Motels often get a bad rap. Intrinsically, the structures are designed for motorists on the move — the word “motel” is an apt, tidy blend of “motor hotel” — and the buildings often have the sensible distinction of rooms that can be accessed from a parking lot instead of a lobby. Function usually trumps form, and words like chic, stylish and elegant generally aren’t the ones that spring to mind. For the most part, neither does the word “fun.” Yet none of that ever really applied in the case of the Daunts.
When Rich and Frances Daunt began to visit Montauk regularly back in the 1970s, the husband and wife were looking to have just that: fun. Frequent entertainers from Nassau County who were always hosting groups of family and friends wanting to visit The End, the pair decided to buy a little house on Old Montauk Highway — one that ultimately began to feel too little to accommodate all their guests.
“They kept having all their buddies out,” says grandson Leo Daunt, “but the house was never big enough.” So, many years before he was born, Daunt’s grandparents found a way to provide ample lodging for each of their guests — not in the form of a larger house, but in a motel: the Albatross Inn, a-two story, classic L-shaped, no-frills business that was originally built in the 1950s, about 100 feet from the ocean in the heart of downtown Montauk.
But what may have seemed like a sweet, quirky lifestyle choice his grandparents made has become the life’s work of the latest Daunt, who’s now helming the family business. And fun? Yeah, there’s always room at the motel for that.
Bringing history into the present
After purchasing the Albatross in 1977, Daunt’s grandparents re-established it as Daunt’s Albatross, with the pair eventually taking up residence there. After retiring from the Massapequa/Seaford-area police force, his grandfather became “the ultimate concierge and consummate entertainer,” Daunt says. “He and my grandma owned and operated it for about 20 years and then they passed it down to my dad. My dad ran it for a long time, and then he passed it down to me.”
Originally, Daunt didn’t think he was destined to participate in his family’s hospitality business, as he initially went to school for history with the thought of becoming a professor.
“I was planning on coming back after graduating with my bachelor’s and going back for a master’s, trying to be a history professor one day,” he says. “But I went back to Montauk, and I loved that summer so much working in the family business. At that time, [the motel] was a little bit more on an economy scale, but it was still beloved by a lot of really loyal regulars.”
Realizing the family-run Albatross wasn’t keeping up with the times (the motel had undergone just one renovation before he was born, in 1982, and reservations were still being made via fax machine), Daunt’s commitments shifted. “My dream became to keep this kind of old-school family charm while really elevating the space and just putting the work in to make it really nice,” he says.
And that’s what he did, hiring the Brooklyn-based design firm Home Studios to give the space a massive overhaul in 2021. But rather than try to eliminate traces of the 1950s aesthetic from the time of the motel’s inception, as well as the 1980s renovation by its subsequent owners, Daunt — with the help of Home and Montauk-based Thomas Lavin Contracting — leaned into it.
“They understood who we were and who we wanted to be,” Daunt says. “We wanted to really lean into Old Montauk and its history and still be a place where regular people could go. A lot of the design people that I talked to wanted to create the next hot spot, but Home was really cool about leaning into the history of the space.”
Curated toward community
Under Daunt’s leadership (his father gave him the reigns in 2019/2020, officially becoming general manager and then owner a couple years later), the Albatross now flies in a class all its own. Design choices are intentional hat tips to the vintage mom-and-pop feel of the place from his grandparents’ time, and they run throughout. Bathrooms are clad with antique clawfoot tubs and green tiles, while the motel’s first floor has thick slabs of flagstone running throughout. All the furniture was either passed down or vintage-sourced by Daunt, and each of the 24 bedrooms (including the two-bedroom, 660-square-foot Koda suite with a full kitchen) are designed in layers that honor both the past and the present — not only encouraging comforting amenities, but providing comforting amenities for gatherings, too.
“One of our big principles and kind of pillars is we want to be really involved in the community,” Daunt says. A co-president of Montauk’s chamber of commerce, Daunt is sensitive to what he calls the changing landscape of his beloved hometown.
“I think the more young people that really care are involved in preserving and promoting the things that everyone already loves about Montauk,” he says, “and not just the three summer months, but that are actively involved, it’s good for the community and the members in the town.”
Outside the motel, Daunt refreshed the saltwater swimming pool and surrounding lounge area. He added a grill pad and brick pizza oven for guests to enjoy and share a place to barbecue. A grassy area for yoga is available, and during the warmer months, a handful of wood fire pits, lit nightly with Adirondack chairs set around them, dot the motel’s bluestone courtyard underneath strands of twinkle lights. Complimentary s’mores kits are provided.
One of the few spots in Montauk that’s open year-round, igloos are arranged in the wintertime throughout the outdoor space for people to sit in. Ultimately, Daunt’s goal at the Albatross is to create a community hub. It’s more than just a place for you to hang your hat for a day or two. He wants you to hang out there.
Bagging the Bird
In 2022, Daunt purchased the adjacent Bird on the Roof Café, once a part of the original Albatross Inn and Café that his grandparents opted out of buying decades ago, to create an extension of what he envisioned his motel to be.
Since its opening, the restaurant, nicknamed The Bird, has grown to be a spot not only for carefully crafted cocktails and cuisine, but for live entertainment and fun activities. Weekly occurrences include Trivia Nights, popular with Montauk residents and those visiting the hamlet alike.
“The one thing that we found a big success with is trivia nights,” says Daunt. “Again, like one of the pillars that we believe in and we actually want to act out, is ‘How do we get involved in the community as a restaurant?’ So, as far as community events and community programs go, we do trivia nights on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and that raises money for the food pantry. Last year, we raised over 10 grand. We were really proud of that. Hopefully, this year we’ll raise 15 thousand.”
Speakeasy Saturday nights, which started in May, return for the season. As dinner service winds down, Daunt and his crew transform The Bird into The Birdhouse, a sexy and sleek space with mood lighting, eclectic live music and a specialty themed cocktail list. “We had so much fun with it last year,” he says. “It just really got everyone’s creative juices flowing and everyone was in a good mood. And that was something that we’ll continue to do this year.”
Additionally, Daunt anticipates The Bird will host another night of music from local acts at least one other day each week. “We want to bring in live music whenever we can,” he says, “with a lot of local artists.”
This year, the restaurant is taking a more global turn in its offerings, as Daunt added executive chef Jake Pinkston to his crew to helm the 65-seat restaurant while introducing a French/Japanese fusion menu for patrons to explore.
“Nostalgia plays a significant role in my cooking,” says Pinkston, noting that “certain memories from traveling, and also past restaurants I’ve worked in, guide me in creating dishes that resonate deeply.”
For Daunt, the third-generation owner, the revamped motel and accompanying restaurant have made his preservation efforts, rooted in honoring his family’s past at the property, that much more attainable.
“We want this to be a place where it doesn’t matter how many Instagram followers you have. Where it doesn’t matter if you’re a TikTok star. Right now, there’s this kind of race in Montauk for the feeling of the ‘scene’ and exclusivity,” he says. “We’re treating everybody the same. We want it to feel like you walk in and you’re at your uncle’s house and he has an obsession with good wine and good food and good times, and he can’t wait to serve you.”
