World-famous architect Matteo Thun has been brought on board the team overseeing the transformation of the Penta Hotel in Reading into a world-class business and leisure venue.
After taking control of the city centre venue earlier this year, Germany's Penta was quick to outline its £5 million ambitions, which involve giving the hotel a thorough makeover, with particular attention to be paid to its conferencing and events facilities.
At the same time, the rest of the hotel is to be brightened up and injected with a more relaxed atmosphere as it looks to attract corporate clients from both across the booming 'M4 corridor' as well as from nearby London and even overseas.
Penta Hotel general manager Philip Cox explained: "It is such a competitive marketplace that you need to stand out and look at ways of doing things differently.
"The local corporate market remains our bread and butter, but we believe that after a day of sitting in meetings, corporate clients don't want a hotel that looks like another boardroom."
Among the major companies boasting UK headquarters in Reading are Microsoft, Cisco and Sage, making the city a hotspot of IT expertise. 
