The motel is located near the Westhampton beach in the small Long Island hamlet of Westhampton.
And its clear to see why: as a storytelling unit, the motel room is near-perfect.
I had set out to ask a simple question: What is a motel?
A view of the Westhampton Seabreeze Motel from Montauk Highway.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
To answer that, I needed to understand why people choose to stay in one.
Small benches sit outside each room and ashtrays dot each windowsill.
Cars new and old sat parked outside eight of the 11 units.
Glimpses into life at the Seabreeze motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
Who were these people and where had they come from?
Everything had to go.
One aspect of the motel hasnt changed: the sign.
A standard room at the Seabreeze Motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
Im really attached to the sign.
And the sign isnt even functioning properly, she explains, laughing.
It was demolished a few years ago.
Room details from the Seabreeze Motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
We want it to be homey.
The next morning, as she was checking out, she stopped and chatted.
She said they had partied hard the night before and she was feeling it today.
Photo: Ricardo Burneo
But why did she spend her time and money on a motel in a tiny town during the off-season?
I kind of got, like, Oh God, its a motel?, she explained to us.
I kind of got a little nervous.
Seabreeze owner Carrie Coakley and her dog Myla.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
But its super cute, Ill stay here again.
It was fantastic, Jim explained.
Jims the great connector of his high school class.
Benches and floating trashcans accompany each room of the Seabreeze Motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
It was practically a love fest, we had the best time.
For her, the Seabreeze is a literal home.
The motel, from top to bottom, is her responsibility, and bears the marks of her care.
Photo: Ricardo Burneo
How did she get to this point?
He had younger girls here and they werent reliable.
I didnt like it at first because I come from Islip and everythings going on.
Kristine Murillo, the morning after the party.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
Theres nothing here in the middle of nowhere.
Everything closed at nine oclock so I didnt know what to do.
But I got used to it, and now I love it.
The Seabreeze Motel near sundown.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
With all the customers, I didnt feel so lonely.
It became more and more easier to stay here.
It was like it was meant to be, even though I didnt feel that way in the beginning.
Photo: Ricardo Burneo
We are here to get to meet two half-sisters that I have never met before.
Huffer learned of these long-lost half-siblings after taking a DNA test to figure out his ancestry.
But what he didnt expect was to hear from family hed never known about.
Jim Taylor looks back fondly on the class of 1958.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
Giaco Furino is a Senior Writer for Studio@Gizmodo.
By G/O Media Studios for HBO’s Room 104
Photo: Ricardo Burneo
Erlene Wood behind her desk at the Seabreeze Motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
The front door of the Westhampton Seabreeze Motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
The luxuries and little details of a room at the Seabreeze Motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
Photo: Ricardo Burneo
Brady and Caitlin Huffer, moments before meeting their long-lost family.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
A Cool Autumn Night at the Westhampton Seabreeze Motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
Leaves in the Breeze at the Seabreeze Motel.Photo: Ricardo Burneo
