The Millennium Madejski Hotel has been renamed voco Reading, one of only eight in the world using the brand.
The voco name is a new fast-growing brand of the global hotel operator IHG which owns many well-known hotel names.
The change brings the 201-room hotel into line with others owned by the Thailand-based Srivikorn family which also operate under IHG brands.
The family maintained ownership of the hotel when Reading Football Club was sold to its current owners, Dai Yongge and his sister Dai Xiu Li.
A five to six month refurbishment programme has begun with a new colour scheme in the Atrium Bar followed by a new look to the reception and restaurant areas and there will be new menus.
The bedrooms are also being refurbished in a phased programme which will complete early next year.
Director of sales Gerry Skerritt described voco as an ‘unstuffy relaxed brand’.
He said: “We are really excited about this news and it’s a new brand coming to Reading.”
Other voco hotels are in Australia (where there are two), Dubai, Solihull, Cardiff and there are two in Oxford. Many more are in the pipeline.
In a statement issued when the deal was completed in October, Jon Colley, head of development, UK & Ireland for IHG, said: “We’re excited to announce the signing of voco Reading.
“The momentum of voco is proving to be a great success in the UK following the recent openings of voco Cardiff St David’s, voco Solihull and voco Oxford Thames.
“This signing also sees us continue to grow our managed estate, which is a priority in our home market. IHG currently manage 18 properties and we’re looking forward to working with our partners to expand that portfolio in the future.”
Pimol Srivikorn, vice chairman of the Srivikorn Group, said: “It is great to expand our partnership with IHG and enter the UK market. voco is an exciting brand, providing a unique offering that complements our existing IHG assets in Asia.
“IHG are a great partner to work alongside and we know from experience that their systems drive successful performance in hotels. We look forward to welcoming voco Reading to our portfolio.”
The voco Reading brand began operating on December 11 and will be fully operational by January 3.
* Image (top) by Andrew Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5079213
* Images below show how the hotel will look. In descending order: the Atrium Bar, reception, Le Cafe, a bedroom and the new branding.
© Thames Valley Property No 191 (tvproperty.co.uk)
