Kebek 3 Oceanside Motel — Hotel in Old Orchard Beach

We have stayed at this hotel many times over the years but being from Canada we could not go for the two years that the border was closed. We were happy to go back in mid-June 2022 but we were worried things might have changed since we knew that the hotel was sold during the pandemic.||||In the past, this was privately owned. The family that owned and operated the place only had this one hotel to work with and they put a lot of time and energy to make it work. Now a company that owns 30 other properties across the region owns the place.||||Before 2020, this was a quiet establishment great for families with kids and for adults including seniors. Now the clientele has changed. The new owners don’t care who rents the rooms. They don’t care what the guests do while on their property.||||During our stay here, a group of people rented an entire section of the hotel (the 14 one bedroom suites). This group ruined our stay here. Of course, the owners of the hotel are not responsible for the actions of guests who misbehave. However, the owners should act when they are told multiple times of the problem and they chose not to. It is something that would not have happened under the previous owners. They would not have rented rooms to that type of people in the first place and if they had done so (by mistake), they would have put an end to the chaos that they caused for three days.||||It’s strange because when you read the policy section on their website, you would think that things haven’t changed but nothing in the policy is enforced. ||||For example, it still says that smoking is not permitted except in a designated outdoor area. However, the whole place smells like smoke now. People smoke all over the balconies and in the picnic table area. ||||It says that the facilities are available only to registered guests. However, the other guests had a lot of guests themselves who used the picnic area and parked their cars in any of the parking spaces that are supposed to be reserved for registered guests. They even built a fire in the picnic area. Is that even legal in Old Orchard Beach? I had never seen that before. The whole time we were here, we could not use the picnic area because that group took over letting no one else use it.||||It says “one vehicle” per unit but multiple units had multiple cars. We couldn’t park our car because the lot was full. Some other guests brought orange cones to make sure their spot would still be available when they came back. In the past, each unit had an assigned parking space. That way we were sure that when we came back from somewhere, we had a parking spot and we knew where it was. No stress. The numbers are still displayed but no one respects that anymore. In an area where parking spaces are rare like Old Orchard Beach, it is ESSENTIAL that each unit have its own dedicated parking spot otherwise it becomes a big mess and that’s what happens now at this hotel. What are we supposed to do with our car when we arrive at the hotel after dinner and there’s nowhere to park? No one from hotel management is there on site to help us.||||They gave us a blue parking permit that is to be displayed on the windshield. Many cars don’t have that permit. Without it, we are told our car could be towed. No one was towed while we were there. ||||While we were there, we were given a piece of paper that said “keep the noise level to a minimum between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am”. It was quieter after 11pm but still very noisy. Reading that, it sounds like the new owners are OK with excessive noise before 11 pm and those guests were willing to oblige. I have never stayed at a hotel with such a racket. The other guests had absolutely no consideration for anyone but their group. The loud music was on all afternoon and throughout the evening. We wish for some peace and quiet and enjoy the smell and sounds of the ocean but it was not possible. We had to keep our door closed all the time to avoid the noise and the smell of cigarettes. We could not stay on the balcony either. The cigarette and excessive noise made it unbearable. ||||The major problem is the lack of care that the new owners have compared to the previous owners. Obviously when guests misbehave, it’s not the owner’s fault. But this time, they were told of the problems many times and didn’t act. They are also never on site. The lobby used to be on the premises but now it is located at the Waves hotel a few blocks away. No one from hotel management is there during the day or during the evening. Somebody comes by to empty the outdoor garbage bin but that’s it. Maybe if someone was there, they could enforce the rules but they are not there. ||||It’s good to have nice policies but it is useless if you don’t do anything to enforce them. ||||In summary, be prepared for guests who don’t care about the rules. Have a plan B for your car in case there’s no parking at the hotel when you arrive. Your parking spot is not assigned to your room anymore and since there’s limited parking, the moment someone has more than one car, you might end up with no parking available for you. You will need to keep your door closed to avoid the excessive noise and the smell of the cigarettes. There’s no one on site from hotel management so nothing can be done to fix those issues. In those circumstances, it is hard to enjoy your vacation. ||||We do not plan in...

For the price this place was great! Right next to the beach with beautiful views if you're on the ocean side. We went there during mid season so very enjoyable to have less people around and a lot of space on the beach and on the streets when walking without having to keep our masks on the whole time.

We wanted a kitchenette to avoid going out to eat to stay safe and the kitchenette worked good for us. The mini fridge was big enough and the 2 burner worked fine. A very simple kitchenette but it had all we needed. We did buy a lobster pot though for clams as the pots Motel has are a request item and are first come first serve. (For lobsters we went to the fish market and Hannaford to buy and get prepared for us). FYI The smoke alarm goes off pretty quickly so we had to take it down and set it outside when cooking.

The shared patio was pretty nice as there weren't many people around us plus it had a measure of privacy even if people were next to us. It was chilly though in the mornings so couldn't enjoy it as much.

Grills were available and dining tables but we didn't use either one. The pool at the Waves also was available for use( they are one company with Waves & Seaview now).

Definitely visiting again. OOB is not a white sand beach but still so pretty and relaxing. I know in summer it's a lot busier and a very family oriented area with amusement parks so close by. There were families visiting when we were there but not as busy or crowded.

The office to check in was at the Waves, a really nice motel too but was more packed and filled to capacity than Kebek 3 as the pool is right there and it has many more rooms that Kebek 3. The Seaview motel that they also own, looked really nice too from the outside. They all are by the water and have some great views on the rooms facing the ocean.

Staff at the office were very helpful too. Of course no housekeeping with Covid but you can call office if you need something and housekeeping...

I would NOT recommend the Kebek 3 if you have children or if children will be visiting you while you stay there. My family and I went to the Kebek 3 last year (2014) and we had a great time. Both inside and outside were meticulous and very well kept. You could tell right away that the owners took pride in their motel and that their employees took pride in their jobs. The owners and employees were very accommodating, kind and seemed very happy to welcome families and their guests. This was very appealing to us as we are all about spending time on the beach with family during the summer months.

Unfortunately this year was not the same at all. The owner, Suzanne and Marc were very rude to their guest’s company who would visit to spend the day on the beach. Their excuse was that there were “too many” kids and that they were putting too many fingerprints on the slider door. The children were the grandchildren to the guests occupying a room for the week. The children came to visit for two of the days to spend the day on the beach. The visiting families stayed on the beach the entire day and only used the actual room to use the bathroom and to change their clothes at the end of the day before heading down town for some carnival fun. The owners made several guests feel very uncomfortable by continuously asking them how many guests they were going to have or asking when their guests were leaving (in front of the guests)!

This year, we saw the owner’s true colors. The owners and employees are not kid friendly at all. It is unfortunate that this very well kept motel does not welcome families? Isn’t that really what summers at Old Orchard Beach are all about? Who wants to stay at a family beach with family entertainment and fun if children are not welcomed? A clean place to stay is important but means nothing if you can’t be surrounded by families all having fun. My family will be sure to never make the mistake of booking a room...