The Grand Hotel brings Victorian splendour back to Colmore Row

For anyone looking for a place to stay with a real sense of history, few Birmingham addresses rival The Grand Hotel on Colmore Row. This Grade II* listed Victorian landmark has been welcoming guests, on and off, since 1879.

Work began in 1875 and the hotel opened on 1 February 1879 with 100 rooms, designed by architect Thomson Plevins. It was built by Isaac Horton, a businessman who began his career in his father's butcher's shop and went on to build a substantial property business across the region. He foresaw the impact the railways would have on visitors to Birmingham, and The Grand, a short walk from Snow Hill station, was completed less than two years before his death.

Between 1890 and 1895 the hotel was extended by Martin & Chamberlain, and its showpiece arrived: the Grosvenor Room, a double-height ballroom decorated in Louis XIV style and around 30 metres long. Television viewers may recognise it as the Imperial Ballroom in the BBC drama Dancing on the Edge.

The Grand's heyday came in the early twentieth century, when it hosted royalty, politicians and film stars. Later decades were harder. Hortons' Estate ran the hotel until 1969, and after a spell under other operators it closed in August 2002. A demolition proposal was dropped after the building was given Grade II* listing in May 2004.

The revival that followed was a labour of love. Planning was approved in 2012 and a restoration costing around £45 million was completed in 2021, with the hotel reopening in May that year with 185 bedrooms and suites, bars, a restaurant and event spaces. Interiors by Robert Angell Design International blend the building's Victorian grandeur with the energy of the modern city.

Remarkably, the building is still in the care of the company Isaac Horton's family founded. Hortons' Estate, incorporated in 1892 and family owned and run ever since, describes The Grand Hotel Block as a landmark that blends heritage with modern vibrancy.

With St Philip's Cathedral on the same street and Snow Hill station a short walk away, it makes an elegant base for a weekend in Birmingham.

Room details and booking information are on The Grand Hotel's website.