Marsh Farm Hotel - Swindon

Francesca B.

We got married here July 2024. From the moment we booked and handed over the deposit the service went down hill. Firstly after paying 2 thirds of our final bill I was ignored for 6 weeks. I sent emails and rang and was told the event manager will be in contact tomorrow (tomorrow never came) and it took 3 visits from my husband (the first two times he was told a note would be left on her desk and the third time he ran into the events manager to tell her it was out of order and I was at home crying and panicking) for our question to be answered. We had 3 different event co-ordinators we dealt with and what one said was okay the new one would come in and say it wasn’t about 6 weeks before our wedding we met our 3rd co-ordinator who told us we shouldn’t have been told by the 2nd coordinators we could have a pancake van for our evening guests as this wasn’t allowed but the van had already been paid in full so I said they’d have to let us have it or refund us the money we spent on it as we wouldn’t be able to get a refund now and were also told the MOH room wasn’t booked even though I booked it along side mine when I booked. Was told all our guests staying would be in one part of the building to make it easier in the morning with getting ready, my MOH was the other side of the hotel and we were told as we had guests staying they would block off that bit for our guests to then be emailed 3 days before the wedding to be told they couldn’t do that anymore and if we wanted the whole bit to ourselves we’d have to pay an extra £300 to fill all the rooms. When we went for our menu tasting the food on the night was completely different to what we had chose for our wedding breakfast and even on the day the soup wasn’t right even though we explained this issue to our new co-ordinator. When I arrived the night before my wedding as I decided to stay the night before the man at the desk told me the booking was only valid for one night and I wasn’t booked in to stay that night even though it had been booked a year prior so had to call the events manager down to sort it. On our actual wedding day they only had two members of staff serving 50+ guests their food so we were all eating different courses at different times and the co-ordinator then decided to pull me to one side on my wedding day to tell me about a guest who was supposedly bad mouthing me and my husband (surely this could have waited until after my wedding day rather than upsetting me on my wedding day, I was also very hormonal as I was 14 weeks pregnant which she knew about so my emotions were heightened already). Was also told by guests a few days after our wedding that the hand dryers in the toilets were broken and caused actual burns to their hands. Went back down the next morning to collect my cake to be told the top bit that we had requested to be kept was thrown away and then got a call a few days later to say it was in the fridge and had to pick it up. The morning after our wedding the manager sat down with us and offered us a free nights stay which we accepted and when we left and asked for a complaints email or head office number was told there wasn’t one and we just had to deal with it and even if we ring we get hung up on and told no one can help. ||We paid this venue the best part of £10,000 and the manager thought a free £100 night stay would make up for everything we had to deal with from the moment we booked. Would not recommend for anyone to book their wedding here.

Shaun H.

The rooms were clean and comfortable. Full English breakfast was very good - one of the best around. Staff members were helpful. Location was very convenient for us just on the outskirts of the town.||The glass conservatory (right of the photograph) was a bit chilly (it was November!) so heating would have been appreciated during breakfast. The main photograph makes you think that you are going to be staying in the old farmhouse, whereas our bedrooms were in a modern block further along. The rooms were fine except that there was nowhere to put stuff unless you wanted to hang it up in the wardrobe (not really appropriate for various things).

John G.

One of the worst I’ve ever stayed in, wouldn’t let an animal stay, hairs all over the bathroom stains in toilet, shower no words. Furniture looks like taken from the local tipping spot. Bed springs snapped 10 years ago. Thank god only one night, if I didn’t arrive at such a late time I’d have gone elsewhere

Kyle J.

Not the best stay, ranked 3 star on Google but closer to a 1 star at best. Ripping customers off for food and drink prices, especially when aldi is a 5 minute walk away. But you pay £50 a night they have to make their money back somehow.
Overall will not be returning.

Peter C.

The staff seem friendly enough. On arrival there was laundry outside on the ground rather than a basket so a bit odd.
Room (25) is quite small but ok as I’m on my own on business. Very dated & in need of redecorating. The Shower is not very powerful. The 2nd morning there was no hot water whatsoever. Headboard was a bit loose with movement so I had to stuff a pillow behind it to stop it banging on the wall. The TV is pretty small. Some storage, an iron & hairdryer. No desk or proper chair and just a foot-stall. Great location for where I was working but I wouldn’t stay here again unless reviews are improved.
Looks like some reworks are taking place so maybe some rooms are probably way better than the one I stayed in.

Cheap to stay though.

TheHonestGuv

Disappointed, don't be fooled by the photos and reviews. I made my booking when the hotel was under previous ownership. The photos and a lot of the reviews are from then. There are quite a few that mention a refurbishment but there is no evidence of this and we stayed in a room / block where photos had been taken six plus months ago and the repairs still hadn't been done. The photos are misleading and the rooms are not like those. We were in a room with a double bed and they'd fitted a single bed in it as well - this was meant to be a twin room. The wardrobe is fully broken, the doors are at an angle and wouldn't move so we lived out of our bags. The radiator in the room didn't work albeit oil heaters had been left. The bath panel has come away from the bath. The shower head is broken and dirty and when turned on lots of black mold etc came out. The bathroom radiator has a slow leak. There were dirty toiletries from the previous guests. And what looked like food or blood on a wall. As we walked back to the room on our first night a rat literally ran a few inches infront of us from one side of the drive to the other. A radiator in a hallway is leaking, a wall panel has been pulled away - these are in photos from months before. The massive air con is very noisy. Staff stood outside our room on their breaks 24/7. We were not welcomed on check in, just asked to pay for the stay. Three times it took ten mins for any service at the reception/bar. The bar is expensive. Same on check out. We were not asked how our stay was. Everything was reported and they were going to look in to it. It looks lovely from the front and gardens but sadly this is not the reality. The hotel is quite run down which is a shame and needs lots of repairs and TLC. Windows have card etc where panes have been smashed. There are currently road works and the roundabout exit is blocked off. No warning of this from the hotel. So you can either drive through a very dirty, muddy and pot holed Flaxlands, putting your car at risk, or drive a four mile detour. This is every time you go out and back. The upside is the bed was comfy. This was a 'special' trip for my birthday, meeting up with a friend and it took us both hours getting there, this was not acknowledged either. So all in all quite a disappointing stay and experience. Am sure when all of the work is completed (if there is any work going on) that it will be a lovely place to stay. You need to improve your customer service though.

susan A.

We had a party at this hotel in the clarendon suite. It was fantastic, the staff were so good . The buffet was great. We had 70 people at the party and all of them loved the hotel. The rooms were spacious and clean and the beds very comfy. Most of our guests stayed over. Breakfast was great and there was plenty if it. I would definitely arrange another party and stay at this hotel.

fox I. A. B. R. F.

Stayed here overnight as I was at an event at cotswolds airport . The room was clean and spacious as was the bathroom the decor was a little dated but still OK. I had a great nights sleep very quiet. I had a meal in the restaurant that was OK not great but the restaurant is a nice area to be in with a little bar at the end. The staff were friendly . Next time I'm in the area would definitely stop again and the price was very good for the area