Royal County Hotel, Reading

...I was booked into the Royal County Hotel (formerly the Ship Hotel), located in Duke Street. Having not chosen the accommodation myself, I did not know what to expect and had no preconceptions about what the hotel would be like. In order to express my experience of the hotel I have scored it on a number of criteria to give you an accurate idea of my impressions.

LOCATION

The hotel is situated in the town centre in a little ...
...in the high street. The Royal County hotel is about an 8 minute walk from Reading's main train station and is very easy to find if you are following directions from the train station. Equally if you are driving, it is easy to get to, road signs are fairly good in the area and the hotel is by no means out of the way. Parking onsite is free. Its location also makes it an ideal base for those on business, at the heart of Reading you are just a stone's ... more

On a recent business trip to Reading, I was booked into the Royal County Hotel (formerly the Ship Hotel), located in Duke Street. Having not chosen the accommodation myself, I did not know what to expect and had no preconceptions about what the hotel would be like. In order to express my experience of the hotel I have scored it on a number of criteria to give you an accurate idea of my impressions.

LOCATION

The hotel is situated in the town centre in a little road just off the main high street. It is ideal for shopping enthusiasts with The Oracle shopping centre about a 3 minute walk away, and obviously the other shops in the high street. The Royal County hotel is about an 8 minute walk from Reading's main train station and is very easy to find if you are following directions from the train station. Equally if you are driving, it is easy to get to, road signs are fairly good in the area and the hotel is by no means out of the way. Parking onsite is free. Its location also makes it an ideal base for those on business, at the heart of Reading you are just a stone's throw away from the major offices. The only downside to the location is the noise of traffic at night, although there isn't a heavy traffic flow after the rush hour, those cars that do pass by the hotel at night do not do so quietly!

9/10

ARRIVAL/RECEPTION

Checking-in was a smooth process that took under five minutes. The receptionist was friendly and welcoming, she explained that the total bill would be charged back to my company and handed over my bedroom key. I just had to sign my key card. She explained how to find my room, however it would seem that there is no porter at the hotel as nobody offered to carry my bags for me. I would not have minded this except the hotel does not have any lifts, so I had to struggle up three flights of stairs with my luggage. Given the age of the building, I was not surprised that there were no lifts in the hotel, but I would have been very grateful for some assistance with my luggage, if I had anything else with me I would have had to leave it downstairs and make two journeys to carry my bags upstairs, not an ideal situation especially for those staying on their own.

7/10

BEDROOM

I spent the duration of my stay in one of the Royal County's executive rooms, which gave me the privilege of having a bottle of still mineral water and a KitKat Chunky waiting in my room for my arrival! A nice touch and most welcome refreshment especially after the mission I had just undertaken of getting myself and my luggage safely to the bedroom. The room had a modern décor with a clean look about it, it contained a wardrobe and drawer unit, double bed, bedside tables, desk and chair, and a flat screen television. A door led through to the bathroom. The bed was comfortable with white bed linen and comfortable pillows, spare pillows were stored in the wardrobe. Beverage making facilities were provided in the wardrobe, along with an iron and ironing board, hairdryer and Yellow Pages. I found the lighting in the bedroom to be terrible. Despite having three separate lights I found them all to be inadequate at illuminating the room sufficiently. This may well create a romantic atmosphere but is no good when you've got work to be getting on with. I also found the layout of the room to have been very badly planned. The desk was situated at the end of the bed, however there was not enough room between the bed and the desk to fit the oversized chair which left me having to stick the chair at an odd angle at the end of the desk. This is purely a case of bad planning but the problem could have been prevented by providing a smaller chair for the desk. The television worked well although only had terrestrial channels available. Films could be purchased at £5.95 and broadband was also charged at £5.95 per day. Both could be purchased as a package priced at £9.95.

6/10

BATHROOM

I was very satisfied with the size of my bathroom and am pleased to say the layout was far better than in the bedroom. The bath was a decent size with a shower over it, there was also a toilet and basin. There was plenty of space in the bathroom, the towels provided were good quality and I also received some complimentary Pecksniff's toiletries as part of the executive package. Although I was impressed with the physical aspects of the bathroom, I was rather disappointed that on two mornings when I took a shower the water was at best only lukewarm, at times becoming freezing cold. The pressure of the shower was good and although the cold shower woke me up, needless to say I was not overly impressed by this. A good bathroom let down by lack of hot water.

8/10

RESTAURANT

On a dinner, bed and breakfast tariff I had a fair few meals at the hotel during my stay so feel well placed to pass judgement! Firstly breakfast; I was pleased with the range of food available at breakfast, the buffet was kept replenished by attentive staff and most importantly the coffee was good quality and hot! The buffet consisted of various fruits, natural yoghurt, fruit yoghurts, croissants, and a good range of boxed cereals. The staff bring you either brown or white toast and you have the option to order a Full English breakfast. Not being a fan of fried food in the morning I can't comment on the cooked breakfast but I can say that it did look substantial, which you would expect for it's £9.50 price tag. I cannot say the same about the evening meal however. I found the main course to be rather on the small side. Although the food was tasty, I did not feel very full after only half a chicken breast with potatoes and mangetout. I think the price justified a whole chicken breast but I otherwise found the food to be very good. Similar was true of the other meals I tried; nice but a tad on the small side. Overall I was impressed; the staff were very friendly and the food was far superior to a lot of hotel meals I've had in the past. The portion size was tightly controlled but that wouldn't put me off eating there again.

8/10

VALUE FOR MONEY

Prices go from £89.00 per night for a single room not including any meals. I would like to say I considered the hotel to be good value for money but sadly a few things did let it down as I have highlighted previously; the layout of my bedroom which frustrated me more as the week went on, the lack of hot water, the absence of a porter, and the portion size of the evening meal. I also would have expected satellite television and broadband internet access to have been included for the price. That said I did on the whole, enjoy my stay. The location is very convenient and all the staff were friendly and welcoming. Overall a nice hotel let down by a few features.

5/10

I would recommend you look for alternatives first, but if you had to stay at this hotel, you would find it satisfactory.
 

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