Ramada by Wyndham Oldbury Birmingham — Hotel in Sandwell

Stunningly decorated? Well, I was stunned for sure. This is not a hotel that Ramada should have its name associated with. Despite pleasant staff who allowed me to check in early, this aged and broken venue should be totally renovated. There is no decor to alleviate the rough-looking 70’s feel to the place. The furniture is worn out and damaged. The section of laminate floor in my room was badly scratched and it sagged when I walked on it. Even the elevator seems to sigh before it sets off. My bathroom sink was unusable due to the steel plughole being almost welded shut and there were signs people had used all manner of tools to try to pry it loose. Cleaners had avoided it and it showed in the residue of toothpaste on the sides of the sink from previous guests who were luckier than me. There are no usb sockets anywhere; bedside lights are hazardous and jokingly assembled; a picture on the wall clearly too much trouble to even contemplate. At 1am the fire alarm sounded painfully loudly for 30 seconds and, as nobody seemed to move, it did so again at 3.30am just for fun. I lay, fully clothed, on the bed for most of the night. The hotel is advertised as having air conditioning. A £10 fan and a window that opens seems to stretch the description, but it’s not good enough. Most of the place is in shades of brown - the carpet, the chairs and the general mood of the place. Hallways are grubby duck-egg blue with random marks. These colours do not work well. It is like a poorly funded primary school from 1970. Contractors use it, suggesting that - for £100 a night - it’s the cheapest around. It shows. This place looks like a very sordid Travelodge before they noticed how bad they looked and went for a general makeover. It’s an unhappy building, with the general feeling of malaise and a melancholy sadness that intimates that it knows itself that it can’t continue for much longer. Expecting the brown theme to replicate itself at breakfast, I avoided food of any kind and resorted to Asda across the street and a Tim Hortons at the roundabout. |There is no paperwork in the room, no attempt to inform on meals or how often the fire alarms will sound. And no mention of this was made when I left my key at the desk and walked out at 6am. If there is no apology from two alarms going off, that in itself should turn you off using the place.|To the staff: Thank you for allowing me to check in early after a long flight and drive from Heathrow. But really, this is possibly one of the worst experiences I have had in a UK hotel and I feel that Ramada have a lot to answer for in putting their name on the grubby...

My partner and I spent two nights with you - Friday 19th and Saturday 20th. I am writing to express my great displeasure at our experience. Our first night was spent in a room, which was clearly surrounded by canabis smoking residents. We pointed this out immediately and were told, housekeeping would look into it. Upon waking the following morning, the smell of canabis was unbearable, to the point we had to leave the room. Again, this was pointed out to the reception staff, who simply repeated that housekeeping would look into it. This was extremely disappointing and the attitude of the staff appeared to be not in the slightest bit concerned or bothered by this. We paid for breakfast on both days - the Saturday morning was disappointing - the eggs were like rubber and completely inedible. The Sunday breakfast was appalling - at 8:30am, we found the only items available were a few dried up hash browns and dried up beans. After being told that the sausages and bacon would arrive shortly, we waited and eventually when these items arrived, all other breakfast items were out of stock. This was most disappointing and unacceptable. After requesting a refund for the breakfast, we were simply shrugged at and told that only a manager can authorise a refund. The reception assistant simply scribbled on a piece of paper and told us the manager would refund this when they arrived. Upon checking out of the hotel, we again raised our concerns with the reception assistant and asked to speak to whoever was in charge - he informed us it was him. We reiterated our concerns about the stay and asked what would be done to resolve these issues - we were simply told, he was unable to do anything and the manager would look into it later on. I booked the Ramada, as I believed that this was a very reputable company to use. I will never be returning to this hotel, or any other part of the chain. As if the issues we were faced weren’t bad enough, the attitude and complete uncaring nature of the staff was appalling. It was clear that we were simply an inconvenience and the reception assistant could not care less. I intend to take this complaint further if a satisfactory compensation for our ruined weekend is not offered. I will await 3 working days for a response before taking this...

I wouldn't advise you stay here. The decor and cleanliness is fair to be honest. The rest is a shambles. When I first checked in I was given the wrong key. Really not the end of the world and I the time I didn't care so much. But this will prove how badly this place is run. I booked one room, for one night. I turned up to the hotel and was told to pay a fee. I thought maybe the funds from the online booking hadnt gone through, only to find out later when I checked my bank statement they had actually charged me twice. I left my phone there when I checked out which I agree is my own fault. As soon as i realised I called them and they confirmed they had it, to my relief. They said they'd send it within a couple days. I had to wait a couple weeks! Due to the personal nature of the item after a couple days my concern was growing continuously and was making numerous phone calls over the next 14 days. Everyone I spoke to kept reassuring me it would be there but couldn't actually handle it physically. Apparently it was locked away where only one member of staff could gain access. It was all weird and all I was hearing was so many excuses from several different people. In regards to my two issues, the phone and double payment, I was dealing with two people/managers in particular (Jeff and Sunny). Both promised I would receive calls or emails in response to me trying to get through to them. They'd never respond to my messages or emails. Other members of staff would feed me baloney and say "their in a meeting". I wasn't born yesterday. Eventually I received my phone but almost two month laster I think I've given up trying to get my money back even though they clearly admitted I was charged twice. Hence why all I can do now is leave a bad review which I hoped I didn't have to do. I'm sure there are places with the same pricing that would look after their customers better....