Swallow Station Hotel

Reception staff were sullen and unhelpful giving a poor first impression, however the cleaner was exceptionally pleasant and other staff could do with following her good example! No staff wore name badges and there was no evidence of any management or supervisory staff during our stay. Breakfast was limited with no menu provided and limited choice in buffet for 3 star hotel. At dinner the waitress did not understand when we mentioned the food was not hot. Room was clean and well decorated although it was directly above railway platform so no alarm required with railway announcements at 6.30am.

stayed at this hotel last year and throughly enjoyed - went back Easter weekend this year and was a complete disaster. No lights in the room, cold, and the meals were disgusting. Staff uninterested and unhelpful. Ordered breakfast in room which was late both mornings and inedible. Would only use this hotel ever again if desperately needed a one night stay and would only book room only. Very disappointed.

We have just come back from a two night stay at the Swallow. The outside of the hotel is much in need of some love and attention but don't let that put you off. It was Easter weekend and the hotel was full to capacity. Our bedroom was to the back of the hotel and overlooked the station platform but the noise throughout the night was minimal. The beds were comfortable and the room was equiped to the level one would expect of a three star hotel. The bar and dining room of the hotel were traditional in style and service from the management and staff was excellent. The three course table d'hote menu was great value for money. Dinner was above avegage. Breakfast was cooked to order and was also good. All in all, we had a very enjoyable stay and would stay here again should we visit the area again. Having read previous reviews on trip advisor I had grave reservation on making this booking but to my delight my concerns were unfounded.

We have just spent a couple of nights at the Station Hotel Ayr and had a very pleasant stay. Clean and comfortable . Very central and handy for shops and amenities. Free parking for the car too. We had a large twin room overlooking the station - we did hear the trains overnight but it was not too intrusive. The bathroom was large ; good shower and big towels. The hotel has an old fashioned charm . The restaurant was laid with white cloths and napkins ; silver cutlery and sparkling glass. Meals were tasty and filling with 3 choices for each course nicely cooked and presented. Breakfast was buffet style with cooked one made to order. The staff were under pressure at times as it was busy but they coped well with smiles and a helpful attitude. I would certainly stay here again and could heartly recommend it.

Stayed here towards the end of February 2006. We were in town for a friends wedding and there were no rooms left at the wedding venue, so we took a chance on the Station Hotel. I hadn't heard of TripAdvisor at this time - if I had, I doubt that we would have stayed here. Check in left us with a sense of dread as the monosyllabatic receptionist made it clear that we were seriously inconveniencing her by being there, the radio was blasting out some random techno dance music at a pretty high volume so it was ....unusual to say the least. The first room we were given hadn't been made up and was dirty - towels, bedlinen, water everywhere! We went back down immediately and mentioned this to the receptionist. Instead of seeking to resolve this, her attitude was to confront us on this, and that we were making it sound a lot worse than it was, or indeed were making it up entirely! She also mentioned several times that we had booked through laterooms.com, implying that we should be thankful to get anything! After a few moments pointless debate, and at our suggestion she called the manager who, when he came down was quite apologetic and said that he could put us in a different room - but that although it was bigger, it was a smoking room and it was a twin room, not a non-smoking double as requested. By this time we were starting to run a little late and needed to get moving if we were to make our appointment at a reasonable time, so we took it. Got to the room, opened the door and although there was a smell of cigarettes it was bearable (for all the length of time we were to be spending there anyway). At least this room had been made up! The following morning we went for breakfast as it was included in the rate - it was quite nice and there was plenty of it. In summary we wouldn't go back to, or recommend this hotel as our first impressions were extremely poor. We didn't pay a great deal of money as the rate was deeply discounted on laterooms.com, but I don't believe that this should make a difference to the overall experience. As good customer service / care essentially costs nothing, having surly, unhelpful front-of-house staff there to meet the guests is not a clever move in my opinion.

Spent one night here and were very comfortable. Room was obviously fairly recently refurbished and very clean. The lift is an experience, very old and probably a listed structure as it is wonderful but - it relies on users closing both doors properly to enable it to be called. Returning to the hotel late at night the lift had been left open on the third floor - given the very annoying, quite loud, recorded announcement requesting that the doors be closed it seems inexplicable that people selfishly leave the doors open but this is not the fault of the hotel. We considered the midweek deal we got at £49 for a double room and (very good) breakfast to be a great bargain. Would definitely recommend this hotel.

Stayed here for an overnight for a short break. Some of the reviews make the hotel sound filthy, but I did not find this to be the case. Our room was quite clean. The bathroom had been fairly recently renovated. The room had all amenities as promised. Despite the fact that the back wall of our room was directly over the railway tracks, we got a good night's sleep and did not even find the train noise to be a problem. The bed was divine. As another reviewer noted, the whole place is a bit tired and its glory days are a century past, but it still has far more charm and grandeur than many luxury hotels. Recommended.

Good positon in the centre of town with pubs and the high street close by. First impression did start to give the game away as the sign "Station Hotel" has bits missing. Staff were friendly and sort of helpful but the hotel has seen better days. It is just..tired. Main areas are ok but look a bit closer and it is all a bit sad. We had a family room with a hole where the mini bar used to be, no hotel information, a general air of dustiness and damp smells. No shelf in the bathroom to put anything on, no coasters on the bed so the divan sat on the floor and bits missing here and there from the furnishings and decoration. Needs a heck of a lot of money to bring it up to standard. Bit of a shame really.

I read the comment from the manager and felt more confident about booking. BIg mistake!The receptionist was indifferent , the room small, bedcovers dirty but worst was the general cleanliness of the room. There was thick dust and other people's sweet wrappers at the bases of and behind all the furniture, that has accumulated over some time! The furniture was old and shabby. Terrible!

extremely disappointed with the internal condition and standard of cleanliness within this hotel. Found personally rooms to be very grubby.