Hotel 3 Bintang di Cranfield

At least 3 times a year a group if us go for a quilting retreat. All the feedback is so positive. Great staff, friendly, welcoming, flexible. So clean and food- overfed and so much choice. Booked for 3 events in 2023 already and about to book for 2024. So glad we found this place.

The Development Centre accommodation suites are somewhere between 3 and 4-star in terms of what they offer. The university is a long way from anywhere else in terms of towns and is situated in the Bedfordshire countryside, reasonably close to the M1. Cranfield village is not much to look at and it's a case of having to bring your own entertainment. Having said that, there is a gym and a small indoor swimming pool, free parking, quite good places to go walking just a ten minute drive away and plenty of places to 'network' if you are in a group, with large garden patios to sit out in, and a good-sized lounge and bar. Staff are friendly and helpful and there is an early check-in of 2:00pm. The rooms themselves are a little dated and surprisingly there are no USB points but the wi-fi is good. Our only complaints were the noisy air-conditioning units- effective, but more like industrial installations and the noise from the corridors. The rooms are designed like student rooms rather than hotel rooms and noise insulation is poor. Expect excitable and slightly tipsy conference attendees late evening/early morning and very early start delegates (who hadn't been socialising the night before) at ridiculously early times when most people wouldn't yet be up. The problem is not the guests, but the design and layout of the accommodation. Most of the academic and engineering types staying there are actually polite and considerate. It makes a great change from a regular mid-range hotel- lots of public space- and the pool and other facilities to use free of charge.