Thom H.
Yelp
Wife and I stayed at Hero for a few weekdays in late June - early July, kinda shoulder season for Montauk. I forget which package we got, but it wasn't the top-level "ocean view" suite, that was already booked. We did book the champagne-arrival situation.
Hero is designed for the Instagram/Tik-Tok set - it is *very* pretty. The plantings are beautiful ... but there's still plenty of poison ivy under the lawn-facing deck, so mind your feet. Hero is to luxury accommodations as Montauk is to the Hamptons - almost there (and neither is a good value).
Clearly, Hero is a reskinned motel, whatever - but the old sign is still there, if painted over. A nod toward authenticity and legacy? Or a few lazy coats of paint? Unclear.
Hero's off the beaten path a bit, so it's quieter than a lot of the places in town. The beach is quieter, too - and not strewn with trash in the morning, which is more than can be said for the properties further east. My wife and I had a lovely time hanging on the beach, with Hero's own chairs and umbrellas. Unfortunately, it was unclear that the high school kids hanging out with their friends on the beach were actually employed by Hero as cabana boys - I had to practically pull the manager to the beach to find out where the beach chairs were, and where the help was. Again - the service was there, but you had to search for it.
Here's another example - we paid for the champagne package - I had to ask for it, which was kinda awkward, and then we were given a bottle of prosecco. I know, poor baby, right? Heard - but for what I paid, it should have been champagne.
Look, in the end, we had a lovely stay, but did not live up to what Hero charged - almost $1000 a night. I know it wasn't $1000, because that's what Gurney's was asking, and they had full ocean views. We would have stayed with Gurney's anyway, but their spa was closed (??) for renovations (?!)
I fully acknowledge that the hospitality industry is under a lot of pressure, trying to maintain revenue (read: stay open), with limited staff, and supply chain issues. But the more I think about this past June, the more I can't help but feel like we were ripped off ...
If I were to stay in Montauk again, I actually would consider Hero. But seeing how inflated all of the lodgings are in the area, I would think twice about staying in Montauk at all. We had a nice time, but sheesh did we pay for it, in both dollars and patience.