This February sees lovable Essex boy Olly Murs perform a UK Arena Tour and on Friday 10^th February he will be swinging by the LG Arena in Birmingham. He has been to Birmingham before having sold out the National Indoor Arena back in May 2011 so he know exactly how to get a few thousands Brummies pumped and ready to go. Anyone attending the concert should look at getting some Birmingham serviced apartments for their Olly Murs inspired stay.

For those of you who aren’t Murrites (fans of Olly Murs, a term rarely used to describe them, if ever at all) then here is a brief biography of the man; Olly Murs rose to fame in the 2009 series of the X Factor finishing runner-up behind Joe McElderry. Despite not winning the show, he has gone on to became a popular TV and radio personality and as well his successful music career, he makes regular guest appearances on several TV and radio shows, most notably the Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and the Xtra Factor show. He released his self-titled debut album in November 2010 and achieved record sales for a debut album in 2010 and it eventually went double platinum. His second album entitled In Case You Didn’t Know was released in November 2011 and was another big success and has provided the ammunition for Olly to go on the tour in early 2012.

On February 10^th 2012 Olly Murs will be playing at the LG Arena in Birmingham. For those looking to get some accommodation in Birmingham for the gig, there aren’t too many options close to the Arena as its outside the City Centre. However there are direct transport links into Birmingham so if you get a train from Birmingham International Rail you can be in the centre in 10-15 minutes. With plenty of serviced apartments Birmingham has a good number of different options to choose from whether you are looking for basic 3* options or luxury 5* options. Choosing a serviced apartment as opposed to a hotel means you get more space for your dollar as you can enjoy all the benefits of staying in an apartment such as separate bedrooms and kitchen facilities.

The International Convention Centre (often abbreviated to ‘ICC’) is a major international conference venue in Birmingham city centre. Hundreds and thousands of visitors travel to the ICC every year for business and corporate events. Building work was first started on the building in 1991 and the venue has a total capacity of 8000 delegates with 3,050m² of exhibition space. Inside the venue there is also a branch of the Halycon Gallery which sells original paintings and prints. There is a souvenir shop too as well as the Box Office for tickets for both Symphony Hall and other local theatres in Birmingham.

With so many people visiting Birmingham on business there needs to be plenty of quality accommodation and luckily the city doesn’t disappoint. No matter what type of accommodation you are searching for, Birmingham can help with over 27,000 beds in and around the city centre. From luxury hotels and serviced apartments to country retreats and budget accommodation, Birmingham can cater for every type of business traveller.

Luxury hotels;
There is a good choice of luxury hotels situated within easy walking distance of the ICC. National names such as the Radisson Blu, the Crowne Plaza or the Macdonald Burlington have hotels in good proximity of the venue as well as all the city’s other amenities.

Serviced apartments;
If you’re looking for something a bit different when you are staying in the city, why try the great range of Birmingham serviced apartments which offer a home-from-home feel as well as providing the luxury of a hotel. There is a wide selection of modern serviced apartments in Birmingham with national names such as SACO, Premier, Bridgestreet and StayCity having apartments as well as other great options such as The Spires, City Nites and LMM. With all these options you get the full use of a modern apartment whilst at a comparable cost, the same luxury and serviced as an equivalent hotel. Serviced apartments is a growing sector in the UK and it’s easy to see why they are so popular.

Boutique style;
Birmingham also has its fair share of boutique options with names including Malmaison and Hotel du Vin in the city. There are also some boutique apartment options with Staying Cool apartments in the Rotunda satisfying the finer needs.

Budget accommodation
Working to a tight budget? Well there is also the usual splattering of Premier Inns, Nite Nite and Etap, all names you know will provide cheap and easy accommodation at cheap and easy prices.

Generally anyone looking for International Convention Centre accommodation will have plenty of choice, so long as you are booking far enough in advance that is! For popular events some nights can be almost full across the city, so make sure you book your accommodation as soon as you know the dates to make sure you aren’t disappointed.

If you’re looking for Birmingham serviced apartments then a good place to start would be an independent provider such as Serviced City Pads who can check all locations and provide availability and the best rates for all apartment operators. Visit the Serviced City Pads website or call on 0844 335 8866 to make an enquiry.

On the weekend of Friday 11^th – Sunday 13^th November 2011 the Top Gear Live show comes crashing into Birmingham’s NEC Arena. Expect all the usual fuel-inject shenanigans from the highly popular Top Gear trio. The holy trinity of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will be unleashed on the whole event for the first time after previously only being seen on the Top Gear Live theatre show.

The biggest attraction for the 2011 show will be the new indoor track that will be configured by Lotus Motorsport. In a UK first, the Top Gear team will be building an indoor track for the show. Expect to see The Stig in action round the track as well as the popular feature from the TV show, A Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, and that’s every day! As well as this there will be drifting, head-to-head challenges as well as supercar parades and much more.

Another thrilling new feature for the 2011 show is the all now live action arena which promises much excitement for petrol-headed Top Gear fan. The Top Gear Stunt Team will show Birmingham just what can be done with four wheels, some serious stunts and an awful lot of practise. All under the watchful eye of their master and teacher, The Stig.

The NEC in Birmingham is located on the outskirts of the city, however it has excellent links with the city centre. When looking for NEC Birmingham accommodation, often you can find the hotel options close by are not up to scratch and prices rise significantly when there are popular shows on. You’re probably better off looking for Birmingham city centre accommodation as the transport links are so good. Birmingham is one of the UK’s cities that has a great range of serviced apartments to suit all needs. From handy studio and 1 bedroom apartments to larger 2 bedroom apartments, there are a number of options serviced apartments in Birmingham to suit most needs, so get in touch with Serviced City Pads to see what they can offer for your stay in Birmingham.

What a season it’s been in the Premier League! The bottom of the table has stubbornly refused to take on any kind of recognisable shape and we are shaping up for one of the most exciting relegation battles of recent memory. At the time of writing the bottom 8 teams are only separated by 3 points – from Wigan at the foot of the table on 30 points to Blackburn in 13th place on 33 points no-one is safe. Even Stoke in 10th with 37 point could be forgiven for feeling uneasy such is the unpredictable nature of this campaign. As exciting as all this is, the Serviced City Pads blog is particularly interested in the fact both of Birmingham’s Premier League representatives are right in the middle of the maelstrom. Could this 2010 / 2011 season see both Birmingham and Aston Villa relegated from the top flight? Serviced City Pads can help you find accommodation for any Premier League fixtures in Birmingham or other cities – we have a wide variety of serviced apartments available through our apartment operators.

Birmingham fans will have been delighted at their team’s league cup triumph, but they will be equally concerned by their worrying league slump. Zigic and Martins were the heroes in the cup final, but in the league they definitely haven’t been having the kind of impact that they would have been hoping for and their team-mates haven’t been chipping in with too many goals either. Birmingham are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season with only 28 goals to their name and this is exactly why they are in trouble. They have the best defensive record of the bottom 8 teams with 41 conceded, but they just can’t find the net regularly enough and unless that changes they will be in real trouble as we head to the final stretch.

Aston Villa are experiencing similarly troubled times themselves – they are right in the thick of things in 14th place with only 1 point separating them from the relegation spots. These have been testing times for Villa. The start of the season saw the charismatic manager Martin O’Neill leave the club, seemingly unhappy with the way things were going. He had seen two of his key players in Gareth Barry and James Milner sold to Manchester City in previous seasons and it seemed that instead of challenging for the Champions League spots, which had been the focus of the previous few campaigns, Villa were now focussing on balancing the books. New manager Gerard Houllier has faced a real challenge since taking over – Villa are now a club struggling to hold on to their Premiership status and even the recent transfer coup of prising proven goal-poacher Darren Bent from Sunderland has not seen a significant change in their fortunes.

There are still some key games to be played between now and the end of the season, but this season could see both of Birmingham’s clubs going down to the Championship.

Serviced City Pads have a range of serviced apartments available in Birmingham through our apartment operators that you could use if you are visiting for any Premier League fixtures. These apartments offer all the advantages of a typical hotel room, but with the added bonus of extra space and comfort. These apartments usually have a living and dining area and fully fitted kitchens and are perfect for families or groups of friends. If you will be staying in Birmingham for any reason, why not contact us and see what we can do for you? You can submit an enquiry through our website or call us on 0844-335-8866 and one of our reservations team will be happy to help you.

Following his support shows on Ne-Yo’s headlining UK tour, US singer Trey Songz has announced he will take centre stage on his own four-date UK headline tour.

Trey has been dubbed ‘the prince of R&B’ and is one of those artists that those in the know have been championing since his recording debut in 2005. Trey has patiently and artfully crafted some of the most acclaimed and compelling R&B music of the decade. His first two albums, ‘I Gotta Make It’ (2005) and ‘Trey Day’ (2007), yielded a trio of top ten singles, ‘Girl Tonight’, ‘Last Time’, and ‘Can’t Help But Wait’, the latter song garnering Trey a coveted Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

Trey Songz released his fourth studio album in September last year. Entitled ‘Passion, Pain & Pleasure’, the album’s lead single, ‘Bottoms Up’, featuring female rapper Nicki Minaj, was released on July 27, 2010 and has reached number twenty-four on the Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs chart and was shared enough on Facebook to appear as a trending video on ItsTrending.

Due to high demand, Trey had to add extra dates in order to accommodate the levels of interest. One of those nights being in Birmingham. So if you are going to watch Trey in all of his glory then why not stay in one of our serviced apartments in Birmingham Here at Serviced City Pads we are dedicated to providing you with highly sought after apartments in central areas. All of our Birmingham apartments are located around the city centre,meaning you will always be close to where you want to go. Cutting down on these pesky transport costs! Visit our website www.servicedcitypads.com to find yourself an apartment for this night that’s bound to be unforgettable.

The most exciting reunion in British pop history gathered speed this week as dates for a brand new Take That tour, Progress Live 2011, were announced. Gary, Howard, Jason, Mark and Robbie confirmed that they will hit the road next year for a monumental summer stadium tour around the UK. Progress Live 2011 is the band’s biggest tour yet and will be the first time they have toured together as a five-piece since 1995. Do you have your accommodation in Birmingham arranged for this amazing concert?

Progress Live 2011 will be a feast for the imagination, charting the evolution and progress of Take That and Robbie Williams through their extraordinary 20-year history. The spectacular live shows will celebrate Take That’s biggest hits from the last two decades, and will also see Robbie take to the stage to perform songs from his incredible chart-topping solo career.
Between them, Take That and Robbie Williams have sold over 80 million albums, had 13 number one albums, 17 number one singles, played to over 14.5 million people live, won 19 BRIT Awards, eight MTV awards and five Ivor Novello awards; and the list goes on.

Take That are a boy band that originated in Manchester in 1990. The BBC describes Take That as “the most successful British band since the Beatles, beloved of young and old alike”.

Take That’s dance-pop tunes and soulful ballads dominated the British charts in the first half of the 90s and included hits like I Found Heaven, Once You’ve Tasted Love, It Only Takes a Minute, Million Love Songs, Satisfied, I Can Make It, Do What You Like, Promises, Why Can’t I Wake Up With You, Never Want to Let You Go, Give Good Feeling and Could It Be Magic to name a few.
So why not make this experience extra special by staying in a serviced apartment? They are surely becoming the most popular form of accommodation due to the freedom they bring. You will have your own spacious apartment where you can spend your time however you like. If you wish to cook your own meal, you can. If you would like to take a long and relaxing bath, this is no problem and there is plenty of space. When staying in serviced apartments you have everything you need.
So if you are interested in obtaining accommodation for your stay in Birmingham then why not go onto our website www.servicedcitypads.com or contact us on 08443358866 to see what apartment is most suitable for you.

Last week’s blog here at Serviced City Pads discussed the imminent tour of those bright young things, The Script, as they climb the slippery slopes to the top of the mountain that is pop superstardom. Well, hold on to your hats because this week we can tell you about a group who already perch atop that mountain surveying all below with the kind of contented smile that only success can bring. Who is it? It’s only Westlife, one of the biggest pop bands around, and they’re playing two nights in Birmingham to as part of their latest tour of the UK.

The two gigs will take place on Friday 25th March and Thursday 31st March at Birmingham’s LG arena, and are sure to be huge! They’ve had number 1s galore with their crowd-pleasing anthems, which they will soon be performing live for the lucky few. If you’ve been able to grab yourself a ticket to one (or both!) of these shows, how excited you must be!

…and yet… what will you do about accommodation? Well, how about a serviced apartment? They’re the alternative to staying in the usual cramped hotel room. In a serviced apartment, you’ll have a bedroom, a separate living area, kitchen, even a dining room in some. How much more comfortable it could be compared to the typical hotel experience. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that the more room leaves space for more people – you can share an apartment comfortably with a number of friends, all relaxing together before and after the show.

Westlife AND a serviced apartment… you really would be spoiling yourself, but go on, you deserve it! Contact Serviced City Pads and we can arrange a serviced apartment in Birmingham for you to make a great night even greater!

Going away on holiday is a very exciting time, although it can be stressful in the days leading up to your departure with all the last minute shopping and packing of suitcases. By the time you set off for the airport you are exhausted and definitely need the break. One option that many travellers are considering now is going to the airport and spending some time in the local area to relax and unwind before flying to their holiday destination, and staying in nearby Birmingham hotels to do this.

Birmingham airport is now a popular choice for flying and is also a large, popular city with much to offer. By travelling to Birmingham the day before departure you could take in a show or enjoy some shopping as well as relax over a meal in one of the many restaurants in the city. The hotels near Birmingham airport are convenient but do have some disadvantages. For anyone who is looking to relax before their holiday a hotel can be quite noisy, especially at night when there are people arriving in the hotel at all hours either before their flight or arriving back home.

An alternative to hotels near Birmingham airport are apartments that are self contained and peaceful. The serviced apartments in Birmingham offered here at Serviced City Pads are close to the airport meaning that you can wake from a good nights sleep refreshed and travel leisurely to the airport without any delays in the traffic or last minute panic. Starting your holiday right should include quality accommodation at a reasonable price to benefit you all.

Holidays abroad are something to look forward to for the majority of us, presenting a chance to take some hard earned time off work and relax. Many of us spend all year earning enough money to pay for our holiday and want to be able to appreciate the whole experience, from leaving our home to arriving back in the UK.

Travelling, particularly when you are flying long haul, can be a tiring experience – especially when flying from major airports such as those in Birmingham. This is the main reason for the influx of Birmingham airport hotels, as the airport is huge and many long haul flights now depart from Birmingham. To make your holiday as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, an overnight stay at one of the many Birmingham airport hotels is usually recommended. This will mean you don’t have to spend hours travelling to the airport, worrying about getting stuck in traffic jams or being on time for the flight as you will be able to book an alarm call and arrive at the airport after a short journey, refreshed and raring to go.

Birmingham airport hotels are convenient but they are also noisy, meaning that you may lose out on precious sleep leaving you feeling tired and weary on the flight and exhausted by the time you reach your destination. A stay in a hotel can also work out expensive if you have to dine out, as hotel restaurants can be expensive.

Serviced apartments in Birmingham such as ours at Serviced City Pads will give you the chance to relax and unwind in a peaceful environment, with the food of your choosing at little extra cost – followed by an all-important, uninterrupted night’s sleep. Serviced apartments in Birmingham offer much more space, relaxation and an overall more bespoke experience than any hotel.

If you’re on a flying visit to England’s second city, and think a hotel near Birmingham airport would be the easiest and cheapest place to stay, think again!

Serviced apartments offer better value and more space than even a reasonably priced hotel near Birmingham airport. And that’s before you take into account savings made by eating in rather than out – the fully equipped kitchens in serviced flats allow guests to self-cater.

You’ll still get plenty of the perks you associate with staying in a hotel at Birmingham airport or elsewhere. That includes things like TV and DVD player, broadband Internet access, fresh bed sheets and towels and maid service. Utility bills are also included.

At Serviced City Pads, we’re experienced operators and a leading provider of serviced flats in cities across the UK, for both holidaymakers and business travellers. We have dozens of properties in the Birmingham area, all of them offering accommodation at least the standard of a three star hotel at Birmingham airport – and far more space!

If you stay four nights at The Spires, an attractive development in the heart of the city, we’ll only charge you for three. Choose from two or one-bedroomed apartments.

Or stay a night, a week, a month or longer in our stylish Arena View apartments, sleeping two people. with a Friday night stay from just £69. Enjoy a continental breakfast, an express checking in and out service, and free Wi-Fi. You’ll be right in the heart of things, whether you’re in town for pleasure or work.

At the same time, all of our stylishly kitted out and fully furnished serviced apartments offer the perfect base from which to do business or hold meetings with clients.