Pentahotel Reading features a nicely covered entrance, leading you straight into the hotel's reception desk… wait, bar… both! A really funky design means that the reception desk and the bar are connected – this really felt like the experience of Pentahotel Reading in a nutshell, fresh, cool and innovative. Even the staff job titles behind that desk are called Guest Service Assistants as they cover both aspects of check in and serving drinks – we love this refreshing, friendly approach.
First thing’s first, this hotel is in a fantastic location. Right in Reading city centre, and even more impressively, 22 minutes to Central London on the train. At such an affordable price, this is a fantastic place to base before meetings in the city, not that Reading itself is to be ignored. A great city with vibrant culture and tons of history. From the hotel entrance to the platform, it’s a ten minute (max) walk to the station too, what more could you ask!
At the heart of the hotel is the fantastic Penta lounge, part bar, part restaurant and part chill-out area, it’s an ideal place to unwind after a long day or get together to plan your next adventure.
The building is a big one, with a total number of bedrooms racking up to an impressive 206. We genuinely really liked the bedrooms here, nice and funky, a really nice bathroom – large flat screen TV, aircon etc. Across the hotel is a great mix of doubles, twins and 1 x suite complete with its own pinball machine… I had to be dragged away!
Distance & time from nearest railway station: 10 mins walk from Reading Station to the hotel. Reading is only 22 mins from central London (Paddington) by train. Distance & time to nearest airport: 1 hr by train to Heathrow, 1hr 30 to Luton and 2hrs to Stansted on the train. Driving to Heathrow is about 40 minutes.
Parking: Q Car Park 586 spaces RG1 7JF, 6 Chatham PL, Reading – and the hotel offers a discounted rate there too.
Where do coaches drop off / pick up at venue: At the front of the hotel – right outside the door
Number of floors: 6
Wi-fi: Yes – free and very fast connection
Once inside Pentahotel Reading, the first thing that strikes you is just how funky and playful everything is – from the disco ball as you enter the front door to the dart boards, Penta Hotel illuminated logos and dramatic curtains - it instantly puts a smile on your face.
It's also noticeable how spacious the ground floor reception area is. We are talking tons and tons of room. Contained in this area is the Penta lounge, which is super playful and inviting, home to the Games Lounge - containing a SHUFL board, Pool table, Table Tennis, Pinball & Foosball table, as well as lots of TVs and places to either chill or do some work. From the lobby you can also access most of the hotel’s features – the meeting rooms, the restaurant, the lounge – perfect, no confusing corridors or getting lost. It’s a fab place to spend some time that will leave a great first impression on any guest, staying for business or leisure.
The Penta restaurant (which also doubles up as the breakfast room) can cater for 110 covers and serves 3 types of food: Biffs vegan, Patty guy & Little bao boy – so lots of tasty options to choose from. The same menu is available in the bar and lounge area so you can get what you want on your terms – no messing around with separate menus etc, if you’re hungry after a meeting there’s some good food waiting for you anywhere in the Hotel. Private dining is also available in any of the hotel’s meeting spaces which vary in size so can cater for any occasion, for more about this and the meeting spaces themselves, check out our meeting space highlights!
Pentahotel Reading also has a small but excellent gym with a mixture of cardio and free weights. Everything you need for a quick workout to set you in motion for the day ahead. And for a bit of fun, to maybe punctuate the end of your day, The Games Room in Penta Lounge can be utilised as a team building opportunity for groups too – lots of activities to take part in for your groups to enjoy, either in their own time or as part of a team challenge etc.
Before we get into the highlights it’s worth noting that Pentahotel Reading have 11 meeting rooms, so picking just three was a real challenge, if there’s something you’re looking for that’s not on our top picks, they very well might have it in one of the many fantastic rooms that surround the Penta lounge, all on the vast ground floor. If you’re running a large event and looking for the best spot for registration, you’d find this in the foyer near the meeting rooms.
Number of meeting rooms: 11
Location: all on the ground floor
Best place for registration for a large event: In foyer near the meeting rooms
We loved how flexible the spaces were, as well as being super convenient on the ground floor. Some of them had foyers outside, perfect for coffee breaks and pre-dinner drinks.
MEETING SPACES HIGHLIGHTS:
Meeting Space Highlight: Penta 9, 10 & 11
The biggest meeting space in the hotel comes together when these three rooms are combined. With its own foyer area outside, it's perfect for pre-dinner drinks and/or coffee or lunch breaks. All three rooms can be used separately too if required as they have their own entrances when closed off and have their own built-in projectors and screens. We loved this versatility, as we said at the beginning, Penta kept this place feeling fresh throughout, from the reception desk to its meeting spaces.
Location: Ground floor
Best use for room: conference, dinner
Natural light: room opens onto it`s own foyer with natural daylight
Size: 185.30 Sq.M
Reception: yes
Theatre: 250
Cabaret: 120
Dinner: 150
AV Equipment included: Projector, screen, flipchart.
Meeting Space Highlight: Penta 1 and 2
The second largest space in the hotel – once again, the rooms can be combined or used independently – each with its own entrance. They also have their own built-in projectors and screens. Once again there is a foyer outside the rooms complete with coffee machines, need a post meeting chill, maybe a half time break, this foyer is the spot!
Location: Ground floor
Best use for room (conference, dinner, reception. Etc): conference
Natural light: yes
Size: 192.60 Sq.M
Reception: yes
Theatre: 220
Cabaret: 100
Dinner: 120
AV Equipment included: Projector, screen, flipchart.
Meeting Space Highlight: Penta 5/6
These two rooms give you lots of options for small get-togethers – definitely around 25 in cabaret would be a sweet spot for this room and still be super spacious, with that all important room to breathe that you need in an important conference!
Location: Ground floor
Best use for room (conference, dinner, reception. Etc): conference
Natural light: yes
Size: 31.90 Sq.M
Reception: n/a
Theatre: 50
Cabaret: 32
Dinner: n/a
AV Equipment included: Projector, screen, flipchart.
We loved how flexible the spaces were, as well as being super convenient on the ground floor. Some of them had foyers outside, perfect for coffee breaks and pre-dinner drinks.
All in all, Penta Reading is a fab business hotel. A great location, excellent price point, a good size, lots of meeting room options and all with a super playful feel and really nice staff. Perfect for conferences, dinners or awards – your clients will really love the games room and just how everything everywhere inside this fab hotel is so darn funky!