Penta Hotel Reading

The four-star Penta Hotel has a decor that features a blend of brick, wood and leather with dark colours (lots of different shades of brown). There is a mix of modern furnishings in the rooms and a few older (or at least older-looking) pieces in the main communal pentalounge area, which was designed by Italian architect Matteo Thun. For the most part, the design works well and gives the whole place a cool and edgy vibe. That is until you look up at the 1970s-era ceiling, which is a hold-back from the days when this was Reading’s Renaissance hotel.

The six-floor hotel has 206 guest rooms, all of which come with comfortable beds, a flatscreen television (with Google Chromecast connection), a work desk, ironing facilities, tea and coffee making facilities and an en-suite bathroom. Most rooms are 21 m² (226 sq ft) although the penta junior suite is a much larger 67.5 m² (726 sq ft).

This hotel does have a few smoking rooms which is very unusual for any hotel in the UK.

All guests have free Wi-Fi wireless internet access, although there is a premium Wi-Fi option that costs extra.

The hotel’s main common space is called the pentalounge. This 24-hour space is a combined restaurant, bar and chill-out zone. There is a games room with a pool table and the restaurant has a casual dining menu that includes burgers, pizza, pasta, steak and sharing plates. The pentalounge is a nice spot to hang out in but the food is a little pricey for what you get so you may want to walk down the street for a bite to eat and come back to the hotel later for a drink or two.

The hotel also has a fitness room and business facilities include a choice of 11 conference rooms.

The Penta Hotel has a great location right in the heart of the town centre. It is only a two-minute walk from Broad Street and the Broad Street Mall, it is around a seven-minute walk to The Oracle shopping centre, eight minutes to the River Kennet and a 10-minute walk to Reading railway station.