The Bedford Balham

8.2

Excellent

180 Guest reviews

8.2

Excellent

180 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness9.0/10

Service8.4/10

Comfort8.6/10

Condition8.4/10

Neighborhood9.4/10

Amenities8.0/10

Nice stay

Nice bedroom with excellent bathroom. Only criticism would be that we would prefer a king size bed as the one in our room was only a double.

The noisiest hotel room I have ever stayed in. The sheets were not clean and the facilities on site where not great.

The air conditioning unit was only producing cold air on one of the coldest nights. Staff could have been friendlier when requesting information.

Nice rooms, terrible acoustics!

Rooms were nice, but the noise from downstairs did not stop until 2am and kept us up all night. The person welcoming us in the morning could have been a bit more friendlier and welcoming.

We were given a room with an accessible bathroom so it looked nothing like the pictures on the website. Asked to change rooms but was told they were fully booked. Our room also hadn’t been cleaned properly. Hair and mould in the bathroom, half drunk drinks in the fridge and dirty glasses. Carpet in the lift looked like it hadn’t been hovered for months.

Amazing newly renovated room, bathroom was amazing bed was really comfy.

Excellent place to stay

Lovely room, great food and a fabulous concert venue

Room was clean and modern retro

Great base for an overnight work trip. Great rooms, clean/safe, no noise and the coffee machine was much appreciated!

No complaints. Gary was great

Bad

This is a pub/hotel. It is a pub with a small number of boutique rooms. If you want a templated hotel with all rooms identical then stay at a Premier Inn, Travelodge or Holiday Inn Express. It has character. We had a fantastic bathroom, very comfortable bed and great food in the pub. A twenty minute underground trip into the West End made an ideal location.

Handy location. A bit quirky Nice room

Friendly welcome, clean room,nice food, no complaints

disappointing stay

very run down with beer stench. staff were off the first night. Elevators not accessible. floor and room smelled like old beer. dirty carpets clogged shower and wash bin. old worn off bed

Not worth the money

Noise from the pub and function room was very loud. The lady on the service desk wasn't informative I was stood outside a lift for a good while not knowing I had to put a code in first to operate it. The downstairs toilets smell really bad. Room was decorated well but I wouldn't stay there again for that price.

The Bedford is a pub with a small number of boutique rooms. The room I stayed in was comfortable and clean, however the air-conditioning wasn't very effective and the sink was blocked. We knew that there would be some noise in the rooms but I must warn you that they are incredibly loud! Earplugs are provided but on the Saturday night the club night below went on until 2am. The Sunday, however, was much quieter and very pleasant. Overall we would stay here again, although perhaps not on a Saturday night!

Such a great hotel, we were only staying one night while visiting London for an event in nearby Brixton, but will definitely be back. It was easily walkable and plenty of transport links nearby if needed. Room was beautiful, very comfy, and we had a gorgeous bathroom. And having a coffee machine in the room is always an added bonus! The Bedford itself is fascinating with lots of event space and full of character. Staff were lovely and very helpful. Will hopefully have more time next time to make use of the cracking freestanding bath!

Lovely rooms and staff were wonderful

Great hotel/boozer

Grey place to stay. Good Location and the hotel has so many amazing features. Well Worth discovering them for yourself.

Quaint stay! Cute property, nice staff, beautiful building. Slept well & great spacious bathroom

A good accommodation option

Decent accommodation albeit a little noisy on account of the proximity of the railway station. Bathroom a little confined but altogether good value when compared with central London hotels.

Two rooms -same price - but one clearly a better standard than the other (room 8) which I found odd and frustrating - as that meant one of us got a worse experience. Don't see how these are in the same price bracket - the worse room (room 4) no functional heating, very loud (rooms sit ontop of an massive nightclub belonging to the same pub - which is not clear from site at all). Perhaps its a lot nicer in the week when not so much chaos. The decor from the site and inhouse for the room is nice but it says its a hotel and projects a luxury experience. Severely let down by the inconsistency in rooms and venue club mash-up which doesnt seem to be soundproofed at all (been to other hotels which house their own night clubs and never had it spoil the stay). I sound like one of those moany people we all hate but felt sorely let down - good marketing for sure as I was pulled in by that, only to be so disappointed

Have stayed there a few times as need to be in that particular area. Decoration looking a bit jaded. Wires at the end of the Tv aerial were bare so tv didn’t work. No bulb in one bedside light. However, Bed very comfortable. Lovely clean sheets, warm bathroom and towels and hot shower.

Great hotel, great music venue! Shame about no breakfast. Would go again

Joyous

An absolutely joyous experience. We had no idea how much fun it would be. Having checked in, went to our room and on the way saw there was a dance class taking place which looked and sounded fun. We went to the bar for food and discovered it was half price on a Tuesday! Whilst having food noticed there was a play taking place close to the bar area !

Really nice old building and the staff are very friendly, but not suitable for a family as the bar area is incredibly loud until past 2 AM. Rooms have been done to a nice standard but some fixtures and fittings are tired/broken.

Great location, comfortable bed

Bedroom was very boutique, however one bedside lamp taped up, bathroom sink took ages to empty, shower leaked on the floor , just some simple housekeeping to sort. Bed very comfortable and Fridays and Saturdays can be noisy. However great stay and would go back.

Good place to stay even though a bit exoensive

Bed rattling but nice.

The room was very nice. There was nobody around if you needed anything though. One night there was an event which was great but when I went back to my room around midnight, the bass rattled my bed till 2 am. But besides that I had a very nice stay.

Great stay and ideal to entertain visitors.

We enjoyed our stay at The Bedford very much and it was a great spot to entertain friends and family during our 3 night stay. Excellent for transport links with the Mainline train and Underground stations literally on ghe doorstep. Only issues we had 1)being on the 3rd floor and the lift only servicing up to the 2nd floor (not clear from the online booking) and if like us you are over 60 with 2 suitcases it was chalenging so request a 2nd floor room. 2) we found one smal cockroach in the room hopefully he was a loner.

Lots of good stuff but too loud to stay again.

We were able to leave our bags at the hotel before check in which was great and when went back about 9pm the lady who checked us in was really helpful and friendly. When we got to the room it was much smaller than I expected but fine for me and my daughter. It was quite battered (chips on the paint, marks on the tiles and flooring etc) but overall it was ok. The bed was pretty comfortable. The worst thing however was the noise! I know it’s over a pub but other reviews said it was sound proofed. We were on the floor above the pub and lying in bed felt like I may as well have been in the pub. I could hear every word to the songs playing and the bass was practically shaking the bed! They provided ear plugs so they obviously know it’s noisy but they didn’t help much. Luckily my daughter was shattered and fell asleep but I could not sleep until after 12. It was quite annoying after a long day in London. The location was great, close to the tube and train stations and Balham was lovely for a wander. We went to Gail’s for breakfast which was incredible.

The property was extremely loud. We were in room #3 which was right below the ballroom. There was an event happening and WITH ear plugs in, we could hear the music. The bass actually vibrated the bed. For the money we spent, we were very disappointed. The pictures and reviews were quite good when we booked and so we were very much looking forward to our stay. We left disappointed. Some of the pros, however, were that the location was great with lots of nearby restaurants and transit systems, and the beds were comfy. The rooms were average.

This a quirky hotel with unusual rooms. Staff very friendly and food lovely especially with a third off. Difficult to park but found street parking. The only observation I would make is the entrance and stairs which could be transformed if cleaned

Great place to stay in Balham…weekend noise from the pub « club nights » and spotty wifi our only issues. Nice rooms, very clean and good value

Best pleace to stay

Great hotel in great location. Metro stop was 3 min walk from hotel. 20 min metro ride (1 pound) to get to downtown. Cool style to hotel. Will always stay here when im in london.

Bed comfortable, shower and bathroom facilities were good. WiFi non-existent in the room, service lacking - impersonal and absent

Lovely stay

A nice night watching the fantastic music downstairs and enjoying a friendly London pub. The Bedroom was roomy and well provided. Bed was very comfy and no street or Rail noise which was a big plus. Lots of places around it to eat or drink at, if the Bedford's menu doesn't appeal . Good price too

Superb close to Central London in iconic building

Great value for money - rooms are large boutique designer style close to the over ground but well insulated and not an issue for sleeping - large bar area that has a lift directly to the bedrooms - restaurant very good - nonbrrakfast but recommend Milk a local restaurant for breakfast which is a few hundred yards away - bags of atmosphere and the staff ( especially Hannah) were excellent and so helpful with bags etc… will definitely be back

Amazing location

Hotel is such a cool location, close to the station and transport links. We stayed from Sunday- Wed so the pub closed earlier although we heard music in the day time. If you are looking for a hotel room you can spend a lot of time in this might not be for you as I can imagine you can hear music downstairs at the weekend. The room was a bit dusty in places and a bit worn but clean enough and serviced every day. I had the feeling the hotel side was a side note to the pub. I say all of this but we wanted to explore London and this hotel was absolutely perfect for it- the room decor and the pub itself felt like such a unique space and the staff were all really friendly. We would absolutely stay again as it was reasonably priced and again an amazing location and so close to a tube station and busy neighbourhood.

Great room, nice coffee and tea facilities and the softest towels. Only drawback was a bit of occasional noise from the train line next door - but ear plugs were also provided!

We had a great stay and the room was lovely - very comfortable and nicely decorated. I would say that if you’re not comfortable walking into a busy pub at night time (even on a weekday) this place probably isn’t for you but for us it was fine. The rooms were separate from the pub area and we didn’t have any problem with noise etc. Only issue was that the hotel was aware that the air conditioning wasn’t working for the 2 nights of our stay but still couldn’t offer fans or anything instead.

Very comfortable bed

Perfect business stopover

Really great, good locale. Clean and super comfy room.

Beautiful room, very comfy. The only thing I would say is there is no mirror in the bedroom and only in the bathroom so had a bit of a problem sorting my hair in the morning when using a hairdryer etc. would stay again though. The bar downstairs has a great atmosphere and has live bans on so is very lively.

Something different, great value

Only a few minutes from Balham underground, extremely convenient, easy check in, drop off keys quick check out, brilliant value, lovely rooms and a very cosy pub with fire. Would definitely stay again and recommend.

A great place to stay staff were friendly and happy to help. A super room comfortable bed. Perfect location to tour London.

Very good value

Really nice pub/hotel, comfortable rooms and helpful staff, ideally placed for the area and with an excellent food choice. Very good value for money in terms of the area etc.

Party weekend at The Bedford.

A weekend break in London to attend a party in the Bedford’s ballroom. It made sense to take a room upstairs. The room was well decorated and equipped. On-street parking is free at weekends but finding a nearby space midweek could be tricky. There was engineering work on the railway just outside so no disturbance from passing trains on Saturday night and Sunday morning. I was woken by trains early on Monday morning but it wasn’t too bad. If you are a light sleeper and early to bed you might be better looking elsewhere as it’s a lively place until 2am. Staff were friendly and efficient. The Bedford makes the most of its facilities, with Comedy club, Latin Dance classes and wrestling happening while we were there. Breakfast (brunch) after 10am might not suit early birds but worked for us. An enjoyable stay.

I really liked the room, very pleasantly furnished and decorated. Disappointed that my TV was faulty and it was something that the staff knew about. I received an apology but no solution. My question would be to the management team, is they knew the tv was faulty, why didn’t they mention it or give another room.

Great food and location. I stayed on a Saturday night and despite the earplugs provided by the hotel, it was very noisy.

Nice but noisy

Nicely decorated and comfortable, but can be bit noisy with trainline next door, bar downstairs and lots of loud slamming doors! Did the job for an overnight stay.

Fab room and in a great location. Checking in not too good. You can’t check in a minute earlier than 3.00 pm , it was exactly 3.05 when we were allowed in. Check in person was miserable. Everything else great.

This place is in a great location 20 minutes subway ride from London. Restaurant on site. (food discount for guests) Sort of a historic building. Super live neighborhood. Very comfortable room. Internet was not good though.

Quirky hidden hotel gem

Amazing hotel. Beautifully presented, lovely staff and extremely comfortable bed 😴 although there was very loud music as it's a love music venue, ear plugs were provided and it's very clearly stated on their website.. Absolutely loved this hotel and would definitely visit again 😊

Arrived mid afternoon for the one night, and the manager was very helpful. We stopped in the pub for late lunch and we really enjoyed the high quality food. All the staff we met were very nice. The

Great location near to station. Despite being in a busy pub noise is no issue within room. Spacious comfy room with nice features. Clean and tidy. Good shower and also.modern efficient air con. Food in bar is good and hotel guests gets 33% off (50% on Tuesdays!)

What a discovery!

Last minute booking as disappointed with a different property I had stayed at. Coupled with the fact I have a broken foot and travelling with a wheelchair, probably not the best visit to see family. The Bedford is a brilliant find, and the staff could not have been more accommodating - thanks Ethan! The room I was given was incredibly spacious with a huge en-suite which was perfect for wheelchair access, and right next to the lift. Nicely decorated and a very comfortable bed. This is my new go-to next time I visit. The Bedford is a gem!!!

Great welcome and friendly atmosphere in hotel We came for a party and had a brilliant time

Beautiful property and very convenient location

Let down by a false fire alarm for 30 minutes

Check in was smooth, and the room itself was clean, very comfortable, with unique beautiful decor. There were a couple of times in the early evening that the fire alarm sounded for about 30 seconds each time. Barely enough time to put shoes on and start heading for the door, so we thought little of it at the time, but little did we know what lay in store. We chose to eat & drink in the bar. The food was great. Quick efficient service, freshly prepared food, good beer, exactly what we wanted. We noticed there was some kind of event happening in a large venue room off to the side of the bar. We returned to the room & settled for the night. At about 05:45, we were abruptly awakened by the fire alarms ringing throughout the building. Recalling the previous instances, we waited a few moments before dragging ourselves out of bed and putting clothes on. We went downstairs to find one confused member of staff trying to phone someone else. After about 15 minutes, another member of staff arrived, who told us that it was a false alarm because a "party machine" had been left on in the venue room, and someone was coming to switch the alarms off, but they weren't onsite, and the staff there didn’t know how to silence the alarm. We went back to the room and put earplugs in to try & sleep. At around 06:20, the alarm finally stopped, but by then our restful nights sleep had been ruined! A lovely place, but let down by this, & the night staff not being trained in how to stop this happening.

Won’t try to book again

Absolutely disaster travelled from Scotland to fine that there was a blame policy between hotels.com and the hotel with neither sorting the overbooking

Ok - but could do better, service wise.

This hotel is a set of 15 rooms on 2nd floor above a nice busy pub/bar and function rooms (think Xmas parties) which has pros and cons. It is also situated next to a train viaduct (going to Balham station). Check-in process was a bit of shambles. No obvious place to go so I asked at the bar - barman went off to find the lady to do the check in who had gone AWOL and couldn’t be reached on the radio. So, I’m standing there like a complete lemon in the middle of a busy bar for 30mins. Room 2 was a good size with a nice bathroom and good king size bed. There was a nice touch of bottled water in the fridge. In the morning though, I was very sniffly and realised the room smelt of old smoke so I probably was a bit allergic to it. There’s the constant rumbling of trains late at night and in the morning which personally I don’t mind but it’s something to point out. You can also hear the parties in the function rooms on first floor a little, but it wasn’t too bad (unless you like silence).

Contemporary design in central location

The rooms have a contemporary look - really nice big bathroom and comfortable bed - as you can see from the photo the person near the wall has to climb around the side to get out! Very busy bar area and function room has a club night so a room on the top floor is better - however the lift only goes to the second floor. Breakfast is really good and you get a discount as a resident.

Comfortable stay

My favourite place to stay in South London. Rooms are so comfortable and a short trip downstairs for fab food.

This is a very unique property. It is built in a pub. I would say it is perfect for someone that likes Entertainment. The staff is what makes this property great. It is not luxurious by any means but great for a stay to go downstairs get a pint and enjoy a show. It is also in a great area for food and entertainment. If you are looking to get somewhere and relax this is not the stay. If you want to get out and explore but also have the option to just go down and get food and a drink this would be for you.

Liked the room and large bed. Quiet and slept well. Liked the heavy red velvet curtains, and artwork. Great bathroom, good double glazing. Didn't like the shower, which was hard to regulate and a bit scary hot. Air conditioning (heater) was a bit slow to start. One bedside lamp didn't work, and small thing, but no milk or milk substitute for coffee? Staff were lovely and the building is awesome, just a tiny bit more attention to detail would make it a 10/10

Loved The Bedford!

Room was extremely comfortable, we didn't want to lsave! Check-in was a bit hectic as the bar was open and in full swing, but the staff member who checked us in was very helpful when we managed to track someone down! Amazingly, the room had very little noise pollution - would recommend for a nice stay in Balham.

We had a lovely stay at The Bedford. The room was amazing- decorated really nicely, loads of space and clean. The bed was really comfortable and the blackout curtains did their job. You could hear a small amount of noise from the bar but that was to be expected and nothing a pair of earplugs (supplied) didn't sort out. Bear in mind as well that that The Bedford is right next to Balham train station and from our room you could hear the trains coming and going. Again, the noise wasn't too bad and didn't go on all night. It might be possible to have a room further away from the railway line so worth an ask if you think it would bother you. We were impressed at the reduced use of plastic. They do supply shampoo, conditioner etc in small plastic bottles but I hope as we didn't use them they would be reused. There was tea, coffee (nespresso machine), porridge and fruit juices supplied in the room (there is a small fridge) but no milk! That was the only disappointment. It's worth asking for some milk when you check in. All in all we had a brilliant stay at the Bedford and will definitely stay hear again next time we're in the area.

Great stay

Great location for all our needs. Bikram yoga studio very close and tooting bec lido.

Very convenient for Balham

stayed here for a little me time. honestly best place for it with a walk in shower and stand alone bath I felt like I was at a spa. the beds are super comfy and the rooms are very lovely. food is brilliant with it being half price and the stafff are so friendly, even remembering my drink order after one night which was a lovely touch. honestly recommend it to anyone who wants some time to them selves or with another half.

vey friendly staff, nice room

Service was appalling, had ask for fresh towels every day as mine bought to room, toiletries had to go to the bar staff to get replenished. We were visiting London for a funeral/ i rang to ask for an iron , no response, then emailed as suggested by the hotel- no response even after my stay- no response. I complained renal twice to staff and emailed to no resolve. Will not stay there again- terrible.

Very clean , slightly different decor