Gateway Inn

I lasted less than an hour before handing back the key and leaving. The room was awful. It seemed the linens had been changed, but nothing else had been cleaned. There were scuffs on the walls, chipped paint, crumbs on the seats, and some seats were missing their armrests. The bathroom was so gross I wouldn't even go inside. There’s no elevator to the upper floors, either. I ended up paying too much for an Airbnb nearby, but it still felt worth it compared with that room.

We asked downstairs for sheets, blankets, and towels, but they wouldn't bring us clean linens. The hotel was dirty, and the heater didn't work properly. At one point the room got down to 27 degrees. We had to set the heater to 90 just to keep the room at 60. They also charged us an extra $130 for checking in an hour and a half early.

The location was handy for Northwell at Jones Beach amphitheater, and Merrick station is just down the street, so taking the train is easy. The price is hard to beat, too. Inside, though, there were stains on the couches and curtains. The bed was clean, but really uncomfortable.

Live bugs were crawling on the night table, there were piss stains on the bed, and dead cockroaches on the floor. The room was repulsive. I was refunded in full after turning down another room, but then the front desk guy asked me to sign a receipt saying I still owed a balance. I crossed it out and wrote $0.00, and he printed another copy. I refused to sign that one too. This is a low-trash garbage motel. I booked the room for about $123 including tax, and I wouldn't book here again. If I could give it less than 1 star, I would.