The New Inn - Reading, United Kingdom 

My work causes me to stay in Reading on a fairly regular basis and, as I operate under particular stingy budgetary constraints, I have stayed in some truly awful hotels - I've learnt that anything beginning with the words Quality or Comfort tends to be nothing of the sort... A friend recommended the New Inn and now I really wouldn't stay anywhere else. The rooms and bathrooms are stylish, well-appointed and comfortable and the food in the restaurant and/or bar is consistantly good. As for the quality of service, I usually deal with a lady called Rae, who could not be more welcoming. Yes, it is a bit of a pain that they are shut between 3 & 6, but I can usually plan my journey around that. The only downside is its somewhat remote location. Yes, that means you get a lovely, peaceful night's sleep, but the drive into Reading down a narrow winding road can be a bit of a nightmare, especially if it coincides with the school run! Having said that, traffic in Reading is horrible at the best of times, so there's really no escaping it. I'd recommend the New Inn highly.

This is one of the new breed of transformed pubs that are now styling themselves as ‘restaurants with rooms’. Starting with their online presence the owners have quite obviously aimed for an upmarket boutique hotel look and feel, a little like a Hotel du Vin in a smaller package. Rooms have wine related names, such as Rioja or Champagne, and are tastefully furnished in a modern but warm theme. It is all the more a shame then that the website does not have descriptions and images of the individual rooms. Instead one has to call up and ask for details, which, on the other hand, is just as well, as there is no online booking facility anyway. On arrival the welcome could not be friendlier and helpful. This level of service continues throughout. Unfortunately, I had no opportunity to sample the efforts of the kitchen staff, presided over by the owner. As already mentioned, the rooms are nice and comfortable, with wide-screen TV, the usual freebees in the bathroom and an obvious eye for small but lovely touches. This was not reflected in the bathroom, though, where the towel rack was crying out for a duster and a grotty soap dish distracted from the otherwise stylish ambience. Also worth mentioning is that the transition to a boutique hotel suitable for the business traveller has not been fully completed. At heart this is still more a restaurant than a slick affair dealing in temporary accommodation. From 3pm to 6pm, therefore, no one is around to make checking in possible. Because my travel arrangements and business diary meant that I would arrive in exactly that period I had to spend 2 hours in Reading, as whiling it away in my car in front of the inn seemed even less appealing. However, I appreciate for many travellers this might not be such an issue. To me it just meant that the final finesse was missing. All in all, nothing of these points would bring me to puttin others off from staying here. As an alternative to the usually overpriced and into sterility standardised business hotels this is definitely worth a try.