Residence Inn Long Island Islip/Courthouse Complex

Since my daughter goes to college nearby, we come to this part of Long Island often. So far, this Residence Inn has been our nicest stay. There’s plenty of free parking, and the staff were friendly. The rooms and common areas were clean and well maintained. Our one-bedroom suite was bigger than at similar places, and the free breakfast had nice extras, including a souffle and grilled cheese and egg sandwiches alongside the usual scrambled eggs and sausage.

There were trucks working on the parking lot during our stay, and the lot has a lot of huge potholes. The tub caulk also looked questionable, and the name displayed on the TV wasn’t ours. Still, the place and sheets were clean, and the staff were kind and helpful, which raised my score. Breakfast was good. The basics are covered and done well, though it falls a little short of a five-star review.

I stay here often for work, about 14 days a month, and have done so for over a year. There have been plenty of problems: plumbing issues, internet and TV outages that lasted for days, and once I was checked out without permission because my room “looked clean and unusued.” I sometimes work nights, so I came back two days later to find that inconvenience. I’ve also had stained, dirty sheets reused on the bed after maid service. Today was the worst. I arrived in my room and went straight to the toilet, opened the lid, and found a piece of feces at the bottom. I asked the front desk to move me, but the attendant said they were at capacity. To their credit, someone came right away to clean the room. I had to leave immediately, so I didn’t stay while they cleaned. I used the lobby restroom and then went to work. They responded promptly, but neither the front desk attendant nor the maid who came to clean apologized.

The room was spotless, a 10 for cleanliness. We stayed two short nights and didn’t use the dishes or utensils, so I can’t comment on those. My complaint was the burnt iron. It made a mess of my white shirt when I tried using it. Luckily I had Shout wipes; without them it would have been a disaster. I should have packed my steamer. Breakfast didn’t impress me either. The waffles were sugary, sweeter than normal, and I wish they didn’t make them that way. The staff were nice and friendly, though, and I’d definitely stay here again.