Our venue of the month for July is the newly refurbished voco™ St. John's Solihull. This hotel is great for both business and leisure, with fantastic facilities for conference and meetings, as well as somewhere to rest and have me time too. We asked voco™ St. John's a variety of questions to gain further insights into the hotels refurbishments and industry, see what they had to say below:
1. Description of voco™ St. John’s Solihull itself and surroundings:
Situated in the upmarket town of Solihull voco™ St. John's Solihull is ideally located in the town centre and is within easy reach from Birmingham International airport (BHX) & train station both just 5 miles away. Easily accessible from the M5, M6, M1, M42 and M40 motorway networks. The NEC and Resorts World complex are both located 5 miles away from the hotel for guests to visit for both trade exhibitions or leisure fayres and a great selection of concert dates to please all tastes. The newly opened Legoland is great to occupy the children, Touchwood shopping centre in the town centre of Solihull. There’s plentiful on-site parking and the town centre is just minutes away. voco™ S.t John’s Solihull is ideal for business or pleasure with its distinctive approach to all guests and visitors. Offering 180 bedrooms including 2 junior,2 king suites and 14 superior rooms. Experience our excellent leisure facilities with our indoor swimming pool, sauna & gym facilities which include everything you need to energise your day from modern weight and cardio equipment to personal trainers to guide you through your workout. Enjoy a drink in our bar or dine in the restaurant which will provide a perfect back drop to help you relax and unwind whilst savouring the seasonal specialties. With complimentary Wi-Fi throughout, the hotel makes a great business venue, with 13 dedicated meeting, conference and function rooms.
2. With the refurbishment that has recently taken place, what has been the biggest change for the hotel?
Working with IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group) rebranding to voco™ has been our biggest change a well-known reliable brand. New bedrooms and newly refurbished public spaces including our 651 restaurant and bar
3. What does a typical week look like here?
A typical week, great question as every day is different we can be really busy looking after a big conference midweek to looking after a wedding celebration at the weekend and looking after our corporate and leisure guests – that’s why hotels are so much fun no two days are the same
4. What are the top three attributes of the venue?
Our top three attributes are our bedrooms, conference facilities, our bar & restaurant and I am going to add one more our leisure facilities
5. What does voco™ St. John’s offer different to other establishments alike?
voco™ St. John’s Solihull is not just another hotel, it’s an eclectic mix of diverse spaces, endorsed by historical origins, complemented by modern cuisine, services and facilities offering a unique platform to present your next conference, meeting or event.
6. What has been the most significant change in the industry that has had a positive impact on the venue and what it can offer to clients?
Another great question, sustainability being at the forefront of everyone’s mind, this has had a positive impact on our venue and what we offer our clients – we have sustainability elements running through our hotel and the voco™ brand. Bedding Duvet, pillows and mattress toppers are filled with material made from recycled plastics, aerated shower heads that use less water and also bulk Aveda luxury amenities along with a filtered bottled water solution across meeting rooms and guest room water always in glass bottles.
7. What atmosphere does voco™ St. Johns have?
Our hotel offers our guests a different choice. Different enough to be fun, unstuffy where our guests feel comfortable to relax. voco™ St. John’s Solihull, is somewhere that combines familiar comforts, with the indulgences of a hotel. Somewhere that is dependable, but not vanilla, somewhere that is upscale, with charming touches you’ll remember long after you check out. We have our own sense of style and individual character and this is something we make the most of, offering local flavours and tastes whilst still-keeping our charm.
8. What is your favourite team building event?
Lip sync challenge is always a good one, seems to really go down well, especially when this is completed with teams
9. What are some of the biggest but positive challenges you may face at voco™ St. John’s Solihull?
Our big challenge is that the voco™ brand is still in its infancy, we are building awareness of the brand which is a great and exciting challenge to have as we love nothing more than talking about the brand to our guests, and putting voco™ St. John’s Solihull back on the map as it was previously underinvested over recent years.
10. What do people love about the new refurbishment?
Our guest feedback regarding the bedrooms is outstanding, they absolutely love them, especially the beds offering premium linens and lush Aveda toiletries, the rooms have been thoughtfully designed – guests just don’t want to get up in the morning that’s the only thing, as the beds are so comfy
11. Do you think that client expectations of hotels and venues have changed, if so, why and how?
Absolutely, guests know what they want, and they are looking for more sustainable products this plays a big part in today’s environmental world. Guests also know what they want in terms of service, offering hosted service being honest and friendly whilst still keeping that sense of professionalism is important, so guests can communicate and know that we can deliver on their needs. The details matter to the guest and they matter to us.
Potential Customer Questions:
1. How much corporate space is there – conference rooms, offices etc?
13 meeting, conference & function rooms & accommodate up to 800 guests. From ceremonies, celebrations to conferences & training sessions. Offering exceptional event spaces for any occasion. All meeting rooms on ground floor with high tech facilities
2. Do you offer catering facilities?
Yes, we do. We have our lovely newly refurbished 651 restaurant which can accommodate more than 100 guests and 651 bar, along with our banqueting bars and of course we offer banquets, and conference dining. If there is a specific menu requirement our head chef is always on hand to accommodate all tastes – we recommend if you are hosting an event to experience a complimentary menu tasting
3. Is there space for outdoor team building activities?
Yes, we can. We do have a secluded garden area for team activities and being centrally located in Solihull, there are plenty of off site options
4. Is there Wi-Fi?
Yes, and it’s free with no hassle log-in required! We know how annoying it is to put your details in
5. Is there parking available on site?
Yes, we have over 250 spaces available
