[5] In April 2002, the company (with the NEC Group as the third majority shareholder, after the demise of Trafalgar House) put the hotel building up for sale.

[6] Birmingham City Council made a £5 million profit on the sale, from its 17.5% stake in the hotel, which it used to pay off debt.

[7] The hotel was specifically constructed to have close ties to the International Convention Centre, including a private-access bridge that joins the two.

[7][8] This easy to secure link was one factor in attracting the 24th G8 summit to the city,[7] as well as the 2000 NATO Meeting of Defence Ministers.

In 2016, the hotel was bought by a Middle East investment group (an affiliate of Sharjah-based Bin Otaiba) for £38.6 million.