hotelThe Hotel Inspector · Season 5, Episode 5 · Aired August 3, 2009
The Swan
Norfolk
Yes. This one is still open. It trades today as The Swan Hotel.
What happened after
500-year-old guesthouse/inn, now trading as 'The Swan Hotel'; active multi-platform listings.
What happened on the show
The 14th-century Swan in Norfolk was fighting to stay open when Alex Polizzi checked in during series 5, its fifteen bedrooms empty and its restaurant deserted. Her first impressions were grim: nobody staffing the front desk, no lounge for guests, worn carpets underfoot and bathroom floors she found stained and neglected. Breakfast revealed why so few would eat there, a menu running to around thirty dishes that made genuinely fresh food impossible. This was a business failing on every front at once, from housekeeping to kitchen to the basic welcome, and Polizzi had to start at floor level, cleanliness first and a drastically shortened, honest menu, before the 500-year-old inn could hope to draw diners and overnight guests back through its doors.
After the cameras left
The Swan came through and is trading actively today as The Swan Hotel in Harleston, Norfolk. The 500-year-old inn carries active listings across multiple platforms as of 2026, and its own site is live. Notably, later online content references a Swan Hotel comeback, implying a further struggle and revival somewhere along the way, though present-day listings are firmly active. From the grim state Polizzi catalogued, a filthy inn with a deserted restaurant, the property has reached a stable current operation under its full hotel name.
Sources
Confidence: high. Last checked 2026-07-19.