Stayed at The Old Swan last weekend for a wedding. The wedding party itself was lovely and hats off to The Old Swan (and the couple) for organising - but the hotel itself was terrible and not worthy of a visit.
Prior to our stay I had emailed the hotel to request a nice modernised room. Upon arrival, a very ungroomed young man checked us in. We were given a small room which admittedly seemed to have been modernised. However, this was just about the only positive thing to say about the room. The room was located directly on top of the ballroom and disco; music was very, very loud and kept thumping until late. In addition, there was no air condition in the room; temperature was around 30 degrees and the window could only be opened very slightly (which in the first place was not an option given the loud music). Then, at 2:30 in the morning, the fire alarm went off, necessitating an evacuation. I appreciate that the alarms system works in The Old Swan, however, it seemed that the alarms went off for no reason at all. The bed was small and because of the extremely uneven floor, the bed was angled which was very uncomfortable - we had a terrible first night.
The food we had during our stay was good overall, breakfast was very nice. However, clearing the tables was clearly not a priority and during our private breakfast session, used plates, cutlery and coffee cups used by other guests, were left on the tables for over an hour. In addition, some of the waiting staff (male) had very sloppy appearances with long, dirty nails, their shirts creased etc. I would not usually get hung up on things like that but The Old Swan markets itself as a respectable, high-end hotel and management should watch out for the slipping standards.

In conclusion, I would certainly not recommend The Old Swan; it's expensive and just doesn’t deliver, particularly not on that most important of services a hotel should offer: a good night's sleep. To end this review on a positive note, the female waiting staff, most of the Eastern European, were delightful: friendly, hard working and true assets to the hotel. However, I wanted to kick myself for not having chosen the Holiday Inn close by.

We dined at this hotel for our 30th Wedding Anniversary gift from friends and the whole evening was like something out of Fawlty Towers. The maitre'd was dithering about like a headless chicken, the young waiter was surly and unhelpful - and the older waiter seemed to be running everywhere and doing nothing. The food was 'tired' - the wine list was requested three times and finally collected by one of our party. Plates were served but no cutlery. The whole two course dinner - I went without my 'pudding' because we were given the previous evening's menu apparently - took approximately three hours from lacklustre start to 'relieved' finish. If a hotel has staff problems, the last people who should be aware of this are their customer, whether residents or diners. A poor show.

Stayed here for one night. It was freezing outside but the room was like a furnace, hot hot hot. Small double bed. The smallest bathroom I've ever seen. No net curtains so people can look in to your room. The whole room looked like something from the 1970's; Old and tired.

When we complained to the receptionist / manager at the end of our stay, in his french accent, he suggested we should have asked for a fan. Er, should we be required to ask for a fan at midnight with a 6 months old baby or should the room be a reasonable temparature in the first place.

Would never go back to this hotel. If below mediocre and cheap is your thing, you'll love it here.

The location is good although it looks like something from the Addams family and the craggy old swan that greets you is in need of a clean.

Four Stars to not do this hotel justice - i would place this more towards 4* superior

We have visited north yorks many times and love harrogate, I usually stay at the Hotel Du Vin but I can honestly say this place has the edge on it.

The service and food are both outstanding and the hotel has real charm and character .

Our evening meal was delicious and there was a splendid selection of different cuisines and the Chef was delightful and visited us to help with selection and wine.

The exterior of the hotel is lovely and what one must not forget is you are within 200 yards of Bettys and all of the town's wonderful attractions.

Our room was spacious, modern, clean and contemporary with all the usual complimentary items. My husband was delighted that they had a large variety of Sky Sports Channels which helped pass away some time as i was changing for dinner

The breakfast was a traditional hearty yorkshire affair with local suasages, bacon and eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice.

The communal areas in the hotle are lovely and we took drinks in both the bar, drawing room and garden room which we loved

All in all as a seasoned and well heeled international traveller, i struggle to fault this lovely oasis in the heart of one of the UK's most fantastic towns. I f you want a lovely luxury relaxing break away where you can explore both Harrogate and Nidderdale then i would urge you to opt for the Swan!