Swan River Hotel

The room was clean, comfortable and had a nice view, which suited the content I wanted to take. The bed was huge, big enough for five people. I really enjoyed my short stay at Swan River Hotel and would definitely stay again.

The location is lovely, and the inside is nice, though a little dated. It's a very big venue, but from outside it looked so shabby that we drove past thinking it was an old, run-down hotel. It needs some work to look inviting and could be a great place for a Sunday session if they put in the effort. We were really disappointed with the high tea we bought as a birthday surprise through Luxury Escapes. The hotel hadn't received our booking, so they weren't expecting us and our food and dietary requirements hadn't been arranged. We felt uncomfortable and embarrassed. We've tried a few high teas around Perth, and this was the worst. The scones, macarons and mini pavlovas were nice, but a scone containing gluten was put on my friend's tray even though we'd told them she was intolerant. The sandwich bread on both trays was extremely dry, as if it had been left out for a long time.

The location suits the racecourse and airport, and the disability toilets and access are a plus. The restaurant, meals and conference area are presented well, but the rooms let the place down badly. They're really dated and poorly maintained. The first room smelled strongly of mould, as if a pipe had burst and the cleanup hadn't been done properly. In the second, the fridge didn't keep things cold. There were also guests smoking and filling the whole corridor, followed by a fire alarm, and homeless people seemed to camp under cover where we parked. The hotel had major renovations in the early 2000s, which you can see in the main and restaurant areas, but the rooms need another renovation. I wouldn't put work clients here for business. It seems more like a FIFO overnight stop these days. Everyone seemed to enjoy the stay, but it could have been so much better. The hotel has a lot of potential.

The building looks impressive, with quality materials, a good layout and a deck overlooking the river. After that, the experience was a letdown. Service was almost nonexistent. I stayed a week and tried calling room service on four separate days, but nobody answered. There were no menus in the room. The small QR code tucked in a far corner linked only to a PDF menu, with no way to order or pay, so I had to go to the restaurant. The website said food was available until 9pm, but when I arrived at 8:35pm, they said the kitchen was closed. A late check-in guest behind me was hungry too, and together we had to argue to get served. My room was spacious and laid out well, but the two queen beds had been pushed together under a single sheet and quilt to look like one bigger bed. They weren't secured, so they slid apart when I moved, and twice I got wedged between them. After I asked for room service, I came back to find the rubbish bags from food and shopping still there and the floor uncleaned. They'd changed only the sheets and towels. The fire alarm went off on three different days. Only a small group mustered properly, no staff member attended the muster area, and nobody explained what was going on. The firefighters were the only ones who did. A few individual staff members tried their best, but that wasn't enough. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.