Crescent Hotel - Reading, United Kingdom     

This hotel is fine if you just want to come back after a night out and collapse in a comfy bed. friendly helpful owner who went out of his way to help out. you get what you pay for. a bed, a roof and a good night sleep!

I had to stay last night (2 Jan 2007) at short notice and booked through Active. The hotel description and pictures looked good on the website and I wanted a hotel with Internet Access to do some work. The main door was locked and the reception area was dark and dingy. There is no where to eat in the hotel other than breakfast. I was told there was a bar but that it currently only had limited stock. Having been given my keys I made my way to what should have been a smoking double with free wifi access. The room was tiny and had a double and a single. There is only one power socket in the whole room so if you have a mobile to charge a laptop to power and want a cup of tea then shift work is necessary. No ashtray so it was a saucer job! No wardrobes but some makeshift hanging space sat in the middle of the room. The room was dark, old and did not give the impression of being clean. The bathroom was nearly as big but dreadfull in its layout and appointments including a blind that did not work and peeling paint on the window sills. Having been out to eat I was met by the receptionist again who asked what I thought of the hotel. I was honest! He offered to move me to another room which I declined; I had unpacked and it was bedtime! He showed me the room I could have and it was exactly the same as the one I had! He told me that it was difficult to do much with the hotel as it is a listed building etc and then offered to discount my rate (£75). The bed wasnt bad but breakfast tested the microwave and my teeth to the full. Wifi Access was difficult and seemed to have been turned off altogether at midnight. I shall not be returning.