This writer had the chance to stay in one of their more expensive galaxy blue sapphire right in Times Square in Manhattan, and he’s grateful this time again for the opportunity to stay in another of their hotels in Reading, Pennsylvania (PA). He accompanied his friend who’s attending a continuing education seminar held in the ‘largest meeting space in Reading, PA hotels’, which the hotel website mentions, and he took time to work on his projects while staying in the hotel. During the brief stay, he proceeded to prepare and share a review about this hotel, which is located along Papermill Road, Wyomissing, PA, a three-hour drive from his place in Staten Island, New York.
Upon their arrival in the area at around 3pm, this writer noticed that the hotel entrance is very basic in design and looks very business like, without much fuss spent on decorating and sprucing up the front area that you expect to see in landscaped gardens. It could have been turned into a mini-garden but nothing of the sort could be found here. But parking space is very ample and located right in front of the 5-storey contemporary style building, and music is blasting loud from a hidden speaker, the sound of which you won’t fail to hear as you take steps on the stairs leading to the lobby that beckons on you as doors open automatically.
Turn left after the automatic doors and you’ll be led to the elevator that’s accessible only to key holders (or those who are guests of the hotel). Staff are generally friendly and helpful. One of them who’s assigned in one of the restaurants didn’t mind giving this writer and his friend a brief tour on the facilities of the hotel that includes an indoor swimming pool, a gym, a bar and a lounge, a business center for those who need help and space for transactions they have to attend to while being in the hotel.
This writer noticed that during the late evenings when he would be coming back from exploring interesting nightspots in Reading, people were coming and going to the Crowne Plaza. They looked like they have busy weekday nights for their local patrons and not only for those from afar who choose to stay in the hotel. All space including the lobby that conveniently leads to the front desk, restaurant, the lounge, the nightclub, and the ballroom open to a very wide area, with a clean appeal to the senses, and will help make you imagine that many big and important events take place here. Also, certain facilities are only accessible to guests, which include the pool and the gym.
The room this writer and his friend had was more than 300 square feet in size and with a queen size bed. In the room, flatscreen TV with cable, internet access, wifi service, a console for your iPod, a single-serve coffee-maker are available for your needs. The daily issue of USA Today is also delivered to your bedroom each day, and which to this writer was unusual as he reads the news mostly online. Water pressure in the bathroom is weak and it takes a while for warm water to finally come out. Two large paintings showing prints of pretty-looking flowers like ranunculus hang on the wall, one of which hang on the wall right on top of the headboard.
The view when the drapes are drawn out wasn’t really immediately interesting as the room’s on the back side of the third floor and you could just see the tarred roof that is above the lobby and the huge meeting space in the ground floor of the building. Nevertheless, if you extend your eyes to see what else is out there, you’ll see the view of the hilly sections of Reading and beyond, which view offers sections of the highways, the nearby Home Depot store, the Pier Imports store, and other nearby buildings. You’ll notice that the skyline is dominated mainly by low rise buildings that are horizontally expansive, and they have the look that they would be renovated soon for other purposes when the proper time and opportunity come.
You’ll have the opportunity to visit a number of local branches of chains of retail stores and restaurants, which seems to be typical in this kind of urban area. You’ll probably have the opportunity to see interesting places of attractions, including the location of once used to be the world’s largest hosiery mill, the Berkshire Knitting Mills. Outlets stores are located now in the complex, where the hotel is also based. And you’ll be helped much more in your brief trips into the other sections of Reading if you have a car to drive around. Crowne Plaza Reading is a good place to start your mini-adventure in this region that’s in the center of Pennsylvania.
