Old World Charm

We went here for a family celebration for Sunday Lunch. So I cannot comment on the rooms/ hotel as a whole. We had read all the negative comments on this site after booking so it was with some trepidation we actually arrived. But we couldn't have been treated with more courtesy or have had such a lovely few hours. The food was extremely good value for money- hot, fresh and tasty with enough choice to suit everyone. The bright airy dining room had a charming pianist and an atmosphere of a byegone era - genteel and gracious.

We were told that the hotel is going to be re-furbished in the near future which will no doubt help some people "see" further than the faded furnishings - but the level of service from the smashing staff cannot be improved upon. I have no hesitation in recommending The Old Swan - Harrogate.

Great Value, Great Service

We booked a last minute deal in January at the Old Swan and have to say we were not at all disappointed.

We arrived at the hotel early evening, ample parking was free of charge, unlike neighbouring hotels in the area, and we were greeted by friendly faces and a wonderful open fireplace.

The restaurant was excellent on both evenings, the service prompt and the food had the quality of a restaurant twice the price! The surroundings in the restaurant felt like we were was dinning in old world luxury!

The bedroom was comfortable and clean, with terrific views over the gardens which were beautiful.

Overall the hotel was great value and the staff are a credit to the hotel. We will deffinately be returning in the summer!!

Terrible

How can I possibly explain how bad this hotel was...We stayed for a weekend in the summer with friends. The rooms were the worst I had ever seen - we saw 7 which we rejected. The so called superior rooms were slightly better, although I do mean slightly. Wardrobe doors were falling off, the toilet didn't flush, and the decor looked like it came off the set of Faulty Towers - fresh from the seventies. Don't be fooled by the outside which seems stately and luxurious. A closer inspection of the building will show that it is falling apart. The staff were, as a previous reviewer noted, tired and fed up. Our friends couldn't even open their bedroom door at 11.30 at night and were informed that it was "tough" and were shown an apalling toilet of a room. We checked out the next day and refused to pay for the "priviledge". There was no way that they could have morally charged us. DON'T STAY AT THIS HOTEL! Zero stars

Awful

We stayed for 2 nights during July 2004 whilst at a trade fair. Our room was diabolical. Although it was clean, it was dark, dingy and because the weather was very warm we couldn't open the window because there was a wasps nest attached to it. The wallpaper in the bathroom was peeling.

The bar was very tatty and some of the seating was broken and stained.

The Restaurant was the best part of the hotel. It's very large but nicely decorated. Breakfast choices were quite limited but fine. Dinner choices were excellent and we did have a good meal.

It seems such a shame that the hotel seems very shabby. It's in an excellent location and looks very attractive from the outside (although all the windows need replacing).

The large function rooms seemed to be in better repair - but these were bring used by the trade fair - so it was quite difficult to tell.

Shabby and tired.

My wife and I stayed here in September 2004 as part of our Honeymoon...Oh boy did I book the wrong hotel. The public rooms still show a glimpse of former, grander days but now are very tired and in need of refurbishment, the ballroom smelled very damp. Our double bedroom was smaller than some single rooms I have stayed in at comparable hotels in the U.K. The decor was dark and dingey, the furniture chipped and sticky with dirt. The curtains would not close properly due to the shape of the windows. Staff throughout the hotel seemed tired and fed up. General houskeeping is very poor. I think that this may well be the most depressing hotel in town, having taken a look at others in Harrogate since. Oh, but breakfast in the Wedgewood room was fine.

Very Quaint

We stayed here at the beginning of August. We had booked a suite and the furnishings were tired. The rooms certainly hadn't seen an interior decorator for at least 10 years and was a mish mash of remnant materials and furniture found at a car boot sale.

The bathroom was circa 1920, which, to be honest, was so old it was chic, although I think the toilet had been replaced but some (again) unmatching item from a 1970's grammer school.

Don't get me wrong though, the room itselt was was clean and in it's own way very quaint and 'English' (a bit Fawlty Towers) and the staff very friendly and helpful. On the day we arrived it was blisteringly hot so we sat outside on the lawn with our (not overpriced) bottle of wine.

There was also a wedding on, which was noisy later in the evening as it had spilled out onto the lawn due to the heat, but you can hardly complain about that.

We had room service which was less than exciting and didn't come with sauces / dressing promised on the menu, but breakfast was good if a little late.

In need of demolition

We stayed at the Old Swan over the bank holiday weekend and it was deeply disappointing. The building is falling apart, some parts look as though they haven't been maintained since the place was built. Our bathroom was frankly disgusting if not downright dangerous. The window frame was rotten and thick in black mould. All of the window frames were screwed shut because they were so badly rotted they were too dangerous to open. Wallpaper was peeling off the ceilings and walls.

For the state of the place, it was outrageously overpriced. A glass of white wine and a vodka and tonic in the bar was £9.50. I nearly fainted when the barman told me the price. We sat at a table outside watching the wedding that was taking place. The sound of running water behind us turned out to be the waste water pipe from the bar discharging onto the terrace because the pipe was loose.

From the look of things, no-one is going to invest the millions necessary to bring this place up to scratch. A few sticks of dynamite would be the best cure.

AVOID THIS ONE LIKE THE PLAGUE.

Old and very tired

We stayed at the Old Swan because we were attending a wedding at the hotel. Our room was in desperate need of refurbishment. It did have an en suite bathroom BUT the shower cubicle was circa 1966 completely free standing including roof. It did have a soap dish but this was at an unusable angle because one of the two rusty screws which held it up was missing I have to say that the staff were friendly and breakfast was good. BUT in my opinion it was totally overpriced.

CHARMING AND ENCHANTING

I spent two nights at this wonderful hotel in september 2003.its like going back in time.i was with a party of approx 250.we were on a national angling competion in n.yorkshire.i stopped in one of the twin rooms with ensuite.the view from the room over harrogate was lovely.the staff are very friendly and helpful and let you go about your business.the full english breakfast(FULL IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD)was fantastic,as much as you could eat and very tasty..on our last evening we had our presentattion for the angling competion in the banqueting suite.a three course meal was laid on and it was one of the best weve had..i'm hoping to return to the hotel shortly with my wife so that she can enjoy the experience too.

Strange but true.

Absolutely fabulous hotel, wonderful service. Only reservation was that myself and a colleague were staying on the second floor but one time walked down two flights of stairs and found ourselves on the first floor? How strange is that?