Name: Novotel Reading Centre
Address: 25B Friar Street, Reading, England, United Kingdom, Reading, Berkshire, GB
Price range: $68–$282 per night
Rating: 8.08

What guests think

At Novotel Reading Centre, travellers consistently praise the convenient city-centre location near the station and friendly staff, and many like the pool and leisure facilities, while recurring downsides include dated rooms, maintenance issues, street noise, and tricky parking.

Air conditioning or heating problems, slow lifts, and key card glitches appear in multiple reviews. Cleanliness is generally acceptable, though stained carpets and occasional bathroom faults are noted. Expect a well-located stay with leisure perks, balanced by some wear and city noise.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Leisure facilities (pool, sauna, steam room and small gym) are a highlight for many, though they are occasionally closed for maintenance. Parking is limited, pricey and awkward to access, and lifts are often slow or partly out of service.

Related guest reviews

8

David

Jun 5, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff were very polite and helpful, all though some of the front desk staff don\'t have the best English-speaking skills. Parking is a nightmare. The hot"c" el parking is EXTREMELY limited, and you have to get a map emailed to you from the hotel in order to find the gate and get buzzed into the patking area which is really only suits small cars. Our Citroën Grand C4 Spacetourer barely fit between the lines.

10

Harriet

Sep 21, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

All good. Nice staff. Pool. Room. Breakfast. Lifts are slow she crowded do take extra time!

10

Charlotte

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Incredible reception staff and excellent location with pool, steam room and sauna.

8

lillie

Jun 2, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had such a good time staying over a weekend! Hotel is in a very good, convenient, central location in the middle of Reading with the train station, bus stops, restaurants, and shops very close to the hotel. Our favourite part of the trip was the free access to gym/pool/sauna/steam room - we had so much fun, the pool is a fantastic size with a few sun loungers around it. We parked at the Broad Street Mall car park (short walk away) - lots of spaces and the hotel gives a discounted rate when you give them the ticket at checkout. Excited to come back!

6

Daniel

Aug 19, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Disappointed to find out on arrival that the pool and sauna was closed for maintenance. This is the only reason I booked this hotel. Also, the Guinness is the disgusting, stay clear of that.

8

Derek

Apr 13, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good location right in the city centre. Getting to the car park is not easy and the parking spaces are tiny and expensive. Reception was pleasant, and we had a room facing the back of the hotel. View isn’t good but it likely quieter as the other side faces the busy high street with bars and clubs. Room was just fine, only complaint was half a dozen holes in the curtains which makes it look scruffy and unloved. Very clean hotel and room. Breakfast is good quality and Klara the lady running the breakfast room was a ray of sunshine and a real credit to the hotel and its brand. Would stay there again.

10

Rob

Oct 11, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Pool and health facilites were good.

8

Millar

Jul 14, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very nice room, friendly staff and a great breakfast. The parking was great to have but impossibly small spaces and loads of concrete pillars (guess what happened!)

4

James

Aug 18, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Booked up 5 days in advance and choose this hotel because of the facilities like swimming pool sauna, and the morning before I was due to check in they emailed saying all of them facilities was closed as I was working that day it didn’t give me a chance to look for another hotel. Plus my plug in the sink was also broken I did inform them straight away but it was never fixed

8

Aruchuna

Aug 11, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Value for money hotel. Very centrally located. Great spread at Breakfast including a pancake station with Nutella. The pool is great but unfortunately was closed for maintenance on one of the days we stayed

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Cleanliness

Rooms are generally clean, but stained or tired carpets appear in multiple rooms and a few reports mention bathroom cleanliness issues. Overall standards are acceptable rather than spotless.

Related guest reviews

10

James

May 5, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Central location. Everything within walking distance. Comfy beds, clean spacious rooms. Breakfast was good.Staff very friendly and helpful.

10

Lawrence

Nov 22, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Friendly, welcoming staff. Clean, spacious room with Nespresso machine <3

8

Shyam Sekhar

Jan 18, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

One of the best choices available in Reading. Rooms are small, like most hotels. Good bathrooms. Good furniture. Very dirty and stained carpets. Very good staff

10

Natalie

Oct 6, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean and tidy room

8

Man Chak

Oct 7, 2025

·

Stayed 16 nights

The location is very convenient, just a few minutes’ walk from the main rail station. The cleanliness meets the standard, but the overall environment could benefit from renovation to become more appealing.

6

GOALLIN

Dec 17, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Overall it was a good stay, but there were a few things that concerned me. My room didn't feel completely clean when I arrived. I found bits of food near the curtains, and weird red/pink stains on the floor? Like nail varnish? Also the external door for returning at night didn't work. on 3 occasions I had to wait for staff to notice me to let me in.

8

Martin

Sep 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Service was brilliant. Location was fabulous. Access and parking was good. Only downside within the room was the filth and stains on bedroom carpet.

4

Arran

Feb 6, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Loud room due to window not closing properly, heating barely worked, bath had hairs in it, shower barely worked and was leaking.

8

Jennifer

Jul 12, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The Novotel staff were friendly and very helpful. The room was overall clean but the carpet looked like it had been in the wars! The bar was fun if the music was a little loud. The pool was a really welcome facility. Friar Street can have some characters around, but it's very convenient for the station and the shops.

6

Stephane

Jun 24, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Hotel is central very convenient Bathroom is small Large stain on the carpet which was not cleaned

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Rooms

Rooms range from comfortable to dated and sometimes compact; several note thin windows and significant street noise. Temperature control is inconsistent (too hot or too cold), and some dislike the separate toilet/bath layout, while higher floors can offer good views.

Related guest reviews

8

Berneen

Aug 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

A great stay and would definitely stay again, so close the town centre and station. Stayed on the 9th floor so the views were stunning too

6

Chris

Sep 5, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel is starting to look quite dated now, and the lack of any cool air flow makes for an uncomfortable night, especially when on the 12th floor as we were! The location is good, and the staff were all friendly, it was more that the rooms suggested they needed to be brought up to standard with modern 4* hotels.

6

Harjinder

Nov 17, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Rooms dated, no heating, very noisy as of location and lack of double glazing.

6

Iain

May 11, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Comfortable hotel spoiled by very hot rooms. Air conditioning did not cool at all. Also the Wi-Fi is shocking making it difficult to complete some works. Location is perfect though.

8

Beth

Mar 16, 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Had executive room 1016 for one night. Very spacious, seating area, bath with seperate shower and comfy, although smallish bed. Does look onto Friar Street so very noisy and had to keep windows shut which did mean room got very warm even with AC on. Parking on site very convenient. Staff all very helpful. Pool lovely.

6

Daniel

Feb 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Generally good hotel but my room had two single beds pushed together rather than a double bed which was surprising and disappointing.

4

Graham

Sep 3, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Not a great location, felt unsafe walking from the station to the hotel at night. Windows are paper thin so staying ok the 3rd floor heard every street noise. No water in rooms but reception charge £3.99 for a small bottle. Place felt tired, service was very average. Lifts took forever.

6

Oscar

Apr 16, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Property is handy and clean. Our room unfortunately was facing Friar street and we had to leave windows open for cooling as A/C didn’t seem to be doing anything. Constant job bub from the street below especially between 11pm - 1am. Very convenient location otherwise.

6

Robert

Apr 22, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Aircon was broken

6

Gavin

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Dated rooms but clean and nice pool

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Service

Staff are widely praised as friendly and helpful, with several standout mentions. Some guests report slow check-in, occasional rudeness or errors, and uneven follow-up when problems arise.

Related guest reviews

4

Viral

Jan 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very Basic amenities and very old interiors, staff was also quite rude and not showing up for long time after requesting a service. Always required to follow up 2-3 times. Poor management - when asked to speak to Manager as had issues with what I booked and what I was given, staff declined to call upon the manager and said manager was out.

10

stephen

Nov 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very friendly helpful staff on reception great spacious clean toom and a lovely pool. 2 mins to station, busses and shops this is a very good central hotel . Train every 5 mins to london !

10

Jose

Mar 12, 2023

·

Stayed 5 nights

Great staff and excellent service

6

lucy

Aug 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Room was not made up for 2 as booked , reception said they fix it whilst we were out . When we came back they had but the people who did had left our door on snib so the door to our hotel room was open the entire time . I went and complained whilst my friend checked the room . As you can imagine we were very unhappy , 2 girls staying on our own . They refunded my parking as by way of an apology in the evening but had to chase in the morning. Room was uber noisy no sound proofing, all in all a highly stressful stay which was meant to be a birthday treat.

2

Khaled

May 25, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

I was denied check in despite paying my room in full, and they moved me (at midnight) to neighbouring, lower grade, hotel without giving me any refund for the fare difference. Complete FRAUD management

10

James

May 5, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Central location. Everything within walking distance. Comfy beds, clean spacious rooms. Breakfast was good.Staff very friendly and helpful.

10

Karl

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great hotel, very friendly staff. Security on the door at night so felt very safe when returning after a some drinks.

10

Joanne

Aug 15, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Front desk staff were so welcoming & helpful, especially Marissa! Breakfast staff were friendly. Didn’t meet housekeeping but they did a lovely job with the room. Comfortable bed, in a quiet & nice-sized room. Very conveniently located, 3 minutes from the train station & RailAir bus stop (to LHR) — as well as being right by the high street & some nice restaurants. Close to the Oracle mall for more shops and a selection of restaurants along the river. Look forward to returning in the future!

8

Raphael

Oct 26, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

It took me 3 attempts to find a room that did not have a problem. The lock on the door of the first room did not work and it would not open. The staff changed me to another room - the desk light in the second room did not work properly and it would randomly flicker on and off - also, when off, one could hear the mains power crackling which, to me, is a dangerous fire hazard. The final, 3rd room was okay, it worked okay but had a very dirty and stained carpet - it too me over an hour to get to this point. The Reception Staff did try to help as best they could but there was no one that could help them or me. Breakfast the next day was poorly serviced. I got to breakfast at 9:15am and found - no scrambled egg, no black pudding, no bacon, no beans, orange juice dispenser finished, no smoked salmon. To give them their due, the staff, when I mentioned these, made great efforts to fix these problems. My summary is that the hotel is in a good location but it is in serious need of refurbishment. Add to this, it was apparent that the hotel was seriously understaffed with friendly and helpful staff members doing the best that they could manage with no available resource. Everyone did the best that they could.

10

Dean

Dec 9, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Superb staff from start to finish - excellent breakfast.

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Location

Central and very convenient for Reading station, shops and restaurants. Some guests find the immediate area rough with late-night noise and visible homelessness, and driving/parking access can be awkward.

Related guest reviews

8

Kerrie

Sep 15, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location if you use the train and if you want to look around the town centre.

8

Man Chak

Oct 7, 2025

·

Stayed 16 nights

The location is very convenient, just a few minutes’ walk from the main rail station. The cleanliness meets the standard, but the overall environment could benefit from renovation to become more appealing.

6

mark

Jan 29, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel is fairly priced. Room was freezing - I had to put heating on when I got back in room after being out with colleagues. The area is HORRID. Rubbish bags everywhere. Loads of homeless beggars wondering around. A lot hang around near the hotel entrance. Doesn’t feel safe at all. You’ve no chance of having a cigarette / vape in peace outside the hotel. Same findings as last time I was there for work. Horrid City/Town. Hotel itself is fine for the money.

10

Dean

Nov 17, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Ideal town location - close to train station - centre restaurants- breakfast opens at 06:30. Staff very helpful

8

Debra L

Jun 5, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Was nice place to stay and short walk to train station

8

lillie

Jun 2, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had such a good time staying over a weekend! Hotel is in a very good, convenient, central location in the middle of Reading with the train station, bus stops, restaurants, and shops very close to the hotel. Our favourite part of the trip was the free access to gym/pool/sauna/steam room - we had so much fun, the pool is a fantastic size with a few sun loungers around it. We parked at the Broad Street Mall car park (short walk away) - lots of spaces and the hotel gives a discounted rate when you give them the ticket at checkout. Excited to come back!

10

James

Nov 27, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Fantastic Location, great for the train. Just the usual city centre grime on the streets as you leave the hotel, but that’s certainly not the hotel’s fault.

4

Graham

Sep 3, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Not a great location, felt unsafe walking from the station to the hotel at night. Windows are paper thin so staying ok the 3rd floor heard every street noise. No water in rooms but reception charge £3.99 for a small bottle. Place felt tired, service was very average. Lifts took forever.

8

Steve

Feb 10, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Location is great in terms of railway station, however sadly the area is not particularly attractive and home to lots of homeless and drug users. The hotel inside is good, with all the usual amenities, and very friendly staff.

8

Ian

Jul 29, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very convenient for the train station and (limited) onsite parking. Comfortable room and did the job for a one night stay. Quite noisy in the High St side room I stayed in - sounded like it was coming from a late club with banging music opposite the hotel

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Dining

Breakfast is often praised for range and quality, but several reviews found it underwhelming or poor, with comments about watered-down juice. Restaurant and bar are generally fine, though pricing can feel high and choice limited at times.

Related guest reviews

8

Carol-Ann

Jul 19, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very slow check-in, but staff helpful. Good food in the Restaurant (we ate there on the 1st night).

6

Claire

Mar 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The breakfast looked unappetising and the juice was watered down which is not what you expect from a 4star hotel.

10

Ian

Nov 30, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great value; lovely staff for breakfast, and great range of good quality food for breakfast.

10

NIKI

Nov 5, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely hotel, very central - right by the shops. Room was great and had a bath and separate shower. The pool/spa/gym area was really nice and spotless. Breakfast was so huge with loads of choice and the staff were all lovely.

8

Jonathan

Dec 11, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very convenient central location albeit not a salubrious part of Reading. Hotel was clean and the staff were very pleasant. The breakfast however was vile. Every aspect of the cooked breakfast was dry and the fruit juice from a dispensing machine was watered down so heavily that it was almost unrecognisable certainly not worth the £12 they charged for it

6

Joss

Sep 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good business hotel, friendly staff, nice room, prices average. I had a couple of technical problems with my room and I thought the breakfast was very underwhelming. Mushrooms, eggs and sausages in particular were oddly bland, maybe being cooked without oil or something?

8

Donald

Sep 14, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Limited menu at hotel and expensive breakfast

10

Theresa

Feb 21, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

We were given a very warm and friendly welcome. The staff were efficient and helpful throughout the hotel. Very good breakfast, plenty of choice. Swimming pool facilities well maintained, clean and warm. Room very comfortable. Our first stay and very impresses, nothing to fault. Will make it our first choice on next visit to Reading.

10

Dean

Dec 9, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Superb staff from start to finish - excellent breakfast.

10

Dean

Jan 10, 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Great location in centre of town - close to train station and walking distance to bus stops. Plenty of restaurants near by. Breakfast offers a great selection.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$114
February	$117
March	$121
April	$115
May	$110
June	$137
July	$148
August	$103
September	$132
October	$120
November	$122
December	$113

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4 $88	5 $101
6 $68	7 $129	8 $254	9 $235	10 $107	11 $86	12 $89
13 $79	14 $133	15 $211	16 $241	17 $148	18 $88	19 $105
20 $83	21 $136	22 $258	23 $282	24 $132	25 $91	26 $123
27 $75	28 $119	29 $214	30 $179

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $105	2 $80	3 $90
4 $74	5 $134	6 $192	7 $188	8 $105	9 $83	10 $93
11 $76	12 $125	13 $192	14 $194	15 $109	16 $97	17 $91
18 $75	19 $130	20 $183	21 $166	22 $96	23 $82	24 $95
25 $71	26 $105	27 $134	28 $130	29 $91	30 $76	31 $91

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Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Guest reviews

Very good

Who stays here?

What guests think

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Check-in instructions

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