With just one month to go before welcoming its first guests, bosses of Birmingham's newest first class hotel are predicting a tourist boom for the city.

The Radisson SAS hotel is due to officially open its doors on January 16 and is claiming to have witnessed a huge number of bookings flooding in from all over the world - with some travellers making reservations well into 2007.

It has taken over the first 18 floors of the 39-storey high Beetham Tower, and the interest comes despite problems with the building.

Last month parts of Holloway Circus and Smallbrook Queensway were closed after four pieces of metal cladding fell from the side of the complex.

It was the second time traffic-diversions had had to be set up as a result of problems with the £70 million complex. The first happened in February when scaffolding fell nearly 400ft from the tower's roof, narrowly missing workers and passing cars.

Figures for the hotel show that of the booking numbers, 75 per cent of guests will be visiting on business.

"We are delighted by the number of enquiries and bookings that we have experienced over the last few months," said Samantha Brown, sales and marketing director of Radisson SAS. "It shows what an incredibly popular destination Birmingham is proving to be, both with the business and leisure market."

The Radisson SAS hotel - the company's first in the Midlands - boasts 211 rooms, seven plush suites and a presidential suite with stunning views of the city's skyline.

There are said to be only "a few finishing touches" left before the official launch.

"The reaction we have had from the city has been great," said general manager Kathrine Ohm Thomas.

"With just one month to go, all the staff are so excited - it has been an unbelievable experience to see the hotel's progression on a daily basis, especially now it is all coming together."

Meanwhile another Birmingham icon, the Bullring is claiming it is pulling in the Christmas shoppers.

Almost a million people visited the shopping centre last week.

With 969,000 visitors recorded during the week ending December 11, it is boasting a four per cent increase on the same week last year.

If that is the case then it is bucking the trend.

On Monday Solihull-based retail analysts Footfall said customer numbers generally were down 8.9 per cent on last year as the High Street downturn continues to bite.

But Tim Walley, general manager at Bullring, said: "So far this Christmas, our footfall figures have shown consistent year on year growth, which is obviously great news for us and our retailers.

"Last week's statistics show that we welcomed 24,000 more visitors than the previous week, suggesting that people are taking advantage of the late night shopping hours which came into effect on December 5."