Name: Bedford Swan Hotel and Thermal Spa
Address: The Embankment, Bedford, England, United Kingdom, Bedford, Bedfordshire, GB
Price range: $106–$269 per night
Rating: 8.03

What guests think

At Bedford Swan Hotel and Thermal Spa, travelers praise the central riverside location and stylish refurbishment, plus generally clean, comfortable rooms and friendly staff, while recurring gripes include limited on-site parking, mixed breakfast quality, and service stretched at busy times.

The thermal spa is popular and well regarded, but access usually requires advance paid booking and sessions can be fully reserved. Room experiences vary in size, noise, and temperature control, with occasional weak Wi‑Fi or aging TVs noted. Overall, expect a charming riverside stay with good comfort and amenities, tempered by parking constraints and some inconsistencies.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

The thermal spa is praised but usually requires advance paid booking, and on-site parking is very limited and tight. Several reviews also mention occasional heating or hot-water outages.

Related guest reviews

6

Warren

May 3, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great hotel spoilt by their car parking options. They advertise as having parking on site but in reality when you arrive after 6pm the car park is full of Diners in the Brasserie & people using the spa. I had to park at a council car park about 1/2 mile away Then surprise surprise the car park was half empty by 10pm when the spa & diners returned home but I had already parked elsewhere Funny thing was they tried to charge me £5 for parking when I checked out, which I asked them to refund

8

Rod

Aug 27, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Spa booked up for 3 days very disappointed

6

Simon

Aug 13, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Hotel was ok, parking was terrible and the charge to use the spa was horrific considering I was a hotel guest. I would just advise if you were looking for a hotel with gym, sauna etc to look elsewhere nearby as this hotel I very overrated in my opinion.

2

Marie

Jan 14, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

During my stay, the hotel was having problems with the heating. I explained how cold my room was, I was told they had been having problems with the heating for the past 6 days. No one had bothered to contact me in advance to warn me, giving me the option to book somewhere else and simply told me it was being worked on and there wasn't anything they could do. They did not offer any additional heating, and even the "apology" did not come across as sincere. It was delivered without empathy or concern and a "it's not my fault" attitude. Apart from the heating, my room was comfortable. I had booked 3 rooms for 5 adults and 1 infant. 2 of the adults who were due to stay with me did not attend due to illness. I was glad because although the beds were double, they were very small so I would not have been comfortable sharing the bed. My room had a stained carpet and the deadlock on the door did not work. After going out, I returned, at midnight, but there were no parking spaces. I spoke to someone in reception to ask where I could park and was directed to a Local Authority car park which was some way away - this meant that I would have to walk back unaccompanied - as a single female, I found this completely unacceptable. (bearing in mind I had booked 3 rooms, I would have expected to have at least 1 parking space). I had to ask my daughter to leave her baby with her elderly grandmother and come with me. (still not ideal). Staff did not care.

8

Lisa

Jun 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good but no gym and you have to pay extra for the spa which was disappointing

8

Maria

Jul 27, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Beautiful historical hotel! Confortable. Food at the restaurant is excellent! The thermal spa is a lot of fun but it requires advanced booking so we could not use it everyday of our stay. The staff at the reception is quite slow, one has to be patient.

4

Aubrey

Jan 16, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Unfortunately, this was not a good visit. The hotel had a problem with their heating (although this was only admitted on the morning we left). As a result our room was cold and we had to make do with extra old blankets they provided for us

2

Tim

Nov 5, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Cold shower on the evening I arrived and the following morning due to boiler issue, not good!

6

winston

Oct 3, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice place and location. But by the time you add up the room cost, parking cost, charge to use the pool (£20), I would have expected a little more. Suggestions would include a bottle of water left in the room, a bowl of fruit in the lobby and more friendly staff in reception who smile and are friendly. Although the Gentleman running the spa desk was friendly and very welcoming.

6

James

Sep 14, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We booked the hotel to celebrate our anniversary. Upon arrival, we were told that the spa is fully booked, which was the main reason for us to pick this hotel. Don't call the hotel Thermal Spa if it is always fully booked, and why do we have to book that separately at the first place, I thought it is part of the whole experience? It is just simply misleading not being able to use the facilities which are being promoted...

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Cleanliness

Most guests find rooms and public areas very clean and well-presented. A few mention stained furnishings or missed housekeeping during multi-night stays.

Related guest reviews

10

Cholpon

Jun 17, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The cleanliness and decorations, especially around the reception and breakfast area. Plus location was great

8

NIGEL

Dec 17, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was clean however 1 of the chairs was badly stained, I reported this to reception who had it changed whilst I was out.

4

Martin

Dec 11, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room not cleaned or beds made, when I asked about this I was told they are only done every other day. Loud banging, shouting and cages be pushed around outside our bedroom window from 6am onwards, 1st night only 1 towel left for us both 😡

10

Lisa

Oct 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was beautifully decorated & clean. It was helpful to have a fridge.

10

Ian

Nov 13, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean and spacious room. Lovely hotel in a great location

10

Jackie

Apr 6, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely location right by the river. Hotel is spotless and staff were all very helpful although it was understaffed for demand at the bar with long queues because of the glorious weather. Rooms were spacious and spotlessly clean. Would recommend this hotel.

10

Diane

Jan 1, 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

Room spotless & smart decor. Friendly & welcoming receptionist

10

Steven

Feb 2, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

So clean, infact immaculate, staff so presentable, friendly and professional, love this hotel

6

Patricia

Jul 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff are marvelous, friendly helpful and efficient, but although the lobby and some areas downstairs are magnificent, the dining room is looking tired and the chairs are note especially clean. Breakfast was plentiful and average about what we expected . Our bedroom was rather sparse, the ‘King’ bed was rather small but comfortable enough. The bathroom was lovely and clean but no loo brush? All in all for the decent price we paid we were very happy but it was not quite what we had expected, the lovely staff make your stay more than the hotel does.

6

RICARDO

Aug 3, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

I liked the location, the service was below standard in your restaurant, you need new bedding, new cushions and the room wasn't cleaned after the second night.

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Rooms

Rooms feature attractive decor and comfortable beds, with many noting good space. However, some are small or noisy, temperature control and air‑conditioning can be unreliable, and Wi‑Fi/TV performance is occasionally weak.

Related guest reviews

6

Andrew

May 17, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

It was alright, restaurant and bar are great, good food, friendly staff and fast service. The hotel rooms were clean, but dated. The air con didnt work and it took multiple requests for anything to happen. Also the TV only gets 3 channels. They also wouldnt let me check in earlier than 2pm. I understand its their policy, but i was only 15 minutes early. Seemed a bit petty

6

Heather

Sep 23, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We stayed in room 253 on the 2nd floor of the hotel. Although the room was clean it was very cramped with no facilities to hang clothes. This is our 2nd stay at the hotel . On the first occasion we stayed in a room on the 1st floor (for the same price) which was far less cramped . The hotel itself is in a lovely setting on the embankment, with a very nice bar and restaurant.

6

Nicholas

Nov 16, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Black pudding at breakfast was dried out, scrambled eggs were horribly overcooked and dry. Otherwise breakfast was okay. Room was small and temperature control was very hard to work out.

6

Delroy

Jan 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Wi-Fi was non existent very poor

8

Amanda

Feb 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely, clean room however, no bath! Bed is huge, comfortable and fresh. Bathroom is spotless. The only negative was the noise, both internal and external. People slamming doors at stupid o’clock and outside revellers. I know some people said parking was an issue but not for me.

10

Ian

Nov 13, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean and spacious room. Lovely hotel in a great location

8

nadia

Jan 20, 2025

·

Stayed 7 nights

The rooms need updating. We had many maintenance issues which were not resolved, although the staff was very friendly and supportive. Example: shower too hot and cannot be mixed to cool. Taps lose. TV not working properly. Internet weak. Cupboard door stuck.

4

lee

Oct 27, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

After driving around for 40 minutes trying to find parking, we were in a room with noisy generators outside the window and a store room next door, we had an awful night sleep because of the noisy generator and 3x were woken by staff entering/exiting the store room, talking and unlocking/locking the door. The room was so hot we had the air con on, and it was rattling so loudly every time it started up. Causing us to wake up in the night. The pillows were really flat and bed wasn’t the most comfortable. Other than that we had a lovely time. The room itself was nice, as was the bathroom. Very clean. The breakfast and spa was great.

8

Gillian

Dec 27, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Stay overall was good On third floor was hot in our room We found very poor sign posting to stairs that actually went right down and you could get out of the stairwell! Lift was always busy and very slow!

10

Tracey

Aug 18, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

This is not the first time we have stayed. The room was spacious and tastefully decorated. Bathroom was well appointed with bonus of a bath which not all hotels have. Toiletries acceptable but limited, no shower cap or flannels which would expect from this standard of hotel. Bed was big and comfortable. The air conditioning was a great bonus as the weather had improved.

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Service

Staff are frequently described as friendly, professional and helpful. However, service can be understaffed or unresponsive at busy times, with reports of slow breakfast service, bar closures for residents, and room‑service or phone response issues.

Related guest reviews

10

Martin

Jul 28, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very helpful staff and always with a smile

8

David

Nov 12, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Really good value for money The breakfast room was a little overrun at 10am on a Saturday morning Wasn’t offered a seat and waited for ages and wasn’t offered a hot drink Food okay Rest of hotel was really good and good value for money

4

Dale

Jul 25, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Room/restaurant was fine, but trying to get a drink as a resident was a poor experience. Had to vacate the bar area at 11pm and sit round the corner where we were served warm bottles of beer from a most disinterested member of staff as if we were an inconvenience! Shocking behaviour to paying guests.

8

Sheila

Aug 18, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

I'll remember The Swan as comfortable, clean and friendly, with beautifully battered hake and chips. You'll need sunglasses in the sparkling bathroom, with dazzling white towels. A very comfortable bed offers really plump pillows, and is made up with good linen, completing the overall impression. You have to be quite tall to play hunt the hairdryer (mine was found by a member of staff, on the top shelf of the wardrobe). A substantial brunch menu made up for that, allowing a flexible start to the day. The menu is most inviting; leek and potato soup of the day, for instance, was just delicious. It was easy to access the internet, although the signing in process is duplicated in the restaurant, and other areas of the hotel. It's best to organise a taxi in advance, if you need one. I didn't and this oversight required assistance from the receptionist at a very busy junction in her day. She kept her cool. That suggests a classy staff training regime.

6

Laura

Apr 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

I gave a low rating due to poor service. I requested room service at 2am, as the in-room menu clearly stated it was available until 7am, but I was told it was not an option. I went down to reception to ask why, and was informed the staff member on duty was alone and therefore unable to provide food. We ended up having to drive to McDonald’s. To make matters worse, I tried calling both reception and room service again at 8am to request a jug of water, but received no response from either. Very disappointing overall.

4

Louise

Aug 25, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Although the hotel is really lovely it has gone downhill since our last stay. We had no working aircon so had to move rooms and this too had a faulty system. The manager was really helpful and offered to move us to a lower grade room with working aircon but this was small and not what we wanted. Instead she got us a fan which helped a bit. The hotel was full so no other options. Breakfast was poor. It was run by a group of younger staff who did not smile, engage or want to make sure the breakfast items were refilled. In fact one of the staff walked through the dining room swearing and moaning about one of the others. It was unprofessional and a shambles. The food was cold and the whole food area dirty and unwiped. Plus point was the new gym area, really well equipped but the aircon wasn't working and no windows. It will be great when it is sorted! Apart from that we didn't eat or drink in the hotel and will not be returning. We paid a premium price and would have been more comfortable in one of the other chain hotels up the river!

10

Gillian

May 18, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

As usual everything was what l'd expected. Nothing was too much trouble and every member of staff was cheerful and very courteous.

10

Suzanne

Dec 22, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Stay was peaceful, staff was excellent prompt and informative at check in, check in was fast.

6

Leila

Aug 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Beautiful building, nice spot, lovely room. But… Reception couldn’t crack a smile on check in and was brusque. Another customer was complaining that someone had entered her room with her key card. Car park full. Breakfast awful, not cooked well. Vending machine type coffee, basic sliced bread. Stuff running out and not replaced. Everything seemed a bit too much bother. Pity given the site and the general decor. Maybe just really bad morale but my goodness it shows as they clearly don’t want to be there.

10

Raymond

Nov 2, 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

I thought the staff were very professional and helpful. Room was great and the breakfast had lots of choices

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Location

Central riverside setting by the River Ouse with easy walking to town, parks and restaurants is a consistent highlight. Some note the surrounding streets feel run down, and parking often requires off‑site options.

Related guest reviews

8

Jorn

Mar 15, 2024

·

The hotel was very nice all the amenities you need but outside the property on a gloomy day of rain was disappointing. The river would be nice in the summer but the rest of the street was a dump. No really nice places to eat they all looked like real dives.

8

Tracy

Mar 14, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The area outside is very poor and run down

8

Montgomery

Jan 31, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Perfect location for town, nice breakfast

10

Michael

Jul 5, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Location good, good staff

10

Ian

Nov 13, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean and spacious room. Lovely hotel in a great location

10

Emma

Feb 6, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Fantastic location, really cute decor and bar. Right opposite the river for a walk.

8

Barnaby

Mar 25, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

A lovely spot in front of the river Ouse. Would stay again

10

Gurnam

May 9, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Location

8

Barry

Dec 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Good hotel, nice room, nice location on the river.

8

Kenneth

May 1, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Excellent central location for visiting Bedford.

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Dining

Dining feedback is mixed: several guests enjoyed tasty meals and a good breakfast selection, while others found breakfast cold, poorly replenished, or mismanaged, and noted inconsistent service or limited gluten‑free options.

Related guest reviews

8

Inigo

Nov 2, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Good bar and restaurant, people at the bar good and helpfull, but what I did not like was that you have to go to the bar to order a meal.

8

David

Nov 12, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Really good value for money The breakfast room was a little overrun at 10am on a Saturday morning Wasn’t offered a seat and waited for ages and wasn’t offered a hot drink Food okay Rest of hotel was really good and good value for money

6

Nicholas

Nov 16, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Black pudding at breakfast was dried out, scrambled eggs were horribly overcooked and dry. Otherwise breakfast was okay. Room was small and temperature control was very hard to work out.

8

Sheila

Aug 18, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

I'll remember The Swan as comfortable, clean and friendly, with beautifully battered hake and chips. You'll need sunglasses in the sparkling bathroom, with dazzling white towels. A very comfortable bed offers really plump pillows, and is made up with good linen, completing the overall impression. You have to be quite tall to play hunt the hairdryer (mine was found by a member of staff, on the top shelf of the wardrobe). A substantial brunch menu made up for that, allowing a flexible start to the day. The menu is most inviting; leek and potato soup of the day, for instance, was just delicious. It was easy to access the internet, although the signing in process is duplicated in the restaurant, and other areas of the hotel. It's best to organise a taxi in advance, if you need one. I didn't and this oversight required assistance from the receptionist at a very busy junction in her day. She kept her cool. That suggests a classy staff training regime.

8

Sarah

Jun 22, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We used the thermal spa and very happy, not crowded plenty of space, throughly enjoyed. We managed to get a table at the pen and cob restaurant without booking, my husband is gluten intolerant and they had a separate menu for him which was good and my food was good also. We had booked breakfast which was a help yourself to hot and cold breakfast items and hot and cold drinks. We said to the waitress that my husband is gluten intolerant and do you have anything gluten free, she went to ask the chef is there any gluten free items and promptly came back and said that there was nothing gluten free apart from toast. We felt that come back was not helpful at all and very disappointing. We felt that the food that was there was not a good standard, beans stone cold, mushrooms un washed, hash under cooked and bacon very fatty and poorly cooked. So not happy at all for breakfast, but the room and the thermal spa and the reception were very good.

4

Louise

Aug 25, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Although the hotel is really lovely it has gone downhill since our last stay. We had no working aircon so had to move rooms and this too had a faulty system. The manager was really helpful and offered to move us to a lower grade room with working aircon but this was small and not what we wanted. Instead she got us a fan which helped a bit. The hotel was full so no other options. Breakfast was poor. It was run by a group of younger staff who did not smile, engage or want to make sure the breakfast items were refilled. In fact one of the staff walked through the dining room swearing and moaning about one of the others. It was unprofessional and a shambles. The food was cold and the whole food area dirty and unwiped. Plus point was the new gym area, really well equipped but the aircon wasn't working and no windows. It will be great when it is sorted! Apart from that we didn't eat or drink in the hotel and will not be returning. We paid a premium price and would have been more comfortable in one of the other chain hotels up the river!

8

Mark

Dec 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely old hotel with a horrible modern bar/brasserie where you can’t get a pint of proper beer. Room was ok

8

J.W.

May 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Poor breakfast

10

Tracey

Jul 4, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Beautiful room breakfast was fabulous definitely recommend

8

Yvonne

Aug 31, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We stayed here on our way back home form Essex. What a fabulous Hotel, the décor and amazing touches are just gorgeous. Our room, 107, was fairly basic but we had everything we needed and the beds were really comfy. The food was amazing, we ate in the Pen & Cob Brasserie in the evening and we had the best treatment, felt very special. thank you Daniel.

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Month	Average price
January	$137
February	$139
March	$136
April	$140
May	$143
June	$139
July	$165
August	$152
September	$116
October	$127
November	$134
December	$134

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4 $172	5 $269
6 $118	7 $170	8 $196	9 $194	10 $188	11 $193	12 $215
13 $130	14 $181	15	16	17 $182	18 $175	19 $204
20 $131	21 $174	22 $210	23 $201	24 $159	25 $186	26 $196
27 $141	28 $184	29 $207	30 $196

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $165	2 $216	3 $219
4 $132	5 $162	6 $163	7 $164	8 $130	9 $158	10 $178
11 $116	12 $148	13 $173	14 $175	15 $132	16 $164	17 $178
18 $106	19 $137	20 $163	21 $201	22 $143	23 $148	24 $174
25 $106	26 $155	27 $159	28 $172	29 $143	30 $141	31 $162

Bedford Swan Hotel and Thermal Spa

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