Bar, looking toward the street entrance, showing the illuminated screen that separates it from reception and restaurant

The bedroom design is out of the ordinary, as (like the earlier Review of the Etap Birmingham) the operator has created a toilet that is separate from the bathroom. This has led to some fairly complex detail design, and I suspect the designers really struggled to ensure the layout was dimensionally accurate in order for it to work. The wardrobe is smaller than normal but perfectly adequate, especially if this is seen as primarily a business hotel as research shows that many business people do not unpack, living from their open suitcase. However the separate toilet would benefit from having its own small wash hand basin rather than the guest having to walk through to the bathroom for hand washing.

That said the separate toilet is a good innovation in the standard design and lays the challenge down for other groups to match it. It also allows the bathroom to be more open to the bedroom, which is achieved here by use of double doors whose style owes much to the style of Japanese sliding doors. These are hinged to fold back flat against the wall, and are neatly detailed in oak, and their high quality help make the whole bathroom into a quality statement. As well as a separate toilet there is a separate power shower in the bathroom, which also raises the perceived quality.

The top of the desk rotates on a small wheel to provide a proper working desk, with a side layout space - rollover to see how it works

Unfortunately in my opinion this perceived quality is then undermined by the same type of wall finish used at the Etap. The rough sprayed (?) finish threatens your tender skin if you rub against it as you leave the bathroom. It also seems to be a housekeeping issue as its very rough surface is the perfect trap for dust and dirt and it seems to mark up easily. The close juxtaposition with the quality of the oak joinery doors for the bathroom just points up the contast

The designers have also created a novel solution to having enough room for a guest to work on a laptop by incorporating into the room desk the use of a swivelling top. This allows the desk area to be doubled when needed, enabling work to be spread across two desktops in effect. The path the wheel takes across the carpet may become a problem as wear is concentrated on the one path it takes, but it will be a long time before the size of the problem becomes apparent, and the solution creates a large and workable surface for the ‘road warrior’ to use.

The luggage rack is provided with a moulded ply ‘cover’, which actually performs the task of acting as a bed table for those who wishing to breakfast in bed – another ingenious and neat design twist.