Swan, Thatcham by Marston's Inns

My first time staying there was terrible, bedcovers not changed ,bathroom not cleaned ,however, a thumbs up for my stay this time.

The staff are very nice, Scott always has cool shirts. The food is very good considering the people I always go with always order at the same time and manage to freeze the app (sorry guys). The severs are very friendly and they create a great atmosphere. Everyone is a great laugh and love coming to the pub. P.S draco wanted his name in here so here you go :)

Came here with a large party for birthday celebrations. Great service from Scott & David Great food from chefs Mark & Lauren. Will definitely be back as the choice on the menu is good with lots of other meals that we all would like to try, and a extensive choice of drinks.

First class service. Charlie was really helpful and the banana pie was brilliant. Would highly recommend. the nacos. They were so different from normal and had loads of toppings and sauce. We visited during a rainy canal walk and it was really appreciated.

I booked this hotel as I was attending a surprise birthday party in Thatcham and I could walk to the party from here. It is way overpriced. The toilet was filling most of the night - I spoke to the hotel staff in the morning saying there was a problem with the toilet - they said they knew - if they knew why hadn’t it been fixed! There were no tea bags in the room only coffee. The milk in the room was out of date. You could hear every sound from the room above. With the toilet and noise from the room above I’m surprised I got any sleep. I would not recommend this hotel unless you need to be in Thatcham.

Nice place very convenient to wear we had to be Very nice staff friendly and accommodating very nice food basic but very tasty not to expensive The room we stayed at happened to be the same one last time we were there just forgot to duck when I took my shower but apart from that we were very pleased with the hotel room

Mark behind the bar is an outstanding person - I just missed my train and had 45 mins to wait for the next train - Mark made me feel super welcome first thing in the morning and brightened up my day with his positive attitude. Poached eggs on toast was amazing as well. Thank you Sir

Travelled from Suffolk to meet a friend who moved to Thatcham.....saw web site of this place and looked nice. Firstly, why charge to park here....if it was likely to be used by shoppers I might have given it a bit of leeway, but no shops nearby. Yes, it can be reimbursed if you spend Over £40 but if you have no change the app is an obscure one. Next, even though table booked, getting noticed to be shown table took 20 mins as only bar staff (busy serving crowds) were available to ask. Next you have a choice, order on the app. or at bar, so judging by the impending wait ordered, from experience trying to find table, on the stupid app., oh, then have to pay on line!!!! So no reimbursement of car park now then! Food was average, staff were okay but not a pleasant experience all round. Definitely not my kind of place, and judging by similar experience of their pub in Bury St Edmunds, (pay for car park there as well!! ) this may be par for the course in all there pubs. Won't be Marston's anywhere again. Had planned to book a room on next visit but definitely will give this a miss.

I wasn't quite expecting to pay £100 for a Guinness, so you can imagine my surprise receiving an astronomical parking fine for an hour spent in the Swan. After little research, you find an inordinate number of legitimate customers have also fallen victim to the elusive private parking signs and meter, managed by a group of cowboys formally known as Premier Park. The sheer number of people being caught out provides unequivocal evidence that something needs to be revised. However, a dishonest company profiting greatly from this arrangement wouldn't do so. Ironically, I am a patron of this pub, well aware of the parking rules. However, it is incredibly easy to forget, and although there are many signs to jog your memory, you do not naturally notice them. The parking meter and signs exploit natural inattentional blindness. Simply, if you are not looking for a parking sign, you won’t see one. After all, you wouldn’t typically expect to pay for parking in a pub. When you get out of your car, you naturally look directly at the pub where you plan on going. Nobody gets out of their car and scans the circumference of a parking area before going on their way. During my recent visit, when I received the fine, it was dark and raining. Most signs reside in the darkness, and the few that are illuminated rush past your peripheral vision as you run inside to stay dry. One of the staff members informed me my fine could be waived. But I have yet to hear back from the pub, and I don’t want my fine to further increase. Considering this is an ongoing issue that significantly impacts your pub's reputation, you need to deal with the problem. Instructing staff to ask customers if they have paid for parking when ordering a drink or food would be unbelievably uncomplicated. Many establishments have invested in systems where customers can type in their number plates, preventing an unfair parking charge. Think of some solutions. Although I have loved this pub for many years, the situation irritates me enough to reconsider returning.