Gaido's Seaside Inn — Hotel in Galveston

Gaido’s SeaSide Inn in Galveston, Texas fell short of our expectations during our recent Labor Day weekend stay. The experience was marred by several significant issues that impacted our overall satisfaction.

The first room we were assigned had an unmistakable mildew/mold odor. The humidity levels were so high that the sheets and pillows felt damp. We also discovered black mold in the bathroom. The TV volume controls did not work properly. The security block broken right off. By the time we woke up the next morning, all four of us were experiencing stuffy noses and nausea.

When we requested a room change, the staff accommodated us, moving us to an adjacent room. (Although there was zero acknowledgement of the issues or an apology). While the humidity level was better in this new room, it still showed signs of neglect. There was noticeable black mold, the sheets were not thoroughly cleaned (containing hair), and the overall cleanliness left much to be desired. Even after turning the AC on full blast, the humidity crept back up, and the mildew smell returned. I am not sure why there are not dehumidifiers in the rooms.

The hotel's online representation appears to be misleading. The "courtyard" area advertised with life-size games is actually just a parking lot, which is not what we expected for the $180 per night rate. Additionally, the rooms we saw did not match the "vintage chic" aesthetic shown in the hotel's marketing. Our rooms were quite run-down, with dingy, unpleasant carpeting and oddly empty spaces where appliances may have once been- with mismatched appliances. I met several guests at the bar who also felt like the Inn’s page was a bait and switch. Several had also reserved the ocean or pool but were told they didn’t 🤷‍♀️

As for the sky deck, it's a nice concept, but there was a lack of tables or other amenities to make it a comfortable space for guests. This space would be great for guests to have breakfast, as there is NO space in the rooms or in the “breakfast area” to eat. It would seem they had a plethora of staff manning the breakfast and they could have been better utilized to man some tables and chairs on the sky deck.

The parking situation was also concerning, as the "courtyard" parking was not secured and there was no clear system for monitoring who was parking on the premises.

The breakfast offerings were adequate, but the staff seemed disengaged and impatient with guests. There was also a lack of clarity around the pool and hot tub policies, as they were not properly enforced or communicated at check-in. There were several non-guests enjoying what was advertised as exclusive hotel patron amenities.

On a positive note, we did enjoy the food and service at the Gaido’s Seafood restaurant. The poolside bar was also a highlight. The bar tenders were great and so was the food.

We did enjoyed the hotel's proximity to the Galveston Seawall and being able to walk to the crosswalk for direct access to the beach. On Saturday night, we had a great view of the amazing fireworks show from the hotel's hot tub.

Overall, the combination of cleanliness issues, security issues, misrepresented rooms, non-exclusive amenities, and indifferent staff made for a disappointing stay. We would caution future guests to carefully manage their expectations and consider whether the price point aligns with the actual experience at Gaido’s SeaSide...

We decided to stay here for our first summer vacation starting a new tradition. The prices are fairly reasonable if you use a third service to get some cheaper rates (we used Expedia). Overall, the experience was rather blissful, mostly due to the ocean. The shore is in walking distance from the hotel being directly across the street. While we couldn't see the ocean from our hotel room, we had access to an observatory deck which is above the hotels restaurant and bar. There are lawn chairs up there with a fantastic view of the ocean. For all of the photographers, keep in mind that the sun rises on the ocean so early morning is the best time for those pictures (I recommend taking them from the observatory deck since it's elevated). Our hotel room was probably about a 3 out of 5 stars for me personally. The shower had a few hairs left in it and there was soap dripping from dispensers which makes me a little weary regarding the last time it had been cleaned. The floor in the bathroom was also fairly dirty. However, the AC was wonderful as my family enjoys sleeping in very cold temperatures and it kept the room exactly how we wanted it. The beds were supposed to be Queens. My mom thought they looked to be full but both me and my siblings feel it was even smaller. As me and my sibling are both on the bigger end of bodies, it was difficult to share the bed. One of us had to sleep on the opposite end in order for it to work and I still got kicked off the bed several times 😂. We also had a few problems with our TV not working but maintenence is very efficient and gets there very quickly. The problem was solved quickly each time and he was very friendly as well.

Some of the breakfast staff was not very friendly on the first day we stayed there and made comments about what we chose to ate and made comments about how my brothers body size, etc. Our last morning, there was a different staff for breakfast, and they were much kinder and very friendly. The food is very good, as well, especially for a complimentary breakfast and they have a lot of options. They do cook fresh food later on as breakfast is from 7 to 11 but it's much better to go right when breakfast opens.

Their pool is also very nice, as well, with a rinse off station for you to use if you come from the beach before going back to your hotel room. All of the other people staying there were also friendly and I had several great conversations with ladies at the pool. It's also a huge plus that the poolside lounge is available for the restaurant and the bar is right next to the pool. The pool is also okay to smoke at so take that as you'd like depending on your view towards it.

Keep in mind when booking that you also have to pay both city and state taxes which added up to 17 and 11, twice, on our charge list. Our entire visit for 2 nights and 3 days, with everything previously mentioned, came to 434 with two adults and 2 kids.

Overall, the good things I enjoyed from this trip definitely outweighs the bad. We plan to book this hotel for the next several years we come...

Husband and I decided to try someplace new for a weekend getaway and chose this place based on the Gaido’s name and the website stating it was newly renovated. We stayed in the “Gulf View Luxury King Ground Floor with Private Hot Tub” or “Mike’s Corner” room.

This room boasted several amenities such as: upscale linens, private hot tub, THREE flat screen TV’s, Bluetooth music center, enhanced bath with separated shower/tub, wet bar, with a private entrance and patio.

What they DON’T tell you is that :

The “upscale linens” stick to you all night because the AC doesn’t cool properly and you sweat all night long.

The tiles in the bathroom sag with what appears to be water damage.

The “private patio” is literally on the corner of a very busy intersection. Therefore, loud cars drive by all the time.

There is also a sidewalk VERY close to your “private patio” which causes people to walk right by the “private patio” and your room at all hours of the night.

The entrance to get back into your room from the patio/hot tub area does not have an operating lock on the door. The aluminum shutters are not made to be actual barriers to keep the public from getting into your room, and since there is a broken lock on the actual door back into the room, we had to band it shut to feel it safe to even sleep at night.

The main entrance from the parking lot is also dark and not well lit at night. Does not feel safe at all.

The hot tub is rusted all around the bottom and barely reaches 101 degrees.

There are only TWO TV’s and only ONE of them actually works part of the time. The Bluetooth center never worked properly either.

The wet bar has a filthy, rusted, and dusty plugin 6” plastic fan hooked on it that was not even plugged in. There was no purpose for this nasty fan aside from apparently showing the type of thing that is completely overlooked by the maintenance and cleaning crew.

The seats besides the wet bar are stained with who knows what. The one door is also missing its knob.

The enhanced bath needs a new plug to help actually hold water and the cool waterfall and other extra showers don’t work either.

The soap dispensers are rusted and dirty.

The electrical sockets are all rusted as well (we understand it’s by the Gulf, but have you not heard of using plastic or another material that might hold up better?)

The doors will look like they have been jimmied open at least a couple of times.

The tiles are not even fully covering the ceiling.

If I were the Gaido’s family, I would be ashamed to put my name and reputation on this hotel. If this little hotel is this bad, I’m curious what their restaurant kitchen looks like? If it weren’t for the last-minute trip and non-refundable payment, we would have just left. What a waste of $700 bucks and we will never go back that’s for sure!! See pictures as to why you may want to skip this...