Bedford Swan Hotel and Thermal Spa

Style and location. Great suite. I’ve used the Swan for years but despite the good things, this visit left a nasty taste in my mouth

Reception. Staff should be trained to greet guests warmly not by rote, possibly enquire about their journey, deal with enquiries without impatience and avoid exhibiting an aura of condescension. The Swan is a high class hotel and shoukd realise that reception is a lynch pin not the resort of occasional visits from staff who are unsuitable. Cold pseudo efficiency is not a quality that endears or has any place in hospitality. Price of the Spa

Lovely comfortable big bed. Nice spacious bedroom.

TV reception very poor. Parking difficult if you got to the hotel after a certain time.

Nicely decorated rooms and new bathrooms. We were on the 3rd floor. There is a small lift. Beautiful period building retaining the classical original features newly decorated with flourish and colour. Good value and decent breakfast centrally located along the river in Bedford with some parking (if there is no wedding or event on).

I would have liked a large lounge area with seating for bigger groups as we had to be scattered all over despite letting the staff know that we were coming back to the bar. The chaos and lack of organisation organising drinks for everyone could have been better.

Great location and lovely room

Beautiful decor. Stylish hotel in the perfect location for Bedford.

Small bed

Lovely building with a great location by the river and polite, helpful staff.

Parking was a bit of a problem

The hotel was nice and the bed in the room was comfy enough.

The booking page made it seem like we would have access to the spa facilities, but we didn't. Nor were we able to get a booking to actually use any of the spa facilities. If we knew to use the pool would be an extra £20 per person, we would have booked somewhere else. There was hardly any staff available if you had a question or query, just 1 girl being pelted with everything at the reception.

The hotel's location is in close proximity to the river.

The hotel has limited parking, and my personal experience with it was quite disappointing. There were no available parking spaces, and we were left to find alternative parking arrangements on our own.

Everything ❤️

Nothing

Lovely hotel with parking. Close to town centre and the river. Great room and beautifully decorated. Comfortable and clean. Nice spacious bathroom. 2 comfortable chairs in the room. Fridge and a safe. We enjoyed our meal in the restaurant. Excellent menu choices. Breakfast was good and plenty of choice

Check in was odd. 3 receptionists on duty but was told to check in via the tablet. Did this and it said our room wasn’t ready so had to be checked in with receptionist! No hanging space in wardrobe at all due to ironing board and fridge. Meal in restaurant took 2.30 hours overall for mains and sweets. Main course took nearly one hour to arrive. Then a long wait before we were asked if we wanted sweets. Long wait for the bill. Luckily we were not in a hurry so didn’t bother us. Arriving back at the hotel at 11.45 pm we were told bar was closed although we witnessed a lady getting served after we were told bar was shut! We were told to go to reception and they would take a £50 tab and then we could order drinks. We couldn’t be bothered.

Staff was not friendly did not make us feel welcome or smile

Staff

The hotel over all was nice and a good location.

Kept awake all night with one room because me there were men speaking loudly all night in a forgiven language. The other room next to me had a dog in it that barked every now and again. Called reception in the early hours but no one picked up.

Very pretty decor

The double bed was a bit small - queen size.

We rented a room plus SPA and we were offered only one night's sleep at a great price. There are hotels with lower prices in the area.

I was shocked when I received only a room for sleeping without a sleeping SPA, I could sleep in Luton

Very nice hotel & great location, comfortable bed.

That the spa wasn't complementary

Beautiful hotel, and bar. Staff where polite and helpful

Rooms I thought were quite basic, didn’t know that we had to pre book the spa and when we went to book was sold out!

Beautiful hotel

Parking not the best

This is probably the most unsatisfactory hotel I have stayed in during the last 40 years of international travel. At a 4 star hotel I would expect importance to be placed on customer service – at The Swan it seems patrons come second and are treated not as revered guests but as potential miscreants I booked and paid for 2 nights in a superior room and left after the 1st night. On arrival I was informed that the room would only be made up once and that after the 1st night I would have to make the bed myself! I have never experienced that ever before and on enquiring why, was told to make up the beds each day would be an intolerable burden on the house-keeping staff. Really?? Employ more staff?? On finishing dinner I felt like a night cap and went to the bar for a small beer and was informed that the bar was closed to residents paying either by card or by cash. The only way to obtain a drink was to go to reception and open a tab for a minimum of £50.00! – I don’t think so! Finally. At breakfast the next morning , as I had only pre-paid for the room, I was not even allowed to sit down in the restaurant until I had paid for a full breakfast! Not the way to start the day!

The room was clean and well presented

The room wasn’t cleaned and replenished during our stay

location is great. The old part of the hotel is very nice.

Breakfast was Luke warm Saturday & Sunday morning, It was a buffet style but the servers holding the food were not plug in electric and relied on hot water in the bottom section - i put my hand on the base and it was barely warm so no surprise the food was not hot. The food was pretty tasty just not hot. The Terrace bar was very popular when we were there but it closed about 9pm which seemed strange given how popular it was. Our room was not cleaned / serviced during our 2 day stay. This may be the norm but this was not made clear to us when we checked in. I got the feeling it was a hotel relying on its prime location for wedding events - this is allowing it to get away with poor service - needs a manager that opens there eyes and looks at what is going on.

Good location on the river Ouse, staff were friendly and helpful. Room was nicely decorated and comfortable.

Bar closed at 1030 on the dot and I was disappointed that the EV chargers didn’t work but that may be out of the hotels hands. It was quite an expensive hotel when compared to others locally.

Really nice room, clean, well decorated. Air con worked really well.

The hot breakfast is served buffet style. However it was not even lukewarm. Told the staff, and the next day the food was again lukewarm. Stayed two nights, room wasn’t cleaned. Soap dispenser in bathroom was empty and not refilled. Staff were non-chalant at best. Felt like an inconvenience.

Lovely situation and facilities

Out room was small and cramped. There was nowhere to hang or store clothes . As we were staying 3 days, that was not acceptable. There were 2 hooks behind a door and we had to request coat hangers. At night we discovered that the blind didn’t work. We requested a different room, which was provided.

The staff were not particularly well trained and the reception team looked scruffy and did not acknowledge us when we passed through the lobby

Beautiful hotel, fabulous location on the River.

Air con in bedroom in the hot weather was brilliant

We could not use the lift to access our room and we had stairs to carry our luggage. We had asked for a bedroom more accessible. Another time we will address this.

Location and friendly staff

Room was not cleaned properly, looked tired and old. Had to take ironing board out to hang clothes up - not a great stay

I loved the unique atmosphere of the hotel. With its beautiful décor, artwork, and attention to detail, it feels almost like staying in a museum or an art gallery. The hotel was also very clean and comfortable, with a good breakfast and friendly staff.

There was nothing we were unhappy with. Everything met our expectations.

Beautiful location and nice hotel

They need to add slip mats as I had a nasty fall getting out of the bath due to its shape

Good breakfast

N/A

Breakfast was amazing

Always ask for river view and not always accommodating however this time was able to .

Small wardrobe space

Love the location

Yes it’s a lovely very pretty hotel

Absolutely everything

They could do with upgrading the lift

The location

Lack of parking, no access to spa without an additional payment, breakfast choice was buffet only, no river view, lots of noise from partying

Property was in a good location

Staff were really unhelpful. Had to pay extra to use the spa facilities which was in the small print which we didn’t realise. We booked a double room and it was very small with a tiny window

You cleaniness of room

Too many step just one small lift

Hotel is in a lovely location, is well maintained, with beautiful decor and it is very comfortable. The staff were friendly & helpful Brasserie food was good quality

N/a

Pleasant riverside location. Good sized room. Public spaces and bedroom decorated with flair giving a celebratory playful feel.

Hot water tap in bathroom didn’t work. Shower was tepid. Room was poorly soundproofed. Woken on Sunday morning at 06.30 by music that seemed to come from the breakfast room. At the weekends this seems to be a local party spot making the hotel feel noisy and crowded and difficult to park in. We expected a spa hotel to be calmer. Didn’t expect to have to book access to the spa. Breakfast was adequate but dull. Only effs available were scrambled and they looked like they were made with egg powder. Food seemed prepackaged rather than fresh.

Lovely position

Checking in time has changed, and found have to wait even after the time given

Location and premises

N/a

Nice and historic.

Parking was awful, staff seemed stressed and unhelpful at the front desk.

Decor was really nice throughout the hotel and loved my room. My bed was comfy and everyone in my group booking commented on the good nights sleep they had so beds were a 10.

N/a

Restaurant Decor

Room price very expensive considering no access to pool. Or. Breakfast included We were put in room 118 directly over kitchen I believe, for a hotel that didn't seem very occupied why pop us in a noisy room. We were woke at 5am with rubbish vans, loud banging and people. Speaking. Very disappointing. We. Left at 7am unbearable. Shower door broke

I found the Bedford Swan Hotel a major disappointment .when I tried to book the website wasn’t working for 2 days .I phoned on numerous occasions - but no one answered the call. I emailed and 3 days later someone replied ! Whilst the car parking is handy , although a little snug , checking staff were completely uninterested and un welcoming . Once I made up to the room (although having a Sherpa to help and guide me would have been great ) it was spacious and comfy . The restaurant was awful .After expressing My requirements we were directed to an outside sitting area, but were told they couldn’t bring food out to us even though we had requested food and have been given a menu . We had to go instead to the frozen restaurant to be served . I ordered a pint of draught beer , which had been served to me in the outside area , to be told they didn’t serve it inside and I wouldn’t be allowed to to get it myself . The food came , starters and mains all together , with ingredients missing , which when explained to the waiter , made no sense to him and he had to go back to the kitchen for the correct food and another server to deliver it as he didn’t understand . Why make it easy for your guests when you can make it difficult ? Wish I hadn’t stayed .

Room food and great vibes

Had to pay to use the spa

Very friendly helpful staff, lovely location and nice room.

Parking was a bit tight!

The hotel was in a super position and within a reasonable distance from the railway station. The hotel was in an excellent position and would certainly revisit this property. The room was airy and just the right size for 2 people with all the necessary facilities. The 'older'gentleman on the desk was extremely helpful on the Sunday afternoon.

A little disappointed that we did not receive room service until after our second nights' stay. The breakfast was strangely set out and the hot food,despite being contained in large 'heated' containers,was still tepid. The wait for the poached egg was far too long and I had finished my breakfast before my friend had received her poached egg?!! Whilst there was a reasonable choice at the table with juices etc, I was perhaps expecting croissants/crumpets etc to be a part of it. There was also no waste bin to place the empty packets for cereals etc and we were asked just to leave the empty packet on the table - not a good look. Staff helpful/cheery exterior was not consistent.

Location close to the river was pleasant and walking distance from the town.

Car parking - there weren't enough spaces - big hassle! Reception staff - they were indifferent. Breakfast - poor selection of luke warm buffet. Grotty coffee from a machine. No service from breakfast restaurant staff - they all seemed poorly trained and disinterested. Shower - leaked all over the floor,, due to a badly fitting shower screen. Bedroom furnishings were stained and the lighting was poor. Bedroom looked on to a courtyard - horrible outlook. Bedroom smelt and it was stuffy.

We went to Anna’s tea room to celebrate a friends big birthday, unfortunately we didn’t have best experience First we had to wait 30 mins for someone to offer us a drink as no staff were to be seen, and if we did try call over we were ignored Drinks then took a further 20 mins to arrive Something to bear in mind you have to pre book your menu before you arrive. An hour later we were still waiting, as well as other tables around us there before we arrived The setting of the room is lovely, and once it arrived the afternoon tea was lovely When it came to pay the bill we asked why there was no staff to be told a high volume had called in sick, and a wedding party unexpectedly turned up and had to take priority It was a real shame as the venue was gorgeous, and I understand these things happen but no one gave us the courtesy of explaining service may be slow due to staff issues or lots of guests. We actually saw one table walk out! It was Saturday afternoon, perhaps if we were able to visit again we would consider a weekday maybe

The staff was aggressive and arguing outside the room at 2am in the morning after I called for them to fix the air con. It took 2 hours for him to get to the room. I had zero sleep and all he wanted to do was argue.

Nice location, very clean and welcoming

Not the property but the fact we would have had to pay for the pool facilities. Other than that can’t fault it!!

Stil, Lage und Ausstattung

Room, Location, Food, Service, Dog Friendly

The Shower .... was more like a dribble than a shower!

The food in the restaurant was lovely. Bedroom was clean and comfortable

Nice room size. Comfortable. Had air conditioning which was great during a heatwave. Nice restaurant which was reasonably priced for food and drinks.

Stayed 2 nights and room wasn't cleaned.

Location is great! The rooms are spacious and very quiet and right on the high street and easy access to the riverside.

The room was spacious but could do with a slight refurbishment. The shower in the bath was leaking out onto the floor. The silicone could use a touch up. We had to place the towels on the floor to avoid slipping. Very minor issue and can be rectified speedily. The ceiling needed a touch up in the room. The cap on the tap cover was missing! Hope this helps as it is a fantastic hotel

A delightful hotel situated by the river in Bedford and adjacent to the main high street in Bedford. It’s a lovely classical hotel and has been here for as long as I can remember. We decided to stay in the junior suite which is their top category room and it was well worth it. The room is spacious and clean and away from the hustle and bustle of the main reception area and bar and dining areas. The conference rooms where the hold private functions etc are also away from the residential side. This is a nice touch. We sadly couldn’t visit the thermal spa which we had hoped we could have done. But they were fully booked for our visit. So if you fancy it book in advance to avoid disappointment. The room is decorated classically, could do with a slight touch up but nothing major to take away from the room. If I was being Pedantic there was slight fading on the ceiling and one of the bedside lamps had a loose lamp shade but hardly an issue. We love it here and will visit again

Great location refurbished rooms are excellent in the alfresco bar was a great offer offering

Disappointing check-in experience

The location - close to town and to the river - nearby cafes and groceries and a nice walk along the river to Priory Park.

Some noise from the other rooms - mediocre breakfast and overworked staff. The restaurant area is overcrowded.

Very clean and cool

No real early check-ins

It was OK. This was our second time at the day spa with tea afterwards. The Spa was a nice temperature and clean, however it's beginning to look tatty. Peeling paint on the walls and ceilings, steam room handle hanging off and the bubble push buttons worked when they felt like it. Overall, it was OK, not the best and it's a shame it's being let go.

Great location by the river and close to the centre of town. Comfortable and clean room. We only ate lunch at the hotel but this was excellent with a great spot on the terrace

Have to say did not find the staff particularly friendly or professional, especially at reception. Was disappointing as apart from that is a very good hotel

Location and the gym

Nothing

The location right next to the river, restaurant and bar.

The rooms were not worth the money, was shabby, ripped net curtain, tape on windows. Basic room.

beautiful hotel, spa bit was a lovely addition (but an hour was enough), room was big, Unfortunately our shower ran scalding or hot (too hot really) so that needed reporting. I couldn't shower properly. Staff in Pen and Cobb were lovely but didn't have much common sense or proactive vibes - but a minor thing. Food was good. Guinness was awful. Bar area and restaurant was lovely. Breakfast was lovely but this really needs looking at - constantly running out of plates, hot food etc... always having to ask staff to top stuff up. This is purely an organisational thing - maybe bigger serving station? and more pro-active staff constantly checking? Wouldn't put us off returning - if you need to stay in Bedford this is a decadent choice and good value for money.

shower temperature Guinness breakfast organisation

The helpfulness of the staff to accommodate my needs and the friendly everyone was

Nothing to dislike at all

The rooms were lovely and so were the staff. Also in a really good location

Facilities were shocking. We paid £227 for the junior suite room, there wasn’t even any tea and coffee in the room or a hairdryer which I think is poor as you even get that in a premier inn. Breakfast was terrible had to wait 20 mins for fresh food to be brought back out and selection of food wasn’t good.

great hotel within walking distance of Bedford Park for the summer sessions concerts. The thermal spa is small but lovely and also uncrowded. very helpful staff

room was very hot - the aircon wasnt really working, but this was probably due to the hotel being completely full and the weather being very hot.

Decent room with a fridge. Something you don't have everywhere. Breakfast was nice, especially the Tiptree spreads. WiFi is good, hotel looks nice and the location is perfect, nice area by the river.

Shower pressure could be better. Airco is a bit weird, either not doing anything or freezing Pricey compared to some other hotels in the area but not that much better.

There was no parking when we arrived so had to park 20 mins away from hotel. There was availability in the spa for the Saturday or Sunday and the whole point we booked this hotel was for the spa. The room we stayed in the flooring was so out of level when I laid in bed I fell like I was laying upside down. There was no orange juice with breakfast as they run out and no coffee left by 9am. Very disappointed after spending £450 for a spa weekend and we ended up sitting in the room for 2 days.

Nothing

The room was not as described on the website. The description promised a king size luxury room. This was not. We had a double bed, wonky floors, stained floors, broken furniture, pigeon faeces on the window sills. I had the worst sleep of my life and woke up with neck pain.

Great location

Parking is limited

Great hotel and beautiful location

Staff on reception were disjointed and seemed distracted ... had to repeatedly say what name the booking was under several times and tried to engage to make the conversation more flowing, but it was completely lost on the individual. Mistake with booking as booked via booking.com and breakfast was not included but was booked with breakfast, and she offered no empathy on a solution.

Lovely hotel! Old and quirky

Very very poorly run , this place could be the best but no one give a toss, probably under paid, they don’t know what they are doing, breakfast was shocking, boiled bacon and sausage, all re heated from at least a few hours before

Setting of the hotel next to the river Decor and design of hotel is good Complimentary parking

Breakfast - very poor given the price paid for 1 night stay. Slow service, limited choice, a number of options were not available Bed was uncomfortable

Bed was the smallest double we have ever slept in. Reception failed to take a pre-authorisation on our card resulting us not being able to order from the bar on our return to the hotel in the late evening

The air conditioning in the room could only be switched off if the electrics were not activated by the key card. This resulted in us having no light in the bathroom during the night, and the staff were unable to resolve this.

Loved the courtyard room

Breakfast items weren't refreshed very quickly when Tyler ran out!

Nice looking hotel

Over priced for the room provided

Nice hotel by the river. Our room was a bit small but it was comfy. Friendly staff. Comfy bed.

Breakfast could have been more inspiring and refilled more frequently. There was often a couple of things that had run out. It felt low on staff at that time.

Pleasant hotel with old-world charm. The room was pleasant enough, but quite small, and had a few scuffs here and there. The room was nice and clean, and the staff were very courteous. The hotel is in a nice location next to the river. Pleasant breakfast.

There were two main issues. Firstly, the room was not ready at check-in time, and when you are paying a premium price, you expect to get into your room on time, even if the delay was fairly short. Secondly, we felt the hotel did not offer good value for the price of the room. There was no wow factor.

Nice characterful hotel with well designed public spaces. The room was also lovely and we really liked the decorative touches.

From a cleanliness perspective, the windowsill in our room was littered with dead flies. Otherwise it was very clean. The sheet on the bed also didn’t seem to fit properly. The worst aspect was the lack of customer service. Pretty much all of the staff we dealt with were poor. Reception staff couldn’t wait to tell us all if the things we couldn’t do rather than welcoming us and seeing what they could do to help. Apparently you have to pay to check in early but I was never offered this option on any of the times I messaged the hotel to see if we could check in early - we ended up not being able to check in until ten past 3 when we really had wanted to be on our way to our event by 3. Breakfast was equally poor - there was no orange juice - a staple of any English breakfast and something my husband relies on as he doesn’t drink tea or coffee. We ended up buying some from McDonald’s next door but given how expensive the breakfast is, this is terrible. A manager worth their salt would have gone out to a corner shop somewhere and bought some. I also asked for a fried egg - no trouble at all, apparently and I heard the girl go into the kitchen and ask for it - sadly it never arrived. At check out, the person behind the desk was more interesting trying to figure out an issue with a room not being available and determining whether giving the person booked into it a room with a broken tv instead, then dealing with me. I stood there for several minutes without so much as a “I’ll be with you in a moment.” Several times staff seemed more interesting chatting between themselves than dealing with customers. It really is a lovely hotel but I would have to think twice about whether I’d stay there again, particularly given the price.

Space

Nothing

no lift working had to go up five flights upstairs ridiculous and you had to pay for sauna and steam

property was okay, but with no lift working and they did not say on the app you had to pay for son and steam

Great positioning, car parking and clean.

Way too expensive for what it is. The staff were just OK. But rather reactive to problems rather than forward thinking and helpful. The breakfast ran out of bacon and not replaced for far too long.

Location

Service Old rooms dirty carpets Dirty bathroom floors No air conditioning that worked

Was very clean

The hotel was expensive there was no tea and coffee facility in the rooms , breakfast wasn’t until half 10 but you have to be out of the rooms by 11 so didn’t end up having that was a rip off and I booked for 2 nights but when we got there they had it down as 1 night so ruined the weekend won’t be going back

Lovely stay at hotel. Spa is great and location by the river beautiful

Great location, great access

Broken and leaking a/c unit

Location

Rooms old Tv didn’t work Air con rubbish Dirty floors in bathroom

Bed was amazingly comfortable well situated hotel

Great location staff on check in was extremely abrupt not sure I actually wanted to stay but was pre paid

Great location room was comfortable. The bar was a very nice area.Staff were great

Every time we went into the restaurant and ordered an item on the menu.They would come back two minutes later, saying they don't have that, or they had run out.Apart from that, the food we did get was very nice

We were a small family group who were meeting for afternoon tea to celebrate the life of a family member who had passed on. Ironically we found the service very good but the tea itself was underwhelming, I've experienced a better standard in other places. Sandwiches were edible but uninspiring, the scones were very dry and could not be cut without disintegrating,although there was a generous supply of cream and jam to hold the bits together!The cakes supplied were varied. A cake fork would have been helpful. Lovely hotel but would we go back there for afternoon tea.....perhaps not,

Lovely night room

Parking

Beautiful boutique hotel, even found room for a fitness room! Free parking!

No fresh fruit at breakfast, no cold meats, cheeses or national yogurt. No pastries at breakfast either, poor really! Felt £170 for solo traveler was at least £50 over charged!

Nice location and building. Good location. Overall it should have been a good experience

When we arrived it was about 32 degrees. Our room had air conditioning, but no one had thought to switch it on, so it took some hours to get the temperature down to near normal. Breakfast was at Travel Lodge/Premier Inn standard. Coffee very mediocre. Plus not everything was available - ordered an egg. and went to the self service counter when it arrived. No brown bread to toast. Waited for bread, cooked toast. Then started loading my plate. No sausages, which, I was told were on way. I didn't wait but egg was stone cold by the time I got back to my table!! Also hash browns were just soggy mush. Overall not really acceptable. In addition, we arrived back at 21.25 on Sunday went to the bar, but staff wouldn't serve a coffee as the machine had already been switched off. Overall you claim to be a boutique hotel, but are actually more volume focused

Spotlessly clean, super comfy bed, toiletries good quality, good towels and fabulous shower. Nice having a fridge in the room. Lovely breakfast room with plenty of choice. Breakfast staff friendly and accommodating. Good touch advising when its the busiest times for breakfast

I specifically booked this hotel over others that were cheaper because it promised air conditioned bedrooms, there was an air conditioning unit and a control panel but it did not cool the room at all. I wanted to make use of the spa, just for a swim, and when booking it said that there was an extra fee but when i went to reception I was informed i should have booked because there was a private function and no slots available on Sunday and fully booked on Saturday evening. Guests should be informed that pre booking is required. I’ve looked once I got home and still cant find this on booking.com. It may just have been extra busy because of the private function but I was extremely lucky to find parking on site, nice touch that its was complimentary though

Our stay at your hotel was exceptional because it was a romantic getaway, just the two of us. We were celebrating our partner's birthday. The hotel and your spa were both exceptional, comfortable, exclusive, and beautiful. It was relaxing and well-chosen. The views were beautiful, and the weather was perfect. Thank you for allowing us to spend this romantic time with you. We highly recommend this hotel.

-

Location

Breakfast was poor- water, pastries, bread, sausages and scrambled eggs were all finished when we arrived for breakfast at 9.30, despite breakfast being advertised being on until 10.40 on Sundays.