Robin 2 club at Bilston to open £500,000 hotel

Dec 10 2007 By Steve Johnson, Birmingham Mail

A MUSIC club which has put the Black Country on the entertainment map today unveiled ambitious expansion plans to build a £500,000 hotel.

The hotel next to the Robin 2 R and B Club could lead to even bigger acts appearing at the popular venue, which already hosts international artists.

Mike Hamblett, managing director and owner of the Robin, in Mount Pleasant, Bilston, said the lure of good accommodation next to the club would be a major attraction for performers and punters.

He said that he hoped to start building work on the hotel in the New Year and it was hoped the rooms would be up and running by May.

"We shall be developing a hotel with eight en-suite rooms, including facilities for the disabled.

"It has taken me two years to get planning permission for this development and I am delighted that we can finally get it moving.

"It is only going to be a small-scale development but it is going to be very important all the same because we shall now be able to offer accommodation on the doorstep for bands, roadies and paying customers.

"We already attract a lot of big name performers from this country and abroad and hopefully we shall be able to attract even higher-calibre acts to the Robin next year," added Mr Hamblett.

Mr Hamblett said the Robin 2 club was part of a row of old buildings in a conservation area which had been brought back to their original glory.

"Developing this hotel is a major step forward for the club.

"Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the Robin 2 club and it's going to be a great birthday present for everyone connected with the club," he added.

The original Robin started in 1992 at the former Robin Hood pub next to the Merry Hill Centre at Dudley.

That club ran until 2003, running alongside the Robin 2 at Bilston for five years until it closed. The first Robin club has now been flattened.