Malmaison Reading

The hotel was originally built as the Great Western Hotel in 1844 as a station hotel for Reading railway station on Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s newly-opened Great Western Main Line. Historians believe that it is likely that Brunel himself may have played a major part in designing the building and it is considered to be the world’s oldest surviving purpose-built railway hotel. The Great Western Hotel operated up until the 1960s and it reopened as a hotel in 2007 after being renovated by the Malmaison hotel chain.

The Malmaison Reading hotel has 75 rooms and suites. The in-room decor consists of a black, white and grey colour palette that some guests find a little dark and monochrome although there are splashes of colour in the hotel’s suites.

Standard double and twin guest rooms feature comfortable beds, a work desk, a flatscreen plasma television, ironing facilities and tea and coffee making facilities plus an en-suite bathroom with a shower and bath. The superior double rooms offer the same facilities as the standard double room but with a larger king-size bed and Mal Club rooms offer the same facilities as standard but with a little more luxury and also include a Lavazza espresso machine.

Suites and larger rooms include the studio room, which is essentially a large open-plan room with a double bed, a large flat-screen telly and design features that highlight the hotel’s railway heritage. The one-bedroom suite is similar but with separate living and sleeping areas. The Malmaison’s executive suite is the fanciest of all the hotel’s suites and includes a four-poster bed, a big-screen TV and an en-suite bathroom with a massive teak bath and a dual drench shower.

Guests have access to free Wi-Fi wireless internet throughout the hotel.

The hotel has a bar and restaurant and guests are able to order from a 24-hour room service menu.

The Chez Mal bar has comfortable sofas and a chic atmosphere making it a nice spot to enjoy a drink before catching a train, even if you’re not staying at the hotel. There are happy hour specials Mon–Thu 4pm–7.30pm and Fri 5pm–8pm.

The Chez Mal brasserie is the hotel restaurant which features an industrial-chic decor with exposed air-conditioning ducts, red leather seating and bare brickwork. Its menu focuses on classic brasserie dishes such as lamb shanks, steak and risotto. It is noted for its Sunday lunch and the dish of the day specials (Mon–Fri only) are particularly good value.

The hotel is located in the town centre directly opposite Reading railway station. Virtually anything of interest in the town centre is no more than a 10-minute walk from the hotel.

Considering the standard of the hotel and its central location, the Malmaison is a great value place to stay particularly if you’re staying here outside the peak season.

Photos: Malmaison Hotels [CC BY-ND 2.0]