Houser's Hotel

"Racist establishment! I visited on 7/3/2022 and waited in line for drinks for 45+ minutes without ever being served. I had the bartenders ignore me multiple times. One white lady wanted to help me order drinks and the bartender told her no and only gave her the drinks she ordered for herself. Afterwards, my friend and I were told to go somewhere else and f off! I wanted to cry! I’ve never felt racism like that in my life and i felt so unwelcome. Luckily, I had two girls who wanted to help me order drinks and it only took them 10 minutes to get us the drinks and the bartenders were so friendly with them. I wouldn’t recommend visiting this place unless you’re white."

"I have stayed here 4 times now. I love this hotel, BUT it's not for everyone. Look, here's the deal: this is a budget hotel. It is literally the cheapest hotel on the island, and yes, I've checked. This is where you stay if you are 1) young and broke and here to party, or 2) you love this island so much that you are willing to sacrifice creature comforts so you can be here for as long as possible on a limited budget. YES, it's true that no one will ever, EVER answer the phone or call you back if you leave a message. Literally not ever. IDK if they even check the messages, so God help you if you need to change your reservation. And YES, the bar stays open late and the music is clearly audible from your room, especially if you have a room that "faces town." But the staff are really kind and friendly if you need something (again, you will have to physically find someone, because no one will ever, EVER answer the phone), the rooms are clean and air-conditioned, and the food is great. The lobster rolls especially are the best I've ever had in my life. OMG the food is so good. I bring silicone earplugs to sleep with, and flip-flops for the communal showers. If you want fresh towels, you will need to find a staff member and ask for them. This is a super-relaxed, super-casual place. If you just need a place to sleep and take a shower as you explore the magical paradise that is Fire Island, then this place is the best. If you want a real hotel experience with maids and room service and fresh towels every day, then look elsewhere. This is a casual place for casual people -- but IMO that's the spirit of Fire Island. People go barefoot here for a reason. I do wish they would answer the phone sometimes though."

"No directions to the hotel are ever provided - nothing on the website and nothing in the confirmation email. This is an issue because when you look up directions on Google Maps, it indicates that you can drive to the hotel, which is not the case. You either have to park on the west side of Fire Island and hike a couple hours, or you have to park at the Fire Island Ferries lot in Bay Shore and take the ferry, which stops running a little after 4pm (in October). This conflicts with a 5pm check-in because that is a really late check-in time, and one is led to believe that the hotel can be accessed later in the afternoon. However, with no ferries operating that late, the only other alternative is to maybe find parking at Robert Moses State Park and hike to 6.5 miles (2 hours). None of this information is provided by the hotel. No one answers the phone. I called the day I booked the hotel online to confirm the reservation, again at 5pm the day of check-in and left a voicemail with my number, and about a dozen times after that, leaving another voicemail. The result was I did not get refunded my money, and had to get another hotel."

"Was greeted poorly by the bartender. His first words to me were “you aren’t of age” then grabs my ID from me aggressively telling me he will call the cops and get me arrested. I’m 23 years old with a valid NY state ID. Accusing me of having a fake and threatening me in front of other guest is NOT how you treat a guest. He then refused to serve me. Next time I’ll stay and let him call the cops so he can feel embarrassed. I’ve never been denied at any bar before in my life and I’ve been to this bar plenty of times. Had a lot of good memories here. It’s a shame I have to think twice before I come here again. Unprofessional and terrible hospitality. If I could leave 0 stars I would."