Bookings from international pop stars and actors are helping one of Birmingham’s most prestigious apartment blocks survive the recession after other clients had to cut back on their expenses budgets.

Staying Cool, which runs 17 serviced apartments on the 18th, 19th and 20th floors of the Rotunda, this week celebrates its first anniversary at the iconic building.

But the company’s managing director revealed that business from A-list musicians and actors had been crucial in keeping the apartments ticking over as its first-year business plan began to falter.

Key clients from the legal and creative sectors were unable to afford the top-end apartments, which have the city’s only five star rating, as the £375 per night price was seen as an unaffordable extravagance.

As a result, Staying Cool saw its occupancy rate fall to an average of just 60 per cent over the past 12 months – at least ten percent below its projections.

Instead of investing in a further 16 apartments, the company has had to rethink its short-term strategy, admitting that it may be a few more years until it expands its portfolio to the full 40 rooms.

Managing director Paul Taylor, who runs the company with business partner Tracey Stephenson, said: “It’s no secret that the hotel industry is feeling the pinch as businesses clamp down on their budgets.

“The effect on hotels and serviced apartments is that it becomes a struggle to keep rates up.

“We are finding that unless there is a big event on in Birmingham, say at the NIA or the NEC, then it is difficult to fill our rooms.

“We don’t have the same problem with our apartment portfolio in Manchester, where the number of bookings is much more steady and consistent.”

But the void in bookings has been filled by international pop stars and actors, who have been choosing Staying Cool’s 20th-floor penthouse as their place to party while in the city.

The Rotunda is being mentioned in the same breath as iconic hotels in Hollywood and Las Vegas as the BBC drama series Hustle is due to begin filming in the building this month after a series of international shoots.

Ms Stephenson said: “We can’t reveal exactly which pop stars have been here but we’ve had huge names from both Britain and America, which makes a big difference for us.

“They are attracted to our individuality that only the Rotunda can offer.