Swan Hotel

Swan Hotel descritpion

Situated in the shopping area on Alton's main street, the historic Swan Hotel dates from 1554. It offers a free parking lot, full English breakfasts in the modern restaurant, and free Wi-Fi.
Swan Hotel is less than 2 miles from Jane Austen’s Cottage in Chawton. The cottage is where 'Sense and Sensibility' and 'Pride and Prejudice' were written.
The restaurant serves a varied menu until 10 pm, every day. The bar and lounge have open fireplaces and offer bar meals and real ales.
Comfortable bedrooms come with a TV, tea and coffee facilities, and a CD player.
The Watercress Train Line runs from New Alresford to Alton and is home to Thomas the Tank Engine.

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Facilities of Swan Hotel

Pets ：Pets are not allowed.

Food & Drink ：Bar | Restaurant with Dining Menu | Buffet-Style Restaurant

Internet ：Free!WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge.

Parking ：Free!Free public parking is available on site (reservation is not needed).

General ：Newspapers | Non-smoking Rooms | Family Rooms | Heating | All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

Reviews for Swan Hotel

Review 1：Very dated rooms, in dire need of refurbishment. Looked out into the fire escape. Used toiletries left in the bathroom which indicated it hadn't been cleaned very thoroughly. Duvet didn't fit the bed properly. I booked this hotel as the place I usually stay was fully booked. I won't be booking it again.

Review 2：It is in the centre of town and close to the railway station. Staff were pleasant.

Review 3：Creaking floorboards. Terrible shower - luke warm & no pressure. Tired, in need of refurbishment but this is reflected in the price.

Review 4：Good location. Good food. Good price.

Review 5：although rooms were clean the general cleanliness of the communal areas needed attention i.e. staircase picture frames and mirrors were very dusty

Review 6：excellent food and location

Review 7：Although the bedroom and restaurant were clean I thought the doors in some of the common areas were a bit grubby eg ladies wc and exterior door to room, window sills on stairs. Nothing major that couldn't be fixed in half hour.

Review 8：Room lovely and spacious as requested, bed really comfortable and bed linen crisp and fresh. Bar and restaurant staff nice and friendly and efficient. This is probably our third stay here as we have relatives in the area and find it good value for money.

Review 9：The room was tired though clean. had to improvise for a desk/laptop working area.

Review 10：Very handy, car park good once you find it as not well signposted

Review 11：Esthetically it would look amazing with some paint in the communal areas ie the ladies.Did not affect my stay but from your point of view makes it more appealing and gives more confidence of a well run place.

Review 12：The bed was very comfortable. Included breakfast which was delicious, good variety on the menu and excellent service.

Review 13：I attempted to call the hotel 4 times before our stay and no one answered the phone or returned our calls. The hotel was a little dated and could do with a refurb.

Review 14：The breakfast was good. The room was fair. The staff were a little abrupt on check in, however they absolutely helped us out with providing a bathroom to get ready for a wedding before check in.

Review 15：Under staffed so staff stressed and a little rude. Manager very rude and attitude was arrogant and couldn't give a dam. Hotel dirty and TV only received 3 channels. Room service offered but never answer phone. Breakfast took over hour to arrive then didn't match description on menu. Shower didn't work and no hot water. Most of all when confronted manager shrugged shoulders and didn't offer apology.

Review 16：Location

Review 17：Had to ask for bedding for the family room.

Review 18：Efficiency of staff and pleasant manners in dining room. Choice of breakfast really amazing and all well cooked and presented.

Review 19：The decor is a little tired but for the money It could only be improved by a lift for those that find the stairs difficult.

Review 20：Thank you to all the staff for the way you looked aft my elderly parents and aunt over the Christmas period. Having their own rooms, a quiet place to go and private bathrooms made the visit so much better for them.

Review 21：Hotel seemed fine downstairs but the bedrooms and upstairs were old fashioned and in need of some updating, particularly the basic white tiled bathroom.

Review 22：Location was good and the food was excellent.

Review 23：The room this time was pokey and unfortunately we were staying two nights. Will not accept rooms 30+ again

Review 24：Staff normally friendly but they were busy so fell short.

Review 25：The room was very nice and well decorated ,the hotel itself looks very nice .All staff were very friendly,polite and welcoming towards us.The manager is very polite, friendly and I have noticed that he put a lot of effort to make us feel welcome whenever we come for a drink and a meal. That is why we decided to book the room and we very not disappointed. We spent one night there and we were very happy with this hotel and we are coming back soon. The room and breakfast did not cost us a lot. It was at very good price. The breakfast was very good and the service was very good as well. The hotel is in a good location and if we needed to go to shops or to places such as pubs it was very easy to access where we wanted to go. We really enjoyed our stay at Swan hotel and we are definitely coming back soon.

Review 26：the cleanliness of the rooms left a lot to be desired, we had four rooms and they all needed a good clean, housekeeping not checked and not up to scratch!!

Review 27：it was near where we were going so only a short walk and it was to a function so we had somewhere to get changed

Review 28：Waited 5mins before getting seated at breakfast, pot of tea had to besent back there was lots of bits floating but the tea bags weren'tbroken, Then waited 20 mins and had to ask for our order to be taken, itcame within 10 Minuits but weren't offered anything else, not eventoast, there were only about 10 other people having breakfast at thetime so not busy, We were very disappointed with the service,

Review 29：Location and staff, and good food

Review 30：Tried phoning for room service 3 times no one answered, I had to go ask to be served at breakfast after waiting 30 mins also got served poached eggs on soggy bread which was inedible , wasn't asked if enjoyed stay etc when checking out .

Review 31：The bed was really comfy

Review 32：Cold tap didn't work in bathroom sink. Coffee at breakfast is always lukewarm.

Review 33：great location, we always stay here when we come to Alton. The staff are great, breakfast great also

Review 34：After checking credit card statement noticed a duplicate charge. So billed double the amount. Had very prompt resolution & refund but no apology or explanation why it happened. Unlikely they would have noticed. Has it happened many times before?

Review 35：Friendly welcome. Staff remembered our room no. at breakfast.

Review 36：Friendly reception & no problem with getting our room key early, as we were attending a funeral & wished to refresh beforehand. Evening meal & service were excellent.

Review 37：No hot water one morning. I asked and the reception staff member shrugged. Other staff were also offhand and in one instance rude and incompetent. My colleagues and I needed to leave for business at 8:30 on Saturday morning, but the breakfast room didn't open until 8am. As we entered we told the staff member in charge that we needed to leave in 30 minutes. I assumed they would prioritise us, as we'd all been waiting to enter the breakfast room, so were prompt. However, this seemed to be reason enough for the staff to ignore us and serve several large family groups who entered after us, first. A waitress came to take our order at 8:25 and was quite offhand, almost visibly annoyed when I remonstrated that we had informed her boss about needing to leave. The other groups were leisure travellers without a time constraint.

Review 38：The central location. The downstairs bar area was comfortable. For a single, my room was reasonably sized.

Review 39：Shabby overall and my toilet bowl was a disgrace. The sofa I sat on at breakfast was stained and grubby, and the mushrooms at breakfast had seen better days

Review 40：The bed was clean and comfortable

Review 41：Excellent mattress making for a great nights sleep. Breakfast service was very friendly and the cooked breakfast was cooked with care. So central, why stay elsewhere.

Review 42：There is nothing to dislike about this hotel

Review 43：Everything at this hotel was perfect, from the friendly staff throughout the short visit, the grandeur of the building, very comfortable room and hearty breakfast.

Review 44：Probably unlucky with timing but we had no hot or cold water due to a water pump failure. This didn't impact us too much as we were there for one night and heading straight home in the morning but would have been a different if we had been there for longer as couldn't even clean our teeth or flush the toilet. Everything else about the hotel was fine

Review 45：Bedrooms and corridors were tired and in need of refurbishment. Radiator in room was either full on or off, no happy medium. Noise from beer cellar across the passageway was quite intrusive.

Review 46：Central location in Alton with good parking. Food in restaurant was good.

Review 47：Two nights charged at two different rates without explanation, seemed understaffed, shame the food was generic no specials. Three people on my course charged three different prices.

Review 48：,great breakfast staff, breakfast very good

Review 49：We had room 12 which was above the front door. We could hear the door banging into the early hours of the morning. Lots of noise late at night due to high street location. Room was average, not very clean in places. Staff in breakfast room were shocking in the morning and very rude!

Review 50：Evening food was very good and staff in the evening were very helpful.

Review 51：The hotel is in the middle of town and we had a lot of noise until the early hours from people leaving bars and night clubs and then early in the morning from traffic and buses. Restaurant staff in the morning not as helpful as those in the evening.

Review 52：The staff in the restaurant in the evenings were very friendly and the menu was varied and reasonably priced. We had a two night deal which was fairly priced for the facilities offered.

Review 53：I didn't like sleeping on an extremely hard mattress on my wedding night! I didn't like that I couldn't have a shower the next morning because it didn't work properly! I didn't like the fact that there was pretty much nothing out for breakfast at 9.20am my partner got fed up with waiting for the juices to be re-filled that he walked over to the co-op to get me a drink! Really was an awful stay

Review 54：Nothing

Review 55：It is conveniently located for when we visit family in the area. It has a lovely warm friendly feeling and the rooms are a little quirky as you would expect from an old coaching inn.

Review 56：Dim ceiling lighting which meant we had to use bedside lamps (with the shade removed!) for reading.

Review 57：The reception staff were very helpful. The restaurant has a good choice of food. Good storage space in the bedroom. Two armchairs!! - don't often find this, so well done.

Review 58：The only advantage would be the bar staying open later.

Review 59：Great location, food, value for money and the staff were extremely attentive to our needs. Needed a suit tie the morning of a wedding, thankfully this establishment is on the high street which is extremely useful!

Review 60：The smell in the pub was terrible - the cellar was causing this apparently - very unpleasant. The staff varied a lot in terms of service - some poor esp evening staff on Sunday night & basics of good customer service did not seem to apply eg. Welcoming us, Not giving out menus when seated, dropping cutlery & not fully knowing the dishes on the menu. Other staff were friendly (day reception Monday & Tuesday) but it seemed like they were having to cope with difficulties such as food running out in the restaurant (Mon evening) or poor staffing levels causing the bar to be unattended etc.

Review 61：Bed was very comfortable and rooms nicely decorated. Good provision of amenities in the room & lovely breakfast with good choice

Review 62：room ok floors very noisy creaky, room door large gap under door had to put pillow to stop light coming in also problem with floor not only in room but outside on landing very noisy and im deaf so get the picture like lots of hotels today try to modenise but dont finish the job mixer showers are a nightmare as well staff ok food fine

Review 63：breakfast

Review 64：Lack of attention to detail on breakfast not offered toast or sauce bad last impression. Long walk to room through a maze of corridors - old building so squeaky floor

Review 65：Location v convenient Alton town centre. room facilities OK. Warm welcome on arrival.

Review 66：Although I called for help and got it (I suspect well beyond the call of duty) from a member of staff, I still could not get the wifi to work in anything like a satisfactory manner. You want to the wifi to work in the same way as you expect the lights in the bedroom to work instantaneously when you switch them on. This wifi was not like that!

Review 67：Brilliant hotel, full of character, friendly and helpful staff, excellent restaurant, and superb value for money.

Review 68：It's an old building with tons of character but due to its age no lift. But even though I'm on crutches I managed the stairs.

Review 69：Everything!!!!!! I read some horror reviews ( after i had booked) and was a tad worried however all fears aside upon entering this quaint hotel!! The staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble, the room was lovely, a huge bed, very very comfy tons of pillows, lovely sunken bath and shower with tons of hot water. Coffee/tea biscuits in room and plenty of storage space. We had an evening meal the food was amazing lovely free bottle of wine too from a voucher in our room! Then we had our inclusive breakfast several hot choices, including full fry up ( all cooked to order I may add!!) salmon, kippers, eggsBenedictine , or your choice of cooked items plus unlimited tea, coffee, 3 juices, pastries, muffins, fruit, cereal, porridge, toast & jams etc etc Great check in and out times for the price we paid we were very very happy !!

Review 70：Not a lot but stairs to second floor are steep (with no lift available). Also didn't appreciate the bathroom door going bump in the night???

Review 71：Comfortable bed and pillows. Good location on high street with off street parking behind hotel. Food was good for breakfast and dinner. Bathroom door going bump in the night (An unsettling event that was well timed for the halloween season, may just be the mind playing tricks while in a hotel that is over 200 years old!)

Review 72：Although the staff were helpful, there were not enough staff on duty for the restaurant. We had to wait too long to order food and then receive our order.

Review 73：Comfortable bedroom and bed. Food was fine and reasonably priced. Good selection of drinks at bar.

Review 74：The room was too small, and cluttered with furniture. The furniture in the ensuite hung by a thread. The shower temperature was uncontrollable!

Review 75：The bed

Review 76：Plumbing a bit ancient in some rooms and a bit disorganised at breakfast although we were a party of 7 and had been told Sunday morning at 9.30 very busy.

Review 77：Location suited perfectly and had everything we needed.

Review 78：Took a long time to check in. To be fair the staff did explain the reason why so can't fault them for that.

Review 79：The room was comfortable and suitable for my needs.

Review 80：most of the staff where half asleep at breakfast time (08.15). All the floor boards creaked in the bedroom.

Review 81：very nice room with a large comfortable bed and a good sized bathroom. Good breakfast with plenty of chose.

Review 82：Cooked breakfast eggs were not too good, we were not asked how we would liked them to be. ie runny or hard.

Review 83：Bed was large and comfortable. A fan in the bathroom would be a great improvement.

Review 84：No liked everything! Jst felt rooms were a bit tired! Especially the superior room that i booked for my birthday son and his wife!

Review 85：Family get together for a 40th birthday celebration! Really great meal and service in restaurant! Lively and friendly evening spent in the comfortable lounge.

Review 86：whole place needs a good clean up and refurbishment - then would be a pleasant venue very noisy neighbours

Review 87：breakfast - good varied choice - other meals also good

Review 88：Very dull lighting in the bedroom. Very creeky floor boards if I was below room 28 I would not have been happy. Very cautious about moving about the room.

Review 89：The staff, the food and the service . .

Review 90：Comfortable, welcoming and and an all round good experience (despite room being in the attic with a lot of stairs!!!). Excellent parking available, even though we didn't arrive till the evening.

Review 91：Nothing we didn't like but be aware it is an old coaching house so there are lots of little stair cases

Review 92：Location and atmosphere. Comfy bed, clean room and excellent food.

Review 93：A "Free WiFi" which wants to know all your personal details before allowing you in.

Review 94：The staff. The Room The Food - excelllant dinner & breakfast

Review 95：Service very slow and not organised. Breakfast very poor service. Waited over 30 minutes and had to remind them we were still waiting. Appeared to be busy preparing of a wedding which resulted in slow and poor service in general Rooms very tired and lighting very poor in room

Review 96：The dining room was frankly dusty, it needed some time spent on it.

Review 97：Staff very friendly and helpful, seemed happy to serve you. Central location is excellent, also very easy to enter and leave car park at rear.

Review 98：Unfortunately our bed was very uncomfortable. It was way way too soft, we did not sleep well for 2 nights straight. Also the bathroom was a huge disappointment. It was very old and disgusting and one wall was covered in mold! For a room that costs 70 pounds a night I would expect a new and clean bathroom. The standard of the bathroom was more like the ones I've seen in youth hostels.

Review 99：The Hotel is located very conveniently in the middle of town and they have their own parking lot, which is very comfortable when you travel with a car like we do. The decoration inside is pretty and tasteful and the staff is very friendly.

Review 100：We were at breakfast first thing every morning and the breakfast was supposed to be cooked to order. The beacon and sausages was a bit dried up every morning as if they had been keep warm for hour.

Review 101：Friendly Staff.

Review 102：Very old and tired looking -defiantly needs some modernization in the accommodation /rooms and bathrooms

Review 103：Local to our plans for visiting friends- have stayed at hotel previously- good food and pub /bar

Review 104：Friend had asthma attack because beds and pillows were feather. Hotel did change them, though. No repairs were made to cupboard hinges which were broken and which we reported. We felt the dining room staff had been pared to the bone. Toast was either barely done or nearly black and often not in a rack but laid on plate so it got soggy. The booking process through Old English Inns was not strightforward either - had to phone hotel to get confirmation that I actually had a booking.

Review 105：Location and price. Value menu was good too. Room was spacious and comfy, but I don't think extractor in bathroom was working. Maids were good.

Review 106：Booked 2 rooms staying over night to attend a family wedding near by. They were very helpful allowing us to have a room early so we could change for the wedding. They also allowed us to register early so we could have a key as we would arrive back v late in the evening.

Review 107：Just one minor point the breakfast on Sunday was first class but not so good on the Monday morning. I had scrambled egg which was hard on soggy toast and although I didn't actually want it, was't offered any toast before my order was taken as were others having breakfast.

Review 108：Value for money friendly staff convenient location for town and public transport.

Review 109：Your shower never worked and was obviously defective as was the toilet that did not flush correctly. We actually had to shower at my daughter's house on one occasion.

Review 110：The staff were very friendly and helpful and your breakfast was more then adequate.

Review 111：The bathroom needed work - dirty bath mat and mould on the ceiling and on the tiles. However these are minor points. This was one of the worst night's sleep I have had in a long time. The room was on the top floor and the window could open but only a small amount. It's an old building and the ventilation was terrible and I couldn't see anything had been done by the hotel to improve this despite reception staff member accepting that this was an issue. It was absolutely stifling and very uncomfortable in the room. I would have wanted to have closed the window because across the road, a bank was being refurbished throughout the night which was extremely loud (not the hotel's fault but exacerbated by us suffocating if we had closed the window). It was worse around 1,2 in the morning but unfortunately the reception was not staffed at this time. I got to the point where I was feelimng I'd rather sleep in my car! Spoke to receptionist on check out who said she would pass these concerns to the general manager but several days later I've heard nothing from the hotel. Request a room on a lower floor at the back of the hotel and if that's not available, request a fan and ear plugs on check in, especially in the summer at the weekend when you also have party goers returning from their night out along the high street. Or, if you don't want to risk it, do what I'm going to do and vote with your feet.

Review 112：Good breakfast, clean room

Review 113：Parking was excellent, We had booked a twin room and were given the 2 bedroom family room, everthing was clean and tidy. The staff were ALL jolly but not nausiatingly so. Breakfast was included in our stay excellent value for money.

Review 114：The hotel could have been cleaner in areas - hallways, carpets, and my bed (the covers were clean but the throw across the end of the bed and the hard side of the duvan itself were very dirty). With a better clean, the hotel would have felt much brighter/classier/newer. Also, my room was on the top floor and smelt of cigarettes (as did the corridor). I suspect it used to be the smoking floor and I'm afraid they will need to repaint/refloor if they want to get rid of the smell. It wasn't pleasant. Small things would also have made a difference: a box of tissues in the bedroom; a waste paper basket in the bedroom; shower cap/sanitary set in the bathroom, etc. Small and inexpensive things would have made a huge difference.

Review 115：The staff were friendly, helpful and respectful. The food was good and the building itself is beautiful. The ground floor is also well decorated and the setting (surrounding area) is of course gorgeous.

Review 116：Parking is in a public car park. Limited space at busy times.

Review 117：Family room was a good size with a large bathroom. Room service was excellent. Convenient location on the high street.

Review 118：The bath was unclean and needed descaling; the toilet lid was loose, the kettle contained a substantial amount of loose scale; the small glass of red wine with my meal had sediment; I waited 2 mins for a glass of water

Review 119：Staff friendly; bed comfortable; evening meal well cooked.

Review 120：Lovely old hotel. Great location in centre of Alton. Room well decorated and comfortable. Very hot on night I stayed. Quiet with window open! Breakfast freshly cooked. Well kept real ale in bar! I will stay here again.

Review 121：The Hotel put its charges up for the Good wood Festival of Speed.

Review 122：This was a well situated Hotel with most services and a good restaurant. The single room I had was a relic of the 1960's bur was otherwise comfortable.

Review 123：Location was excellent, in the centre of town. The hotel was very clean, the room spacious, staff very friendly and helpful. The breakfast was tasty with lots of choice. Excellent value for money.

Review 124：as we are the older generation and disabled there was no lift and there was a lot off stairs to go .we where on the second floor and very tired when we got there

Review 125：the hotel was ok but we would like more items on menu as we both have food allergies

Review 126：On arrival, there was a problem with the drains, which caused the most awful smell ! The workers were dealing with it and it was gone by the time we returned from the wedding.

Review 127：The staff really made the stay so good. All happy,helpful, friendly and professional.Breakfast was excellent.. good quality food, including free range eggs.

Review 128：Location meant too noisy to open windows, a fan in the room would have been good. Bathroom blind broken and area between glass & secondary glazing filthy with cobwebs, dead bluebottles etc. Had to catch staff for refills of breakfast coffee (which was in quite small cups).

Review 129：Central location in an interesting little town: handy for the Jane Austen weekend at Chawton. Ample free car park. Smoked salmon breakfast v good.

Review 130：Hotel tired and not helped by the staff birthday party that ended up in a fight and having to walk past vomit the next morning, very unpleasant and we had our 8 month old with us!

Review 131：Had to be moved from first room, which was at the top of the building, up a gazillion stairs with no functioning wi-fi as promised, amongst so many other malfunctions (such as an air maker in the bathroom that did not quit all night long and had to be electrically fixed by the manager the next day. Loud enough we got no sleep. Also, we'd been informed we couldn't take a shower without it or the steam would set off the fire alarm. Rock and a Hard Place choice there, hmmm?) Couldn't decide whether the place needed a major capital investment or simply unseen upper management didn't give a damn. But you don't want to be in Room 27 AT ALL. (And I heard 29 wasn't much better, though we did not stay there ourselves). Issues in the building interfered with this guest's pleasure in what should have been a delightful experience. We were moved to another room which required Olympic skills just to clamber up over the gigantic tub sides. It was a 'superior' I'm told, that meant it was merely o.k. Very disappointing for the charges involved. Companion and I were given a well-deserved though not generous discount. I don't think I blame the staff, rather the unseen owners. Any rate, someone doesn't have a clue. Advertise a place as an upper-class experience, that's what you should deliver. It wasn't. They couldn't. More shabby and sad than anything. Clean.Just regular things like lightbulbs requiring replacing - and I assure you, I'm not picky. There were just too many issues all at the same time. Additionally, not recommended for the disabled or for those with issues with stairs.

Review 132：The junior staff and two of three helpful desk clerks. Overall, hotel seemed understaffed and personnel over-worked. The history built into the place still had lingering charm.

Review 133：Ni WiFi in rooms. 2015??? Creaky floors Hotel area should be separate and kept cleaner, but rooms where very clean

Review 134：Manager was very professional and the staff friendly and helpful.

Review 135：Wasn't oartucularly ckean around the hotel. Night entrance stairs had very bad smell and hadn't been hoovered. Main entrance stairs not hoovered or dusted in what seems a while.

Review 136：Decor friendly service. FOID was great.

Review 137：Indifferent greeting on arrival. Standard of cleanliness. Grubby main entrance way and main stairs. Poor bedroom furniture and facilities. Rooms needed redecoration and new furniture/fittings.

Review 138：Location and evening meal

The Fine Print

Please note that full payment is taken at time of booking.