The Rotunda

You think Birmingham… you think rotunda. The skyline here would not be the same without it. I have heard talk that you were able to go in it at one point but alas like many old building in the city it is now apartments.
Landmarks are not as plentiful in Birmingham as in other cities so it’s great to see this one still standing!

The rotunda has been a birmingham landmark since 1965. The pub on the ground floor was the site for the Birmingham pub bombings in the 70s. When I was growing up in the 80’s & 90’s it was known colloquially as the Coca-​Cola Tower, due to the large illuminated advertising sign that occupied the top. In 2000 the building received Grade II listed status, firmly planting it as part of Birmingham’s skyline for years to come. Between 2004 and 2008 the whole building was renovated. It was stripped back to it’s metal and concrete skeleton and completely rebuilt with wall-​to-​wall glass windows. The redevelopment created 232 apartments, many of these were brought by Staying Cool (see my review of their penthouse elsewhere).
If you’re in Birmingham, you can’t help but notice the rotunda. It’s part-​and-​parcel of the city, like the BT tower it’s part of the city’s character. Without it, it just wouldn’t be Brum.

I attended the launch event of the Elite Brum Unilocalers in the gorgeous penthouse apartment in the Rotunda. There are 40 apartments which have different room sizes. Studio, One Bed, Two Bed and Penthouse. The interior is of a very high standard, a fully fitted kitchen, Sky TV, free Wi-​Fi and amazing views of the city. A great place to stay from which to attend the theatre or plan your shopping. Highly recommended. A very stylish hotel room with many extras.

I am a lucky man indeed. I’d have been delighted to stay in a place this great on a Groupon or a last minute booking. To stay here for a night free of charge thanks to my partner winning a competition just made it an even more amazing night. This review therefore is specifically in relation to the penthouse apartments on floor 20.
First off the layout is interesting, looking like an apartment from some shiny Hollywood thriller. Every room has a minimum of two entrances meaning a lot of fun was had just hurtling around the corridors like some endless chase movie. Ahem. Anyway moving on…
The bed was truly lovely, I awoke from one of the best nights sleep I can remember amazingly refreshed. The total silence from being on the 20^th floor contributed to this also, creating a sense of isolation and tranquility as you gaze out on the city far below. When morning came I found myself overlooking the rat race already under way far beneath my feet making it hard to believe it was a Tue and I had to go and join them.
Facilities wise there’s everything you’d need for a short stay (cooker, washing machine, fridge and freezer) plus a few luxurious extras: an electric juicer (complete with oranges!), a huge TV and a dock for older iPhones (didn’t support my 6 unfortunately but small moans). There’s also a generous supply of good, natural products (the citrus body wash was really quite lush), excellent coffee and hot chocolate and some top notch muesli mixes and milk for breakfast.
The balcony with its stunning views was the highlight however, a huge panoramic view occupying the entire outer wall of the apartment. Massive sliding doors lead out to a solid decking balcony with heavy duty but transparent glass railing meaning an almost unobstructed view of the majority of Edgbaston, Digbeth and the Bullring/​New St area of the city centre. It was breathtaking and long stretches of the night were spent just taking pictures and breathing the chill fresh air. Marvellous for mind and body.
So enjoyable was this stay that we have discussed coming back, which considering we’re both Brum residents says much about how much of an oasis this stay was in the midst of an otherwise busy city centre. It’s not cheap as you’d expect and so would therefore definitely be an occasional treat only but there’s nothing else I can really imagine comparing in Birmingham centre without costing you a lot more.

I was very lucky to have a night’s stay in one of the penthouses– no. 2004, and it was lovely. The best night’s sleep I can remember, so quiet up there, and the beds are very very comfortable.
The Rotunda boasts the highest open balcony in Birmingham, so the views are really fabulous (although maybe not for the very faint of heart). The penthouse has one wall which is entirely floor to ceiling windows with a panoramic view of Birmingham and the Bullring, including St Martin’s church.
The apartment has two double (king) bedrooms, each with an en suite. One has a good sized bath with a rain head shower, both have hair dryers and bathrobes.
The central living area, which contains a fully equipped kitchen, has a large flat screen TV with Sky TV plus an iPod dock with speakers.
It’s the little touches, and the service which makes this special. There is milk and oranges (for juicing) in the fridge, mueslis, ground coffee (from Urban Coffee) tea and hot chocolate.
It’s an eco conscious place with Ecover washing powders for the dishwasher and washing machine, and vegetarian shampoo and soaps. It is immaculately clean and the general manager Gavin is very approachable and helpful.
With Twiggy-​style models adorning the walls on canvas, if looks very cool too.
The next day we felt totally zen. Worth coming back just for that!

I lived here for 6 months last year and came back recently for an anniversary surprise with my Girlfriend. We both wanted to stay on the 19^th floor penthouse suite, so we booked up and managed to do it.
The building used to house offices and there was a bank there that had its vaults on the 3^rd floor. As a result, the lift does not stop at the 3^rd floor because they couldn’t convert the old vaults due to issues with the structure of the building.
The interior is very up market and classy. I have both lived and stayed here and am still in awe with the modern and edgy surroundings of the building.
Each landing is circular to suit the cylindrical shape of the main structure. The fire escape is a dizzying set of stairs, that wouldn’t be out of place in a sci-​fi movie. The rooms are spectacular. I lived in a studio, on the 8^th floor, it was clean, modern and the views were great. In the penthouse on the 19^th floor the views are just breathtaking. I could see all over the South of Birmingham, right the way to Solihull.
If you have the money and want a centrally located home, or even just need to stay the night in the rentable rooms, then this is the place for you. Just watch out for the windows, the whole frame comes away from the floor and the look of the drop is quite frightening.

Yes, I know these are flats now but the Rotunda is more than a round block of flats. This building represents the fickle nature of Brummies and Yam Yams with our naysaying and stubbornness to change but also our fierce loyalty to our sense of place and heritage. The Rotunda is still standing thanks to this loyalty.
A little history for you, it was built as part of the original Bullring development and had they kept to their plans for a cinema and roof top restaurant then it might have been loved a little more at the time it was built. The Rotunda went from suffering the perception of dead office space in the 60’s, having a ground floor pub bombed in the 70’s, to an advertising beacon across the city when it looked like a giant coke can in the 80’s. I fear the fight for it to become a Grade 2 listed building was the nostalgia felt from it’s coke can days, is there no bounds to that branding giant’s reach and influence in the world?
This building is an icon of Birmingham and should be remembered as more than a block of fancy flats, hopefully I’ve helped in that a little bit.

The Rotunda does have a wow factor. It’s even better when you go to the top floor penthouses which has an all round view of Birmingham town centre; you can even see Digbeth and Custard Factory from the penthouse too. Again, my experience at The Rotunda came about after I helped organise a networking event there. We thought it would be a fantastic idea to hold a one of a kind networking event, in a venue which doesn’t really get utilised for those reasons.
The Penthouses are a good size, I’ve only been in one but I was told by the staff that they are all similar in size and interior and of course have that awesome views. A lot of people hire out the Rotunda penthouses to either live in or most of the time, to just stay in for a few days while in the city. It’s more convenient for those professionals/​business people who want to stay central.
The penthouse which I used was called the ‘Roadster’ Penthouse and has a 5 star certification. The rates are also not too bad; they start from £289 per night depending on your requirements. When I supported in the planning and organising for the networking event; we were given a good deal, this also included us arranging for champagne and chips to be given out to all guests.