Swinton Hotel

Safe and clean. Friendly staff.

Mizan and reception staff provided excellent hospitality, are very courteous and helpful. Rooms have window and ensuite bathroom, rooms are well equipped with electric kettle, TV, towels and hairdryer. Breakfast is served with plenty of tea, coffee, and different breads, cold cuts, joghurt, etc.

My wife and I stayed at the Swinton for two nights in September 2024. We had returned from a trip to York and just needed somewhere close to Kings Cross. I really want to give The Swinton a good review, because the staff tried very hard to make our stay enjoyable and their effort should not go unrewarded. But the truth is as hard as the staff worked, the hotel is just not that great. It’s okay. It served our needs. It is close enough, just, to Kings Cross but with suitcases to schlap through the inner London streets it is at the limit of what I would call convenient. Without luggage its a different story. We came and went easily. There’s a lovely bakery coffee shop between the hotel and the station I highly recommend. The street is quiet and seemed pretty safe when we arrived late at night. The room we had, which the desk staff said was one of their bigger rooms, on the ground floor was pretty small and tight. It must have been a disabled access room as there were some weird ramps in the entry and bathroom. The TV was mounted practically on the ceiling. The view from the window was not of the garden (as we had hoped) but of the trash cans. The pillows were flat and unmatched, just random. The room and bedding were clean, it wasn’t dirty at all, just some odd decor choices. Its like they were really trying to make it ‘nice’ on a budget, but didn’t really have any idea how to do that. In the mornings we were able to sit in the garden and it was indeed quite nice. Second floor rooms have steps dow to the garden and I assume a much nicer view of it. There is a kitchen where breakfast is served but we did not use it. The menu was not terribly inspiring, and besides we had found the Aux Pains du Papy coffee shop and loved that place. Like I said the staff were super friendly and helpful, so I’ll give an extra star for them, but truthfully this is a 3-star hotel at best. Adequate for a short stay.

I would not reccomend this hotel to anyone and I'm not a super fussy pampered traveller. I didn't feel safe - I couldn't lock my bedroom door! - and it felt like a hostel or halfway house than a hotel, honestly. The highlights include the sloped floor, cramped room, dirty outer building, hard bed, tiny bathroom. Awful! I would not return.

Me and friends were booked in for two nights but left after one. The hotel is small and dated but looked clean and relatively freshly decorated and we aren't fussy travellers so, so far so good. We were on the second floor and were slightly concerned that the floor felt a little 'bouncy'. Got into my room and straight away noticed the floor was sloped, from one side of the room to the other. Reception couldn't change my room as no others available and as it was late I thought I'd put up with it for the night. My bed was hard, the duvet and pillow were thin. The traffic noise was insane (needed window open for air). I didn't sleep much at all. Next morning I go for a shower and when I walk back into the bedroom I noticed a bed bug on my pillow. Absolutely wasn't staying another night and we had to find another hotel. The male receptionist was apologetic and after I showed him the squished bug he was empathetic and checked on Google if it would make me unwell. The housekeeper suggested it was caused by someone from another country and went to pains to tell me the hotel was clean (and it was, I said as much), but she then questioned my friends about why they were leaving too!