The Radisson SAS Hotel Birmingham, is set to become the first upscale hotel to open in Birmingham in three years and the tenth Radisson SAS hotel to open in the UK.

Birmingham is now the third most visited UK city by overseas visitors, behind London and Edinburgh, according to the Office of National Statistics. The city is recognized as offering the best shopping district outside of London, boasting a Selfridges department store located within the Bullring shopping center, and the Mailbox, which houses a host of designer label stores, including Birmingham’s own Harvey Nichols.  Birmingham also boasts more scenic canals than Venice, as well as many museums and theaters. 

The first-class, 211-room Radisson SAS Hotel is located on the first 18 floors of the 39-story, 400 foot-high Beetham Tower - a distinctive curved structure sheathed in turquoise and clear glass and the tallest residential building in the UK outside of London.  Floor-to-ceiling windows in the guest rooms provide views of the Birmingham skyline.  All of the rooms, which are decorated in three distinctive styles - Fashion, Chic and Fresh - have complimentary wireless and wired broadband Internet access.

The hotel features seven suites including an 860-square-foot presidential suite featuring ‘chic’ understated décor, state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, a king-sized bedroom with en-suite bathroom, lounge, dining and kitchen areas.  Rates for the presidential suite start at a £700 (approx. $1,235 U.S.) per night.

The hotel’s health and fitness center features a gym, sauna and treatment rooms, and is situated on the top floor of the hotel.  An elegant lobby bar complete with a lit-from-behind alabaster bar is located on the ground floor.

The first floor restaurant, Filini, furnished in a contemporary style, offers traditional trattoria-style Italian cuisine featuring Sardinian and Mediterranean influences with a modern twist. A distinctive wood-and-steel pineapple-shaped wine tower in the center of the restaurant stocks an extensive, exclusively Italian range of wines. The entire second and third floors of the hotel are devoted to meetings and events, with five high-tech meeting rooms and a pre-function area on each floor.

Strong advance bookings - with some travelers making reservations well into 2007 - confirms Birmingham as a fast-rising destination in both the business and leisure markets.  The hotel is located eight miles from Birmingham International Airport, making it convenient for guests visiting from overseas.

“We are delighted to be opening this stylish new property in the UK, which now gives us hotels in all the primary cities in the country and shows that Radisson SAS is continuing to strengthen its position as one of the significant players in the market,” comments Christian Gartmann, area vice president, UK, Ireland and Iceland, for Rezidor SAS Hospitality. “The arrival of the brand in Birmingham comes at a time when the city is going through such an amazing renaissance, and we are proud to be part of that.”

——-