Swinton Hotel

The location of the hotel was perfect, a 10 minute walk from Kings Cross with plenty of places to get fast food, groceries or brunch nearby. A check-in time of 1.30pm is a little unusual and very handy. The reception staff were friendly and happy to store my mobility aid so that I didn't have to keep it in my room. The garden area is a welcome feature and part of the reason I booked this hotel over other similar places. Having a peaceful outside space with lots of options for seating and conversation was lovely.

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We stayed for one night and overall, it was a decent experience for a short stay. The room was very basic but had the essentials, including a kettle with tea, coffee, and a few extras. The shower looked newly renovated and was quite modern, although it only had cold water during our stay. With the temperature around 25°C, it was a bit of a shock at first but not a major issue. There were a few small fruit flies in the room, possibly because the windows had been left open before we arrived. A bath mat had been neatly placed by the shower, but it looked used and wasn't very clean, which felt a bit questionable. The bed was already made and the mattress looked brand new—very clean—but extremely hard, which made it tough to get comfortable. The mattress protector also had a stain, so housekeeping could be improved a little. There was also quite a bit of noise from upstairs during check-in and check-out times, which sounded like furniture being moved around. That said, the staff were great—really friendly and helpful. They also let us store our luggage both before check-in and after check-out, which was a great perk and made things much easier for us. Despite a few small issues, it was perfectly fine for a one-night stay.