Swinton Hotel

Booked in here by my company for its vicinity to our meeting. The outside looks OK even though the street was run down but once inside I had to resist running away. As four of us were booked in and paid for we felt obliged to stay

The man on reception was pleasant but once we stepped out of the reception area into the neglected corridors it went down hill. The decor and carpets were dirty and stained - this continued into my room. I did not take of my shoes and socks to walk on the carpet as the carpet felt soggy. The bedlinen was clean and fresh otherwise I could not have stayed but the bath and in particular the shower curtain were disgusting - stained and rotting. I spent most of my time on the bed wondering how to get out of the room without standing on the carpet again

I did not have a bedside table but a fridge........turned off and mouldy inside - I wish my curiosity had not made me open the door! There was no wardrobe but a contraption of a couple of poles and plastic hangers - better than putting my clothes on the soggy carpet I suppose

There was a TV - attached very firmly to the wall to prevent theft but so high up I had to lie on the bed to look up at it

Breakfast - now that was an interesting experience. Not so much a breakfast room as 8 tables crammed into the smallest space possible with a waitress and a toaster. Oh, and a trolley with cereal already poured out and old rolls.

Did I mention the carpet?

The worst hotel I have stayed in for a long time. There must be one room in the hotel that is clean and fresh - that is how they fool you with a nice photo and you see the odd decent review (or the owner has written it!). From the moment you leave the reception area, your heart sinks. The corridors are seriously tatty and look like they haven't been decorated in 40 years. The room was disgusting. I put down towels on the carpet as it looked so flea-ridden! Don't lift the bed cover up and look under the bed - your mind will be full of nightmares for years to come. The bed must have been 40 years old too! . I immediately tried to find another hotel but everything else was full so I stayed. Outside the noise from the main road and the local drunks was incessant all night. I slept on top of the bed with my clothes on and eventually got a few hours sleep. Reception staff were OK and towels/white sheets and bathroom were cleanish but that was about it. Room was tiny and bedside lamp had live wires visible. Internet didn't work in the room - only in reception. This hotel is the kind of place that gives London a bad name. With a little bit of effort, the owner could clean and decorate it and it would be half decent. But they haven't bothered in 40 years so not likely to do so now. Avoid at all costs...never again.