel. For us it was ideally situated between Bromsgrove and Birmingham. A real gem.

A hidden gem with wonderful staff, amazing hospitality and the best breakfast that I have had for years!

As a solo traveller it is not always easy to settle in to hotels/bnb accommodation but crikey Hillscourt is an exception. I was met with a massive welcome from every member of staff I came into contact with from entry to the place. Smashing large bedroom, immaculate throughout. Breakfast was a sensational experience. Best breakfast that i have had for many years with everything you could possibly wish for! Great value for money, close enough to Birmingham centre (about 8 miles) but far enough to feel you are at a country retreat. I loved every minute and will definitely return.

We were in room 59 up the top of the hotel Hotel told me few days before we were on second floor but we were the only room right at the top! We were ok with stairs but maybe not if you have mobility issues The room was more like a flat than hotel room! It was ideal for three adults one child sofa bed was too hard and thin quilt Musky smell in the room Lovely welcome on reception My daughter is autistic and settled really well which is great! There was door banging late night and we were on the highest point heard it Breakfast was brilliant My daughter is normally picky , she ate lots which was great! Hotel used conferences, was busy car park and noisy first night

Really, really good breakfast. Comfy room, comfy bed,, quiet, nice location.

No internet or phone signal other than via WiFi in the bar/reception areas. Impossible to take or make calls or use the internet in my room. No bars, no 4g, no WiFi. All it would take is a WiFi extender, really poor. Basic amenity these days.

Location, breakfast and parking

Bathroom needs updating and light sensor meant the light would go off during a shower! Bed a little small. We were given the wrong key on arrival so went into an already occupied room.

Liked the location. Dining room had been decorated since our last visit and it was nice. Nice breakfast on the 2nd morning. Friendly and helpful staff . Clean bedroom. Quiet hotel.

Bathroom floor looked a bit grubby around the edges and behind sink and extractor fan didnt seem to work.. Some of the tiles on the bottom of the shower needed a scrub. Husband is 6ft 4" and found the shower a bit of a squeeze. Not a nice view from the window at the back. Guttering outside window needs an end fitted as constantly dripped due to it raining and we like our window open. Kettle & cups filled the bedside shelf so no room for phone and other items and it was placed right under a light so a bit of a hazard with hot steam boiling underneath.

A very comfortable place to stay and a good location for getting into Birmingham . Not far from the M5. A very good breakfast and good choice of food at other times. Excellent value. Very helpful and friendly staff team.

No negatives.

All good

Na

Location

Entrance and exit barrier was a challenge when arriving in a Lefthand drive car (no passenger to help push button!)

Lovely friendly staff. Easy to park. Lovely grounds. Exceedingly comfy bed. Nice room. Good breakfast and nice bar meal.

Two small niggles that are easily fixed...... a larger shower head (the shower was lovely temperature3 but the head is really small) and a decent mirror in the bedroom. A long mirror could easily be fixed inside the wardrobe door. But we only stayed one night so it was ok. Just two very small fixes that would make the room perfect!

All areas were excellent location cleanliness service and food

The single bed was very small

The staff were very friendly and helpful. The restaurant food is well priced

Its like a maze and the signage and directions to the rooms are not very helpful. Overall its very dated and in need of a revamp. The bathroom needs gutting..black mould in and around the shower and needs a good clean. The restaurant has a canteen feel to it..I wouldn't return

Lovely scenic location and generous size room. Excellent food and really friendly helpful staff.

Liked everything ,think the only thing I found was shower cubicle seemed small but not an issue

Staff were very friendly. Room... was fairly quiet. Breakfast was brilliant. Extra pillows were available. Generous tea/coffee facilities in the room.

No toiletries in the room (as originally stated on website) This has been updated since I complained.... funny that. Too late for my trip though unfortunately. WiFi didn't connect until 20.30hrs Bathroom... was dirty and and rusty. Overall feel of the hotel was "tired". Restaurant wasn't open. Unfortunately, the Bistro served a burger that was more gristle than meat, but portions sizes were generous, and the food was hot. No iron in the room.

Comfortable stay.

Comfy bed. Bistro. Breakfast.

Quiet location, lovely gardens, comfortable room, excellent breakfast

Receptionist was perfunctory, didn’t tell me how to get heat in the bedroom. Other staff were welcoming and helpful but first impression at Reception was very disappointing.

Usual standard, no issues