Holiday Inn Manahawkin/Long Beach Island by IHG

I grew up in Manahawkin, so the Holiday Inn’s convenient location made it an easy choice for our Thanksgiving stay. The room itself was a letdown: our online king booking wasn’t honored, and the double room had stains on the carpet and a red-brown mark on one comforter. We slept in the other bed and tried to look past it, but later found makeup on the supposedly clean facecloths and tears in the fresh linens. At 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving, I asked the front desk for a new set of linens. The employee noted the request, but when we came back at 9 p.m., there was a note under the door saying housekeeping wasn’t available for the holiday. I understand staff having the holiday off, but that should have been said when I asked that morning. A kind housekeeper did come up shortly after and changed the linens. Still, the stay was very disappointing, and I won’t return.

There’s an arcade and family activities here, and the lobby has recently been renovated along with the mainland's restaurant. Breakfast is no longer offered. Our room had also been renovated, but quite a few usual hotel amenities were missing and several things in the room didn’t work. We stayed over Thanksgiving, when the housekeeping and restaurant staff had the day off, so there was no housekeeping.

The hot tub was out of order during our stay, which was a real letdown because it was one of the main reasons we picked this hotel. I also spent time on hold after the front desk sent me to Expedia to ask about adding breakfast. Expedia then said the hotel doesn’t offer breakfast, something the front desk could have told me directly. The rooms were clean and updated, and the location is good. Having an arcade, restaurant, and go-kart track attached is a big plus for families. It’s a nice hotel with fun things nearby, though those two issues could have been handled better.

The lobby and the mainland are updated, and the arcade is awesome. But for what they charge per night, I’d expect more modern rooms. I’ve stayed here a number of times, and some rooms had stained floors and ceilings. It’s disappointing that breakfast isn’t included for that price.