My spouse and I stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Reading
on a Saturday night in late October 2016. We attended a concert across the street
at the Santander Arena, and we could not have stayed any closer to the arena
unless we slept inside! From our room on the sixth (of eight) floor, we could
see into the lobby of the arena, which was handy because we could monitor the
lines and crowds without stepping outside. We reserved our room using the
Hilton HHonors website, and the hotel sent us an email the day before our stay
so that we could check in online.
The DoubleTree, which opened in December 2015, is located in
downtown Reading across Penn Street from the arena. It is easy to walk to
nearby bars and restaurants (such as the Ugly Oyster, Peanut Bar, Speckled Hen,
and Judy’s on Cherry) as well as some basic stores (CVS Pharmacy, smoke shop).
Wells Fargo and Santander Banks (and their ATM machines) are nearby. The hotel
offers complimentary parking in attached Convention Center Garage. (Note that
on event days, city workers may block Penn Street between Sixth and Seventh
Streets beginning at 6:00 pm, so you should enter the garage from Court Street
instead.)
The front desk staff welcomes each guest with the DoubleTree
signature chocolate chip cookie. Adjacent to the front desk is a chic and
sophisticated library/lounge area with high ceilings, comfortable furniture,
and books that encourage guests to rest and relax. A small business center with
computers and a printer is located behind the library. Many meeting/event rooms
of varying sizes are available on the street level (the hotel can host events
for up to 2,000 people), as is a shop that sells classy souvenirs, gifts,
forgotten sundry items. The hotel offers a fitness center and pool on its lower
level. The pool area offers seating options like reclining chairs, regular
chairs and tables, and comfortable all-weather cushioned lounge furniture. We
visited the hotel bar and restaurant (Cheers American Bistro) for the breakfast
buffet on Sunday morning, and we were impressed with the attractive expansive space
(with 25+ foot ceilings), the dedicated buffet area, and the selection and
quality of the food. On event nights, the hotel sets up an auxiliary bar in the
lobby to accommodate overflow guests when the official bar and restaurant are
full. You can also dine outdoors in appropriate weather.
The hotel offers 209 rooms (314 to 454 square feet, with
either a king or two queens) and suites (one- and two-bedrooms from 690+ square
feet). We booked our one-bedroom, two-room panoramic view suite online. Because
we only stayed for one evening, we were undecided between booking a regular
king room and a king suite. We are glad that we splurged, because we loved our huge
suite! It contained four areas, including a large tiled foyer (with a
connecting door to another room so that you could make it a 2-bedroom suite and
a door to the water closet). A combination living/dining area contained a large
work desk, an L-shaped sectional sofa in front of a wall-hung flat-screen TV, a
glass coffee table, and a small round wood dining table with four chairs
adjacent to a wet bar area with sink, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee maker.
The wallcoverings, carpet, upholstery, lighting were stylish and elegant, and
we particularly liked the sculpture that occupied a corner stand/table. Windows
covered one entire wall and half of another wall, offering views over the city
and across the local landscape. We enjoyed the view of a phenomenal sunset across
the mountains and horizon on the night that we stayed. The large bedroom
contained a king-size canopy bed with a nightstand on each side, as well as a
dresser to store clothes, on top of which was a second flat-screen TV; a
comfortable chair and ottoman occupied one corner. The bedroom closet contained
a bathrobe and slippers, which we do not normally encounter in regular
DoubleTree rooms. The bathroom covered two individual rooms: the smaller (but
still spacious) room contained the toilet, with a door that you could access
from the hallway foyer as well as from the main part of the bathroom. The main
bathroom was enormous, with a huge double-sink vanity that offered plenty of
storage, and a bathtub-size shower (although without an actual bathtub). The
hotel provides complimentary Aroma Actives toiletries including shampoo,
conditioner, body lotion, and soap. Our only criticism is that the larger
bathroom space offered no convenient place for the garbage can because each
wall contained either a door, the shower, or the large vanity. Other than that
very small detail, the suite was well though-out and nearly perfect!
The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Reading is one of the newest
chain hotel that we have stayed in, and it shows, with its attractive and functional
design and comfortable rooms. We liked this hotel so much that we wish we had another
reason to return to Reading soon!
