Hollywood Bowl Birmingham Rubery

We visited Hollywood Bowl to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday and unfortunately the experience was really disappointing. We had booked a VIP lane for 5pm (which we paid extra for), but when we arrived we were told the previous party had overrun by 20 minutes. By half past, they were still on the lane, so we were left waiting even longer. We were offered the option to either wait for the VIP lane and receive a complimentary drink, or move to a standard lane. We chose to wait, as we had specifically paid extra for the VIP experience. One of the reasons we chose VIP is because it’s quieter and more closed off from the main bowling area. I am autistic, so this environment is much more comfortable for me and helps avoid sensory overload. Moving to a standard lane just wasn’t a suitable option. Unfortunately, not only did we end up waiting significantly longer than expected, but the VIP area itself was also quite dirty when we finally got to our lane. We also never received the complimentary drink that was offered, which added to the disappointment. I completely understand that delays can happen, especially during busy periods, but this was a Saturday during half term — a time when higher demand should absolutely be expected. It really felt like the venue was understaffed and struggling to keep up. I do want to stress that this is not a criticism of the staff. Every member of staff we interacted with was polite, friendly, and clearly doing their best under pressure. This feels like a wider issue with staffing and management. A company of this size should be ensuring there are enough employees on shift to handle busy periods without it negatively impacting both customers and staff. It’s a shame, because this should have been a special and enjoyable birthday experience, and instead it ended up being quite frustrating. I hope this feedback is taken seriously — not just to improve customer experience, but to better support the staff who are working incredibly hard in difficult conditions.

· via Google

Had the most amazing birthday party for my 8 year old there. The staff were amazing at making sure the party ran smoothly. I had a child attending with multiple allergies and the staff really made sure she was safe and included. We enjoyed it so much we are going back for my son's birthday. Thank you so much!

· via Google

Usually fairly quiet on a weekday. Range of arcade machines. Toilets and food available. Lots of free parking. A cinema and a ‘Frankie and Benny’s’ restaurant within walking distance.

· via Google

We had our birthday party for the little one , here. We had 2 lanes for play and we also booked the vip corner. The lanes are well kept and clean, also , the seating area was clean and tidy. For our party, we were helped by 2 young ladies , Charlotte and Millie( i hope I remembered correctly) . They were very helpful and friendly. The party was well organised by them and It really us parents. Highly recommend!

· via Google