Bouncing like Tigger doesn’t even begin to describe me as His Nibs approached Birmingham. I had been literally waiting since last year to see RAYE live in concert and, as a treat, His Nibs booked us in at the Moxy Hotel to stay overnight afterwards rather than schlepping home. Love my man. There is no on-site parking at the Moxy, but they do have a designated section (E5) at the main NEC car park a few minutes’ walk away. It is vital that you enter your vehicle registration when you check-in; this gives you a discounted rate – handy for longer stays.
Having parked up the jalopy, His Nibs and I strolled over to Las Iguanas for a mid-afternoon bite to eat. Experience has taught us that this time-slot avoids the typical pre-gig rush, and meant that we weren’t sat digesting our meal whilst bopping around! It was a delicious meal. Read more about our meal at Las Iguanas
When we’d finished, we went over to the Moxy to check-in, going straight to the neon-signed desk as there was no queue. Whilst doing the ‘housekeeping’ of showing I.D and signing all the details the team needed, the super-friendly guy gave us the skinny on dinner, on-the-go meals, and breakfast… and handed us our tokens for complementary cocktail/mocktail/soft from the bar (open until 2am) when we wanted it – that was my post-gig tipple sorted, then!
We went to the lift and swiped our key-card to go up to the fourth floor, where our queen bed-room awaited us. The room was more than an ample size, kitted out in a sleek, modern style; I especially loved the tan brown, leatherette headboard and co-ord corner reading seat. There were plenty of plug sockets and USB ports, a hostess tray with kettle and all the accoutrements, hairdryer, flat-screen TV, and (Hallelujah!) a floor-standing fan that worked in tandem with the air-con to actually create a cool space.
We hung our coats on the large hanging rail, and as we were going out, checked our fits in the full-length, back-lit mirror. In the bathroom was the lav, sink and double shower cubicle; towels and Fivewits toiletries were provided (and loo roll, obvs).
Finally, the long-awaited hour came! I would say off we trotted to the BP Pulse Arena, but that’s not true: I chuffing sprinted; The Man didn’t, he just laughed at me! The gig was out of this world and, if I loved RAYE before seeing her live, I love her even more now.
It was so nice to just have a short stroll back to the Moxy Hotel, and there was an awesome buzz in the downstairs bar and lounge area. Loads of other guests were redeeming their drinks voucher, too, and the sound of glasses clinking made a tuneful sound. We stuck around and had another drink, yapping away to fellow RAYE fans until I began to yawn and come-down, my body signalling that it was time to hit the sack. The bed and pillows were great, allowing us to nod off quickly, and the cooling fan and air-con combo kept us snoozing until the alarm went off.
We took the photo but AI enhanced for quality
Breakfast was a pretty easy-breezy affair; self-service counters and a ‘if there’s a free table and seating, grab it’ feel. I bagged a table near the window in the rear of the lobby, where the games, table football, and chess board were located. This space housed working booths that had lap-top rests to one side, and some rather natty Warhol-esque pop-art prints of music icons. Settled in, His Nibs went to grab the hot drinks and, when he returned, I went and got fruit juices sorted.
Grabbing cutlery, and a Moxy logo’d tray, we hit up the chilled counter where the fresh fruit mixes, yoghurts, meats, cheeses and salad were housed. Both of us grabbed a bowl of plain Greek yoghurt and topped it with fruits, then went back to eat those. Our second course consisted of Croissant for him and Apricot Danish for me, and some items from the hot counter: Full English for The Man, Scrambled Egg and grilled fresh Tomato halves for me – there was not a single ‘shroom in sight boo, hiss. The Moxy team never stopped replenishing the trays of food, or clearing tables of trays if folks didn’t do it themselves.
As they say; what goes in, must come out, and to that end, I paid a visit to the little girl’s room. Very sleek on the communal bit, the cubicles were another story; each one of the three was in a bit of a state. Seriously, ladies, use the sanitary disposal bin provided, don’t try to flush your pads down the pan…and similarly, if you produce ‘code brown’, flush it down!! I reached the third and final cubicle and flushed before use with a resigned sigh. Then, before I sat down, I realised there was no loo roll, so off I went, back into the other cubicles…and came back empty-handed. This was the only negative thing about the Moxy experience but, given the number of [female] staff around, there was no excuse.
Having broken our fasts, all that remained was to pick up our coats and baggage and check-out. So long Moxy Birmingham NEC, and thanks for all the [everything but] fish. To book a room, call 0121 468 0879 or google ‘Moxy Birmingham NEC’ and follow the booking links, or use your preferred booking site (such as booking.com).
