The Dilemma
Two Holiday Inn Express hotels. Same brand, same price bracket, same IHG Rewards Club points. Both sit east of Birmingham city centre on dual carriageways. Both offer on-site parking and a no-nonsense budget stay. Both are, frankly, surrounded by environments that would not win a neighbourhood beauty contest.
So which one do you book? The answer depends almost entirely on where you are going and how you are getting there. The Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45 is your airport and motorway corridor play, sitting just outside the Clean Air Zone on the A45 with paid on-site parking and a bus stop at the door. The Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City is your free-parking, car-only base east of the city, set on Heartlands Parkway with an industrial wasteland for a neighbourhood and Star City as its one saving grace.
Neither hotel is wrong. But one of them is almost certainly wrong for you. Here is how to tell which.
The Arrival Reality
Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45: Gritty But FunctionalThe A45 Coventry Road is a relentless dual carriageway and the hotel sits directly on it. That is the first thing you notice on approach: heavy traffic, fast-food signs, and a streetscape that earns the word gritty without any editorial embellishment. The hotel itself is clearly visible from a considerable distance along the A45, signed and accessible with no navigational drama.
By car, this is a genuinely straightforward arrival. The on-site two-level car park is signed clearly, the approach is smooth, and you are in and parked quickly. There is a height limit of 1.8 metres, so check your vehicle before booking. The hotel is also positioned just outside Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, which removes an additional daily charge from the equation for most drivers, a practical win that is easy to underestimate until you factor in what the CAZ costs at city centre alternatives.
By taxi, the drop-off is right outside the entrance with automatic sliding doors directly off the pavement. It is flat, smooth, and stress-free. Uber operates in Birmingham, and the A45 corridor is well-served by local taxi firms given the volume of airport-adjacent demand. From Birmingham New Street, expect roughly 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic.
On foot from any train station: forget it. There is no mainline station within comfortable walking distance. The Gladys Road bus stop is within one minute of the entrance on both sides of the road, connecting toward the city centre and airport corridor, and that is the realistic public transport option. Not a smooth arrival experience, but a workable one for guests without a car.
After dark, the street outside becomes noticeably edgier. Aggressive begging and boarded-up units are present in the area. The hotel itself is well lit and professionally run. Outside it, you are in a different environment entirely. Plan accordingly: eat in or take a taxi.
Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City: Easier by Car, Harder Without OneThe Star City arrival is notably cleaner by car. The hotel entrance is set back from Heartlands Parkway, meaning you pull off the dual carriageway into a proper forecourt rather than landing directly on the pavement of a live carriageway. The parking is free, substantial, and on-site. The approach is easy. Exit is easy. There are no height-restriction signs flagged as an issue here, and no per-night parking charge to factor in.
By taxi, the set-back entrance works in your favour: taxis can drop directly outside the automatic sliding doors without navigating live carriageway traffic. The surrounding industrial environment looks grim on the way in, but the actual drop-off point itself is calm.
On foot, this hotel is functionally inaccessible from any train station. The surrounding area is heavy commercial territory bisected by a dual carriageway. There is no practical walking route. If a train is involved in any part of your journey, a taxi is the only sensible option. For coach arrivals, the same applies: do not plan to walk the last leg under any circumstances.
After dark, the area around Star City hotel feels edgy. Street lighting is adequate, but there is genuine hesitation about walking alone here at night. Arrive and depart by taxi or personal car.
Arrival Winner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City, by a margin. The set-back forecourt, free parking, and cleaner car approach give it the edge. For public transport arrivals, neither hotel wins; both are taxi-dependent.
The Location Trade-Off
Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45- Directly on the A45 Coventry Road, fast road access east toward the airport corridor
- Sits just outside Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, no daily CAZ charge for drivers
- Gladys Road bus stop within 1 minute, only public transport link, but it exists
- Balti King at 1 minute walk, the one genuine local eating option
- Lidl at 4 minutes, useful for self-catering supplies
- Oaklands Recreation Ground at approximately 2 minutes, functional green space, not pleasant
- Birmingham city centre 20–30 minutes by taxi depending on traffic
- Street character: rundown businesses, fast food, boarded-up units, gritty throughout
- After dark: noticeably edgier, not suitable for solo pedestrians
- On Heartlands Parkway, dual carriageway with fast road access but nothing pedestrian-friendly
- Just outside Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, same CAZ advantage as the A45 hotel
- No bus connection of note, entirely car-dependent
- No walkable restaurant, pub, café, or shop within any sensible distance
- Star City entertainment complex nearby, but must be reached by car or taxi, not on foot
- No green space, genuinely unsuitable for dog walking or any outdoor leisure
- Surrounding area: industrial, litter-strewn, and devoid of pedestrian amenity
- After dark: edgy, with genuine hesitation about walking alone
Location Winner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45, grim as both locations are, the A45 hotel at least has a bus stop, a Lidl, a local restaurant within a minute, and a green space nearby. Star City has none of these. The A45 is the lesser of two uninspiring environments.
The Parking Reality
Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45On-site two-level car park with plenty of spaces. Costs £10 per night for non-IHG Rewards Club members and £7 per night for IHG Rewards Club members. Height limit is 1.8 metres, check your vehicle before booking. Entry and exit are smooth and well-signed. The parking charge is reasonable by Birmingham standards and the IHG membership discount makes it genuinely competitive. Outside the Clean Air Zone, so no additional daily charge on top.
Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star CityFree on-site parking, verified and substantial, with plenty of spaces. The car park is accessed via a forecourt set back from the dual carriageway, which makes the approach and exit straightforward. No EV charging points were visible at the time of our visit. No CAZ charge applies. For drivers, free parking is a meaningful advantage, in a city where hotel parking costs add up, eliminating that line from the bill entirely matters.
Parking Winner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City, free versus paid is a simple calculation. The Star City hotel wins on parking cost. If you are an IHG Rewards Club member, the A45 hotel's £7 rate closes the gap considerably, but free is still free.
The Price Reality
Both hotels sit firmly in the budget bracket, single pound sign territory. Room rates at this level are driven by demand rather than meaningful quality differentiation between the two properties. Neither hotel offers anything in the way of premium amenities that would justify a pricing premium over the other.
The true cost comparison is total trip cost, not just room rate. The A45 hotel charges for parking (£7–£10 per night depending on IHG membership); Star City does not. Both sit outside the Clean Air Zone, so neither adds a CAZ charge for drivers. Both will require taxi or car for any evening dining beyond the hotel's own offering, adding to the running total.
Price Winner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City, free parking tips the overall cost calculation in its favour for drivers. For guests without a car, the marginal bus connectivity at the A45 hotel may reduce taxi dependency slightly.
The Use-Case Verdicts
For Airport AccessWinner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45
The A45 Coventry Road runs directly toward Birmingham International Airport, making this the natural choice for pre-flight stays or airport-adjacent business. The Star City hotel's Heartlands Parkway location does not offer the same direct airport corridor access. For early morning departures, the A45 hotel's on-site parking, taxi-friendly entrance, and direct road link to the airport make it the clear pick.
For NEC EventsWinner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45
Both hotels offer east-of-city road access, but the A45 corridor provides the more direct driving route toward the National Exhibition Centre. For NEC delegates arriving by car and looking for a budget base without city centre parking costs, the A45 hotel is the more logical choice geographically.
For Drivers Needing Free ParkingWinner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City
This is the Star City hotel's strongest card. Free, substantial, on-site parking in a city where parking is a genuine cost consideration is a real differentiator. If your primary criterion is free parking near Birmingham with easy dual carriageway access, Star City delivers that more cleanly than the A45 hotel's paid car park.
For Star City VisitsWinner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City
Self-evidently. Families or groups visiting Star City's entertainment complex will find this the most convenient base, despite the fact that the complex itself requires a short drive or taxi rather than a walk. No other hotel in this comparison has proximity to Star City as a genuine asset.
For Business Travellers Arriving by TrainWinner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45 (marginally)
Neither hotel is well-suited to rail-dependent business travellers, both require a taxi from any train station. The A45 hotel at least has a bus connection from the Gladys Road stop, which provides some public transport fallback. The Star City hotel has no practical non-taxi option. If you are arriving by train, neither hotel is the right answer, but the A45 hotel is marginally less wrong.
For Dog OwnersWinner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45 (reluctantly)
Both hotels accept dogs and both locations are deeply unsuitable for dog walking. However, the A45 hotel has Oaklands Recreation Ground approximately 2 minutes from the entrance, a large green space that, despite the surrounding area's character, at least exists. The Star City hotel has no green space within any reasonable distance and is described as actively unsuitable for dogs. The A45 hotel wins by default.
For FamiliesWinner: Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City (narrowly)
Neither hotel offers a family-friendly environment, but Star City's proximity to the entertainment complex gives it one genuine evening option for families travelling by car. The A45 hotel's street environment after dark is explicitly described as uncomfortable, and the surrounding area offers nothing for children. Star City at least has a destination nearby, provided you drive or take a taxi.
For Romantic Breaks or Leisure StaysWinner: Neither
A dual carriageway hotel with an industrial wasteland for surroundings versus a dual carriageway hotel with a gritty urban corridor: neither is the answer. For a romantic or leisure stay in Birmingham, look to Brindleyplace, the Jewellery Quarter, or Edgbaston. These hotels solve logistical problems. They do not create memories.
The Hero Verdict
Let us be honest about what is being decided here. This is not a choice between a good hotel and a great hotel. This is a choice between two budget transit hotels on dual carriageways east of Birmingham, in environments that are uninspiring at best and genuinely uncomfortable at worst. Both do what they say. Neither does anything more.
The decision comes down to three questions: Are you driving? Do you need airport access? Does free parking matter enough to you to accept an even more isolated location?
If you need airport proximity, a bus fallback, and a slightly more connected (if still gritty) environment, the A45 hotel is the correct answer. If you need free parking above all else and are moving entirely by car between destinations, Star City is the cleaner choice.
There is one area where the A45 hotel has a genuine edge that is easy to overlook: the possibility of leaving the hotel on foot and achieving something. Balti King at one minute. Lidl at four minutes. A bus stop at one minute. A green space at two minutes. None of these are glamorous. All of them are useful. The Star City hotel has none of them. Its isolation is total. Its dependency on a car is absolute.
That difference matters more than it sounds when you arrive late, forget something, need a walk, or simply want to step outside without feeling stranded.
Book Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South A45 if:
- You are flying from Birmingham International Airport and want an affordable pre-flight base
- You are attending the NEC and approaching from the east by car
- You want at least some public transport fallback via the A45 bus corridor
- You are an IHG Rewards Club member and the £7 parking rate makes the cost difference marginal
- You need a walkable green space for a dog, however imperfect
- The surrounding area's relative connectivity, however limited, matters to you
Book Holiday Inn Express Birmingham Star City if:
- Free on-site parking is your primary criterion and you are arriving entirely by car
- You are visiting Star City and want the most convenient budget base nearby
- You are driving between multiple Birmingham or West Midlands locations and need a free-parking hub
- You are not relying on public transport for any part of your trip
- The total trip cost matters and eliminating a nightly parking charge is a meaningful saving
The Bottom Line: The A45 hotel is a gritty transit stop with one or two things within walking distance. The Star City hotel is a car park with rooms attached. For most travellers, the A45 hotel's marginal connectivity gives it the overall edge. For committed drivers who want free parking and nothing else, Star City delivers that more cleanly. Know which problem you are solving before you book, because neither hotel will surprise you with anything you did not ask for.
