Wingate by Wyndham JFK Airport/Far Rockaway

The room and lobby were clean and had modern furnishings, otherwise I’d give this place one star. The queen room was too small for two people, and the location was awful. The neighborhood felt sketchy, with people hanging out in front of the hotel and across the street, playing loud music. My husband hesitated to check in. When we asked whether the area was safe, the front desk clerk, who was courteous and helpful, said there were a lot of homeless people nearby. Parking was a joke, maybe six decent spaces for a hotel with at least 50 rooms. There was no shuttle service as advertised, though two shuttle buses were parked in the lot taking up space guests needed. We checked in Thursday, and I only saw a few breakfast items when we checked out Sunday morning.

If you don’t mind a city feel, this is a pretty good spot, especially for a short drive to some great beaches. The price was average for a hotel. Parking was a little tricky, though we got lucky and found an on-site spot twice. The receptionist was polite and professional. Our clean room had a coffee maker, fridge, and microwave, and the AC was powerful, which was great in the roughly 100-degree heat. Breakfast was served on weekends.

I’d never stay here or recommend it. There were basically no amenities, and the room was so tiny you could barely squeeze between the bed and TV stand. We were one of five flights that got canceled, and they raised the rate for us to stay one night. We ended up paying three times the normal price. The website listed free breakfast and a shuttle from JFK, but there was no breakfast and no shuttle. The day manager was nice but couldn’t do anything except smile and say no. The night guy seemed high the whole time and couldn’t even tell me his name.

We never even got to check in. The counter staff were rude and said the hotel was turning into a shelter, so they couldn’t let us stay. When we asked for proof to get a refund, they said there was none and that our booking site would know. The staff were all in pajamas. The front desk woman looked like she was on drugs, and while we were trying to find somewhere else, we saw her and another staff member using drugs. She told us, “This is Far Rockaway, not Beverly Hills,” when we asked if they were okay, after we saw her arm band and needle kit tucked away on the desk. The hotel is now refusing to refund the money to my booking site. It was a mess and the worst hotel experience I’ve had. I’ve stayed at a few nice Wyndham hotels, but I’ll never stay at any Wyndham again. Don’t stay here, it’s not worth it. I’d rather sleep at the airport.