Islander Inn Resort — Hotel in Put-in-Bay Township

We stayed there for 4 nights. Here’s a categorized breakdown.

LEGENDARY Location: Easily walkable to damn near everywhere you’d want to go, regardless of time of day. Cleanliness: The rooms and common areas were extremely neat and clean. Staff: Very kind and helpful. Poolside Bar: Amazing. The bartenders were really good and nice, and the drinks weren’t watered down.

OKAYISH Room size is not huge but not tiny. It has decent wardrobe hanging space, and there’s a mini-fridge, but no microwave. There’s one in the main lobby that can be shared by all, but from our room it was a trek that rivaled that of Frodo and Sam, so not a win. Room decor was very basic, though the bathroom was nice and had clearly been updated.

Hot tub: Really good, as long as it’s turned on. Someone is clearly worried about the electric bill because they only turned it on if someone was in it. Ohio Edison needs to get them on a payment plan so that they don’t need someone to flip the switch to save on costs. There is a TV in the room with very basic cable. There are no streaming services available. Not a dealbreaker, but living in 2025 one would think that this would be standard in every hotel room.

YIKES! The bed comforter/duvet did not comfort or duvet me. It is incredibly thin, sometimes being mistaken for a second sheet. There was a chair in the room with dark stains from too much human skin oil contact and too little washing. The housekeeper was nice, but she only cleaned the room ONCE, and there was a second attempt that we turned down because we were still in there (this did not affect the rating), but only two times?! Wow! No food or drinks on site, except some snacks you can buy from the main lobby for the price of your first-born son. The swimming pool was INCREDIBLY cold until around 3:00pm. I’m thinking electric bill again.

Parking: There’s NO WAY this hotel has enough parking spaces for every single room. There are no more than about 30 parking spots for their 110 rooms. The irony is that I had called 1-2 days beforehand and asked if there was enough parking, and the lady confirmed that there was. That is literally impossible. There were about 40 spaces if you include the spots reserved for golf carts only, and parking is very tight and only goes in one direction.

ABORT MISSION! There were tons of bugs in the swimming pools, and the filters were not working or running. In one of the pools there was even an oily film on the surface in addition to the bugs. And it wasn’t from use since it was so early in the morning when we went to the pool, so it wasn’t caused by another customer.

Adjoining Rooms. Every single room in that hotel is adjoining with another. The door is kept locked, but they are not sealed AT ALL. For three of the nights, we had to deal with a screaming baby multiple times of the day and night, despite the complaints, and then on our last night the new neighbor was a hardcore smoker, and that smell permeated our room.

Beds: I’m not picky. All I require is for the bed to be good enough for me to get a good night sleep and not wake up like the tin man. These beds were literally the most uncomfortable beds I have ever stayed in, including when I went camping in cabins. We woke up stiff and/or in pain most mornings.

Pillows: Worst ever! They are little more than a handful of cotton balls wrapped in material. I am not exaggerating. I initially got excited because there were four pillows, but as soon as I picked one up my smile vanished. After I slept (or rather, tried to sleep) on one it was a wrap.

All in all, this hotel is a reflection of the party atmosphere of the island. It is not quaint refuge from your busy life. It is a weekend re-creation of the Florida Keys and party central. They want you to come, drink, fall asleep, and wake up to immediately leave the room for the entire day. The party atmosphere didn’t bother me since it did not last through the wee hours, but when the bars and outdoor areas are in better shape, cleaner, and more comfortable than your hotel room, you know where...

I have to start with the music. Upon arrival, before even entering the building, blaring music could be heard. I got checked in (person at the counter very nice, new to the job) and we went to our room. Our room was on the 2nd floor overlooking the pool. Right below the door to the room was a speaking spewing out that blaring music. Music I could hear from outside the building was extremely loud inside our room. Made the walls vibrate (see video.) Called the front desk to ask about it, they were not fully sure about the music situation since they just started. But she said she would talk to the manager and get back with me. Half hour later no word but since we were going out I stopped at the front desk. The lady at the counter was very nice again and indicated to the manager, in a room off the front desk, that I was there about the music. The manager did not come out to greet me but instead conveyed the message from afar that it was basically my fault I had a speaker outside my room blaring music so loudly a Boeing 747 could fly undetected 100 feet over the inn. This was due to the website indicating there was a DJ there on weekends. I was told there was nothing they could do for me and got an “I’m sorry that you…” apology. When I persisted a bit further on the issue, she got irritated with me but never did come out to see me. A gentleman came out from the office hurriedly and was a bit more professional and calm about things. I don’t know if he was a manager as well since no one introduced themselves to me during this event. His message was the same as hers, nothing they could do to help, but at least he didn’t make me feel like crap for asking. Pretty low customer service bar to meet I suppose. So I gave up, we went out to town for dinner, came back and the music was much quieter. No thumping walls, could hear the tv. Next day I encountered the gentleman again and he gave me 2 free drink tokens for their bar which i appreciated. I’m so anti-confrontation and meek the encounter the previous day really bugged me. The music was going to be super loud again, he indicated, but would be turned down by 6. I let 6 come and go, no reduction in volume. At 7 I replied to the hotel text with the video attached below and asked them to turn it down. Very quickly that happened. On Sunday I was needing new towels so I went to the front desk again (hesitantly) and the female manager was working the desk. I asked for some new towels and she said she would have the maid bring some up. The laundry room was right next to the front desk. I almost walked in and got the towels myself so I didn’t have to bug anyone. Of course no towels were delivered so later I texted again asking for them and a nice fellow delivered them shortly after. Also had to text again about the very loud music that night. Other than that, clean room, the hot tub was big and pretty nice, the location was wonderful, very close to everything in town. Room didn’t have a phone or a clock but we certainly didn’t need them. Had a fridge but no microwave. Beds were comfortable. And no breakfast at the hotel (which was indicated on the website.) Lazy River didn’t have water in it. Cans of pop at their counter store are 3 bucks so bring your own. The music and that cringey interaction about it means I won’t be back. But I know that sort of rave/nightclub super loud music vibe would be very appealing for many people....

Wow...I rarely ever comment or give a review but this place was so particularly bad that I feel compelled to respond. I know no one here and I came with no prejudice against this place. I wish that I could give it less than one star but that wasn't an option. They seem to be taking advantage of the fact that at PIB, hotel/condo options are few and you'll just have to accept this place as a default. Based on the owner's comments on other reviews, they are completely out of touch with the situation at the hotel. This is a summary after a 3 night stay at the Islander Inn at Put-In-Bay. This is probably a nice hotel if you are used to staying at a homeless shelter. They tout themselves as being the only Caribbean style hotel on the island. That comparison only holds true if you are staying in the slums outside of the resort in Jamaica. The images on their website are entirely misleading. It may have looked that way at one point, but certainly not now! These are some of my observations: The rooms are difficult to find, stairwells are filthy and smell like fish, dead bugs are smashed against the walls of the stairwell, wallpaper is peeling off the walls, the hallway air conditioners are nonfunctional with hallway temperatures being literally around 100° F, the bathroom sink doesn't drain due to being clogged up, someone removed the sink drain knob, the television is definitely not a flat screen, the décor is badly dated, the quality of the mattress is poor, the toilet runs constantly, housekeeping means they just make the bed(sometimes) but nothing else gets done(no towels replaced, no coffee setup replaced, no vacuuming, didn't remove last night's pizza box), the smoke detector went off and I had to take it down to the front desk and they never brought it back with a battery, the wifi doesn't work, nor does the backup wifi option, requests of front desk to come up and fix the problems never got addressed. I had to go down to the front desk after 11:30 pm to get the smoke detector a new battey and clean towels, wash cloths and shampoo because none had been delivered. If housekeeping comes by and you tell them you are leaving in 5 minutes, they never return to clean the room. They said, "You didn't schedule the service." I told them that you don't have to schedule this service, it's automatic. That's what you pay for when you stay at a hotel. There's no evening housekeeping service. The front desk says that they can't leave to deliver anything(towels, washcloths, shampoo, conditioner, coffee)to the room because they are alone. I went down each evening to pick up those items. The smell of marijuana from many rooms is so strong that I thought that I failed to meet one of the requirements to get into the hotel. A Red Roof Inn is a lot better hotel and much less expensive. I frequently stay in far nicer hotels in large cities for CE for my profession... They are much nicer with many more amenities for less money per night. I've visited Section 8 housing as part of charitable work that I do that is in much better condition than this hotel. I strongly recommend that you avoid this hotel! There are a few nicer places on the island for less money or more money, your choice. Also, consider staying in Port Clinton where there are several nicer places to stay.

Good luck and make a better...