"If you are not from the UK (or even if you are a particularly chauvinistic Londoner) it is possible that your image of Birmingham is stuck in the past. But this once-drab industrial city has had a makeover — we'll spare you the full Economist treatment, but, put plainly, the old, dreary Birmingham is nearly gone. Thanks to an influx of EU funding, cranes dot the skyline, and the city is re-styling itself as a thoroughly modern cosmopolis." - Tablet Hotels