Novotel, Reading

For those of you who follow me regularly it’s time I got back to the hotel reviews as this is where my real passion lies. Now you may think that all my luxury travels are over with a review on the Novotel but trust me they are not! Needing a quick bed for the night in the middle of the city I chose the Novotel and surprisingly I actually enjoyed myself!

Booking

Before I booked my hotel I browsed the net to look at the options available and the prices I would expect to pay. After a trawl on tripadvisor and expedia it became clear that the Novotel was going to be best for my needs. 4*, good location, good price.
I believe in booking accommodation with the property directly as you can tend to get more of your preferences agreed over the phone this way. I booked my room for £69 for a Saturday night stay including breakfast for two, which wasn’t bad at all! I also asked for a room on a high floor and in a quiet spot. Without the skyline of Manhattan I wasn’t really that bothered about where my room looked out onto and was more concerned with it being quiet enough for a good sleep.
I received an e-mail confirmation and all was sorted.

Arrival

The hotel is based in the heart of Reading on Friar St, which is just a short walk from the train station. It is perfectly suited for all the shops and nightlife and a few minutes walk from The Oracle shopping mall.

I arrived on a train at around 6:30am. Suffice to say our night in London ended up being an all night bender and we just thought we would take the train straight to Reading with the hope of an early check in. We took the short walk and were soon greeted by the bright entrance to the Novotel and my friends left me to check in.

Check In

Now arriving such early in the morning did not fill me with much hope of being able to check in, however I was pleasantly surprised. The hotel had not been at capacity the night before and the receptionist was more than happy to arrange a room for me straight away. She arranged for a bellboy to take my bags up and after seeing I was a bit worse for wear after my night out she offered me a complimentary coffee! After my shot of espresso she took me to the lift and pointed me in the direction of my room. A great start!

The Room

Now I wasn’t holding out much hope with the room. I wasn’t expecting to be disappointed but neither was I expecting to be wowed as if I was in Asia or somewhere.

The room was actually very spacious and modern given the hotel was little more than a year old. It was white with clean modern lines and had a calming atmosphere.

Features included;

• A king size bed with excellent bed linen. Really comfortable, crisp and clean!
• 32” LCD TV with internet facility and movies on demand.
• Wired broadband connection @ £10 per day.
• Telephone
• Tea Tray and minibar. A selection of mineral water was provided free of charge.
• Iron and Ironing board.
• Writing desk and seat.
• Large built in wardrobe.

The bathroom was really roomy and had a shower over the bath and a large sink and toilet. There was more than enough room to swing a cat which is better than most hotel bathrooms in the UK! At the same time the toiletries, which were Novotel branded were of good quality and met with my satisfaction. They weren’t stingy on the towels either and even threw in a few bath robes!

Restaurant/Bar

The hotel has a restaurant and bar called Elements. Breakfast is served here in typical buffet style with a cooked to order full english and the restaurant also serves an ala carte lunch and dinner. The menu is typically international with a wide choice of pasta, fish, grill and some asian dishes.

There is also a well stocked bar but this tends to be a little bit soulless as many hotel bars can be. I went out rather than stay for a drink.

Facilities

The hotel caters well for the needs of the business traveler and has a number of meeting rooms available for conferencing should they be needed. As a leisure traveler I did not look into these areas but could see they were very busy suggesting a lot of travelers.

The hotel also had gymnasium and swimming facilities, which looked good in the brochure but I did not get the chance to visit either. A small amount of parking was also available, however again I did not use this so cannot comment. At £14 per night this seemed reasonable for a city centre space for 24 hours.

Breakfast

The breakfast selection was excellent. Plenty of pastries and danishes, fresh fruits and juices and then a cooked to order full english. Staff were a plenty and newspapers were handed out to diners. There was a steady supply of tea and coffee and overall the experience was of a good standard. Separately this would have cost £13 per person and I would agree that was a fair price for what was offered.

Check out

On Sunday the time finally came to jump back on the train and go home. After vacating my room I returned to reception and met with the pleasant lady who checked me in the day earlier. She processed my card quickly and all the paperwork was done. There was no long queue and everything was as it should be. My weekend had come to a close.

Summary

This was my first foray into the Novotel brand, having stayed at it’s sister chain Ibis many years before. Novotel lived upto its expectation of a modern and progressive property and did exactly as I hoped it would. Staff served me efficiently, the room was clean, well equipped and quiet and breakfast was excellent.

As a hotel it did not wow me but rather delivered a consistent experience that many travelers would look for. It served my needs perfectly and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a decent place to stay in the centre of Reading.
Stay completed September 2007 at a cost of £69 inc breakfast for a double superior room.

Enjoy your stay!