Roomzzz Nottingham City occupies a convenient location on the edge of Nottingham city centre, just a short walk from shops, restaurants and entertainment.
When I first booked our Nottingham weekend, Roomzzz Nottingham City was the only hotel on the itinerary. At that stage we expected to drive up on Friday morning, spend two nights in the city and head home once the England Hockey Talent Academy Cup had finished. The timing also lined up almost perfectly with Citi Strata Elite’s annual $300 hotel credit. A two-night stay costing $359.61 ultimately left us paying just $59.61 ourselves while earning 715 Citi ThankYou points, making it a fairly efficient use for the benefit.
As the tournament schedule became clearer, however, we realised we really should travel up the previous evening. Rather than extending the Roomzzz booking and paying the full cost of an additional night, we added a stay at Holiday Inn Nottingham using an IHG Free Night Certificate that was due to expire a few weeks later. In hindsight, it worked out rather well. Holiday Inn removed the stress of travelling before an important morning, while Roomzzz became our base once we’d handed our daughter over to England Hockey and the rest of the weekend became just the two of us.
Check-in
We arrived at Roomzzz well before the published check-in time, fully expecting to leave our bags and return later. Instead, reception advised that a room was already available and invited us to check in immediately. Because the booking had already been prepaid through Citi Travel, there wasn’t even a request for a payment card. Within a couple of minutes we had our key cards and were on our way upstairs.
Essentialzzz, the property’s self-service pantry, stocks snacks, drinks and a handful of travel essentials for guests.
Reception also pointed out the facilities available in the lobby. Essentialzzz, the property’s small self-service shop, sits beside reception and stocks drinks, snacks and a handful of travel essentials. We never found ourselves needing anything from it, but it’s a useful feature if you arrive late or don’t feel like heading back out.
The other thing they explained was the property’s complimentary morning refreshments. Rather than offering a traditional breakfast, guests can help themselves to croissants and hot drinks each morning from the rear of the lobby.
Complimentary Breakfast
Calling it a complimentary breakfast is probably stretching the definition a little, but I actually quite liked the concept.
Each morning there was a basket of fresh croissants sitting beside the drinks station, together with a coffee machine and chilled water dispenser. The croissants were genuinely fresh, certainly not individually wrapped supermarket pastries, and we grabbed one each on both mornings before heading out. For something that’s included in the room rate, they were perfectly decent.
The chilled water dispenser also got plenty of use over the course of our stay.
Unfortunately, the coffee machine told a different story. It was out of service on both mornings we were there. Perhaps we simply arrived during an unfortunate breakdown. Over a longer stay I’d have expected it to be repaired, but I can’t say whether this was typical or simply bad timing.
Fortunately every apartment includes a kettle, so I resorted to English Breakfast tea in the evenings and, God forbid, instant coffee first thing each morning.
The apartments include a well-equipped kitchenette with a fridge, freezer compartment, dishwasher, kettle and cooking facilities.
The Apartment
Our apartment was located on the second floor. Normally that would have provided a little extra privacy, but our particular room overlooked the entrance to a neighboring university building. A broad external staircase led directly up to the entrance, leaving people standing outside almost exactly level with our window and only twenty yards or so away. As a result, we found ourselves keeping the shade blinds closed much of the time.
The studio apartments combine the bedroom, seating area and workspace into a single open-plan layout.
That was really my only criticism of the room itself.
The apartment was modern, clean and comfortably furnished, with a bed that proved perfectly comfortable over the two nights. More importantly, the kitchenette felt like a proper usable kitchenette. There was a working fridge with freezer compartment, dishwasher, kettle and cupboards stocked with plates, bowls, mugs, glasses and cutlery. If you wanted to stay several days and prepare some of your own meals, you easily could.
The studio apartment combines a comfortable bedroom with a practical kitchenette, workspace and seating area.
The bathroom was equally well finished. Everything felt modern and well maintained, and the overall standard was one I’d happily accept in hotels charging more.
The modern bathroom featured a walk-in shower and was finished to a high standard throughout.
Location
Roomzzz Nottingham City enjoys an excellent location for exploring the city on foot. Sitting immediately beside the Crowne Plaza, it’s only a short walk to Nottingham’s restaurants, shops and main attractions while remaining just far enough away from the busiest streets to avoid feeling hectic.
It’s also one block closer to Rock City than the other nearby hotels. I’d half expected that to mean some late-night noise, but if Rock City was open during our stay, we certainly weren’t aware of it. With the university summer holidays underway, the area was quieter than I’d expected with outside noise never becoming an issue.
Value
Even without the Citi Strata Elite credit, I think Roomzzz offers something slightly different from the typical city-centre hotel.
I’m a fan of the apartment concept. The room itself still feels much like a conventional hotel room, but having a proper kitchenette means you can keep groceries in a real fridge, make a simple meal or simply avoid eating out for every breakfast and dinner.
Storage includes open shelving and hanging space. Also present: an in-room safe, ironing board and iron.
The Citi credit made the numbers even better. Reducing a $359.61 stay to an effective cost of $59.61 made this an easy booking decision.
Would I Stay Again?
I would. Roomzzz Nottingham City isn’t trying to compete with luxury hotels, nor should it. What it offers instead is a well-designed apartment in a genuinely convenient location, with enough facilities to make a short city stay more practical than a conventional hotel room.
Roomzzz sits beside the Crowne Plaza, placing guests within easy walking distance of Nottingham city centre.
The complimentary croissants were a nice touch, the water station proved useful throughout the weekend, and the broken coffee machine was really the only thing that stood out as disappointing. Had that been working, I’d have struggled to find much at all to criticize.
For anyone spending a couple of nights in Nottingham, particularly if you like the flexibility of having your own kitchenette, I’d happily recommend it. It’s a practical apartment hotel that delivers exactly what it promises, and for this trip it proved to be an excellent base for the weekend.