With an enviable location beside the River Thames, the newly refurbished Village Hotel in Reading offers a contemporary stay with excellent facilities and a relaxed, modern atmosphere. Whether you’re visiting for business, a weekend break, or a family excursion, the Village Hotel combines comfort with convenience in a scenic riverside setting.
Disclosure: The Village Hotel Reading provided a complimentary stay for me and my husband in return for coverage on this site.
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Village Hotels: Everything Under One Roof
Village Hotels is a lifestyle brand with more than 30 locations across the UK. Its tagline is “everything under one roof”, a concept that brings together comfortable rooms, social spaces, and extensive leisure facilities. The Reading hotel – the newest addition to the group – follows the same formula, with a Pub & Grill restaurant, Starbucks coffee shop, and a wellness club with gym, pool, and fitness classes.
The brand caters to both corporate and leisure visitors, welcoming solo travellers, couples, families and larger groups. Their hotels are well set up for conferences, parties and other events. And they are central to their local communities, welcoming locals to their gym facilities and to darts nights and other social events.
Village Hotel Reading
Formerly the Crowne Plaza, the hotel was acquired by Village Hotels three years ago and fully refurbished before reopening at the end of 2025. In keeping with the group’s ethos, it now boasts upgraded facilities and modern public areas. Further upgrades are expected in the near future, with the opening of the riverside terraces and development of packages including theatre trips and river cruises.
One of the big pluses of the Village Hotel in Reading is its location. It is situated close to Caversham Bridge, overlooking the River Thames and within easy reach of Reading town centre. Unlike many of the city centre hotels it also has the advantage of a large car park.
Rooms At The Village Reading
The hotel has 122 guest bedrooms, including riverside balcony rooms and adjoining rooms for families. We had a “Club Room” upgrade, which included a balcony room and fitness facilities (both in-room and in the Wellness Centre), and a number of other benefits.
Our room had a very comfortable bed, a coffee machine, snacks, and a small desk and chair. I appreciated the filtered water tap (something I haven’t seen elsewhere), and there was also an iron and ironing board. The in-room fitness equipment consisted of a yoga mat and a wellness ball, and there were exercise routines to follow on the TV.
For me, the best feature was the large balcony with tables and chairs overlooking the Thames, a perfect place to catch up with work or just to relax with a book and a drink.
Eating And Drinking At The Village
The lively Pub & Grill restaurant offers the standard Village Hotels menu of classic dishes, sharing plates, and comfort food. There are separate menus for children and for Sunday lunch. The restaurant incorporates a well stocked bar, and large screens show live sport. Room service is also available.
The buffet-style breakfast is served in the Pub & Grill, and includes both hot and cold options. And a Starbucks café in the lobby sells coffee and snacks throughout the day.
Leisure Facilities
The very well-equipped health club is popular with both hotel guests and local residents (free for Club Room visitors; small charge for other guests). As well as a large gym overlooking the river, there are studios offering a wide range of exercise classes and a dedicated reformer Pilates space. There is also a swimming pool, steam room and sauna.
In the bar area you can watch sports on the large screen, or join in with a game of darts.
Making The Most Of Your Stay
The Village Hotel’s location makes it ideal for exploring the city of Reading, the river and the wider region. The hotel backs onto the Thames Path, a long distance trail with riverside parkland, and to the landing stage for Thames Rivercruise. And you can cross the bridge to Caversham for shops, restaurants and the peaceful Caversham Court Gardens.
Further afield, the Village is perfectly placed for exploring the Berkshire countryside, and for day trips to Windsor and London. Families may enjoy a visit to Legoland, just 27 km away.
Practicalities For Your Stay At The Village Hotel Reading
- The 4-star Village Hotel Reading is part of the Village Hotels Group.
- Visitors who upgrade to a Club Room can enjoy a balcony room and a range of benefits including free parking, fitness club access and extended check-in and check-out times.
- The Wellness Centre can be used for a small charge (free to Club Room guests).
- The hotel has an extensive parking area (charges apply, but free to Club Room guests).
- There are facilities for private meetings, parties and other events.
- The hotel is 1.2 km from Reading Station. There are regular trains to London.
- There are good road connections to the M3 and M4 motorways, and to Heathrow Airport.
