Hotel DoubleTree Birmingham Perimeter Park (Birmingham, USA)

Personnel are perpetually credited with making stays perfect. Receptionists are exceptionally accommodating, remembering names, asking how your day was and checking on your needs. Restaurant staff are impeccably dressed and attentive, while management are approachable and solution orientated with attitudes that are routinely praised in reviews.

Reviewers are hugely appreciative of the hotel's shuttle service and the charming driver that picks up and drops off guests. The ever-reliable service will not only ferry you to and from the airport, but is also available to transport residents to nearby places for business or pleasure.

An array of mouthwatering options awaits each morning at breakfast. The freshest ingredients are used to create a range of regional and international fare, including the best grits in the city according to some reviewers. Those with dietary restrictions are in the safe hands of conscientious chefs.

A number of reviews suggest the standard of some rooms and bathrooms are not commensurate with the brand name. Peeling paint on walls and dusty surfaces are more akin to motels than four-star hotels, while stained carpets with cigarette smells stun some arriving with higher expectations.

Occasionally, a guest demands more the usually meticulous housekeepers. Hairs in plugs and mouldy tiles disappoint some, while unemptied bins from previous visitors annoy others. When the hotel is running at full capacity, it can be a struggle to locate a housekeeper to tend to your room.

Some guests feel misled by promotional materials that promise an in-room fridge, only to find that not all rooms have them. While fridges can be hired from the front desk for a relatively small fee, the principle of having to pay for a service promised online annoys some.