The Swan was the perfect place to stay in Alton. Great location, very friendly staff, and comfortable and clean room. I will definitely stay here again on my next visit.
The staff were very welcoming and friendly. The building is beautiful and attractive. I last stayed there in 1976 and it has changed a lot. The rooms are now all en-suite, which wasn't the case 49 years ago. The room in which I stayed was fantastically quiet and the bathroom was beautiful! There was a bath with a shower over and both were fabulous. I also loved the scent in the hair and body wash that was provided. I loved the decor in the bathroom but the room was a little dowdy, except for the art - pictures of birds - that I really liked.
There were a few minor faults. The first is one I find in almost all hotels and that is that the Freeview TV has not had a channel update for years. As a result, some channels are absent and others were misnamed or in the wrong location. Freeview TVs should have a channel update scan performed 4 times a year. The bedding struck me as too short for the bed. I like being able to pull it over my head when I sleep and I could not do that. The loo had a drip from the cistern into the bowl and while this had no effect on its function, over a long period it will cost the hotel a significant amount in unnecessary water charges. But basically this was an excellent hotel in a beautiful town.
I had dinner in the hotel on my first night. It was good but the menu struck me as rather corporate and I'd expect to see identical menus in other hotels in the chain. The waitress who served me was sweet and I was very happy to leave her a tip.
This hotel has excellent, helpful staff and good location, but the noise is terrible. It's not just the High St noise, which is to be expected, but the floorboards creak very loudly when anyone moves about. I was woken in the night several times by other guests just moving about in the corridors or the room above. I expect it will take major structural work to fix this.
Good location in centre of town and easy parking at rear of hotel. Dinner here was excellent and good value for money. Our room was a good size and nicely decorated. The staff were friendly and helpful. I would just say the hotel could do with a paint refresh, but it is an old building
On arrival we entered through the rear door from the car park. There was a strange smell in that lobby. The staff were brilliant and made us welcome, but the hotel really needs a makeover.
The food was good and well served.
The outside of the property needs some attention.