After being in this hotel exactly a year previously and had a bad experience I contacted the management and put forward my complaints and I accepted the excuse that it had recently been taken over and was in the middle of a renovation programme. This year I had the misfortune to stay at this same hotel and it was a lot worse than previously. Dirty rooms, sewage smell from the toilet which obviously had a leaking pipe which constantly flooded the floor. Impolite staff, when you could find anyone and expensive terrible meals. After approaching the manager again THIS YEAR he said "well dont come back again then" and walked away. Numerous letters to the Hotel Swallow Group have fallen on deaf ears. DO NOT GO TO THIS HOTEL

This is not a luxury hotel. The corridors and public areas are tired and in need of de-1980'sing. There are no suited doormen and no concierge. A harpist is not playing in the drawing room. The leisure centre is not run by olympic athletes. Boys in pillar box hats do not walk through reception paging the residents to take a call at the oak pannelled telephone kiosks. French waiters do not hover around a Michelin starred restaurant. And, for the price and location, and for the style and star rating what do people really expect. What it is, however, is a clean, friendly place to rest your head. The food which was delivered by room service was prompt, warm and tasty. The drinks cool and alcoholic. The room itself was clean, a reasonable size, and equipped with the usual amenities. The breakfast was perfectly fine. The staff acknowledged me at about 6am when I was volunteered to take the restless dog for a stroll, there were suficient grounds for fido to exercise and (unlike the Tickled Trout down the road) my canine companion did not have to pay a premium for staying. All in all a good choice for somewhere to stay for a night or a couple of nights. It is not a fabulous resort hotel or a place which the Savoy Group may wish to take into it's portfolio. But get real it does not purport to be. It is what it is and it does well what anyone with realistic expectations would expect.

I was rather aprehensive about going to this hotel considering most of the previous reviews were not exactly encouraging. However, my husband had taken time off work so off we went for a two day break, midweek. True, the place DOES look tatty and is in need of some TLC. However, all the staff, from receptionist, barmen, waitresses and chamber maids were extemely welcoming and dealt with their appropriate duties efficiently. We had breakfast and dinner both days and I cannot fault the food/service at all. The bed was very comfortable indeed and four pillows had been supplied - a rare luxury these days! We had a shower cubicle with a fabric curtain; the water did seep out onto the floor but through the cubicle casing and not the curtain as you would imagine. We did not use the pool but it looked a reasonable size for a hotel pool and lots of pople seemed to be using it quite happily. All in all, it was an enjoyable 2 days and I would not hesitate to recommend it as a good, value for money hotel.

Staff very friendly and rooms were very nice but be advised don't eat at the restaurant in the evening. We found foreign objects in our food twice in the space of four days.

Having to stay in Preston for work I was booked into the Holiday Inn for 5 nights. The first thing I noticed was the room was smaller than the one I had at another hotel the previous week. The bathroom also and no shaving mirror. A minibar was available but no free bottles of water. All in all it was adequate for my pupose but then things started to go wrong. I have had a large 'glass' for a few years now made of plastic but very useful to a diabetic. It has been all over the world with me. I used it Sunday evening but when I went back to the hotel on Monday evening it had disappered from my room. I called Housekeeping to enquire but was answered by Reception. The young lady said she would try to find out what had happeded. I waited for a call back but got no answer that evening.Tuesday I returned to the hotel to discover my room had not been made up. I spent 3/4 of an hour waiting in the bar for them to confirm that my room was ready. I again brought up the glass issue and was promised a reply that evening. 9.30pm Reception said that my glass had been thrown away and was there any way the hotel could compensate me for my loss. I replied that all I wanted was a replacement plastic glass. On leaving Friday the Duty Mgr said they were trying to find a replacement. I will wait and see. Other problems include wrong orders for morning drinks and long waits for toast, as well as being called by the wrong name after signing in for breakfast. All in all not a good experience.