Theconcrete clad andsteel joist structure was originally an office building known as theChamberlain Tower. Construction commenced in 1974 and was completed the following year, to a design by Ian Fraser of John Roberts & Partners.[2] It is one of the tallest buildings on Broad Street and forms a prominent part of the city skyline when viewed from the south. It is an example ofBrutalist architecture in Birmingham; other examples beingBirmingham Central Library and New Street Station Signal Box.[3]
The building was converted to a hotel in 1998, at a cost of £12.5m, and opened as theChamberlain Tower Hotel on 1 February 1999.[4][5][6][7] The hotel has 445 rooms, making it one of the largest hotels in Birmingham.[8] On the ground floor is a pub and a restaurant. It was bought by theJurys Inns hotel chain in 2001 for £42 million and renamedJurys Inn Birmingham.[9] In April 2022, the Fattal Hotel Group announced that all Jurys Inn Hotels would be rebranded as Leonardo Hotels,[10] and after renovation and refurbishment the hotel was renamedLeonardo Royal Hotel Birmingham on 19 December 2022.[11][12]
^Checking in for tower power; Lisa Piddington looks at plans for Birmingham's newest hotel, which is promising to be a tower of strength to the business community,Birmingham Post, December 2, 1998
^Birmingham's largest hotel, The Birmingham Post, February 2, 1999
^New life for old offices, Birmingham Evening Mail, November 18, 1998
