Hilton Garden Inn Islip/MacArthur Airport

This is not a four-star hotel. The walls were peeling, and the thermostat didn’t work. The heat or air kept running after reaching the set temperature, and the front desk told us to switch it on and off. We were part of a wedding block, but breakfast vouchers were handed out inconsistently. Some rooms got them and others didn’t, though we all booked together at the same price. The desk didn’t explain it, and some guests only learned after going through the buffet that breakfast wasn’t included and they owed $18.99 for reheated food. Apparently the front desk sometimes forgets to hand out a voucher, so you have to ask the person who checked you in whether you received one, lost it, or gave it away. Staff were rude and unprofessional, seemed unsure of what was going on, and bickered between the front desk and restaurant. The breakfast attendant kept telling each guest, “I'm just having a bad day.” The bride and groom left welcome bags for every room, but half the party never got theirs. Where did they go? Parking in the mostly empty lot costs extra. QR codes are posted around the lot, but not at every space, so they’re easy to miss. The front desk didn’t tell us we had to scan one and pay $10 per day or risk being towed. It’s not a city lot, there’s plenty of parking, and the industrial area doesn’t seem to draw people looking for somewhere to sightsee. Not a four-star hotel.

UPDATE: They did it again. I got another reservation confirmation today, and it took two more calls and five different people to hopefully get it corrected for good. The incompetence is unbelievable. Everyone wants to pass blame to someone else. 26Sep25: They keep making reservations in my name, though I’ve never booked with this hotel. This is the second time. The first was almost two months ago, for the same date. I spoke with five different people from Hilton about that reservation, including two at the hotel. The hotel mentioned a name that wasn’t mine, so it seemed they knew who had actually booked it. They said it was a mistake, yet today another room was reserved in my name using my email address. I’d be careful about trusting this hotel.

After avoiding this hotel for a year because of poor customer service, I decided to give it another try. The parking lot was clean and spacious, the front desk was helpful, professional, and courteous, and the room was clean and reasonably outfitted. Dinner at the bar was another story. I ordered a burger medium rare, but they skipped the medium part and piled on so much salt that my heart was pounding as I typed this. One bite and my cardiologist could thank me for putting his kids through college. Even wild animals wouldn’t trade me their salt block for that burger. It was like eating Lots' wife dredged in salted salt. I won’t make that mistake again.

The room wasn’t very clean. There were visible things on the floor, so it looked like it hadn’t been vacuumed. I picked up an item from the shower floor with a tissue, and there was food in the refrigerator when we arrived. At bedtime, we also found a small foreign piece under the covers and brushed it off. I stay at Hiltons all the time, so I’m very disappointed.