Hampton Inn & Suites Newark-Harrison-Riverwalk

Very nice room. Nice employees. Has free transportation. Close to several things. Good view.

When I visit the area for work, I typically stay here because it is a short easy walk to several restaurants I like very much. The breakfast buffet is what you should typically expect from a Hampton Inn. They have a pool and fitness center that I didn’t use.

Hospitality was not good. Looked dirty on the carpets. Breakfast was missing on a day and the reason was staff did not turn out. No clarity was provided on billing. Location is terrible

o Arrival - The clerk, though pleasant, didn't provide all the information she should have (e.g. about wifi, breakfast, and parking). We checked in online hoping to get to our room quickly. Instead, it took 30 minutes (and two trips back to the front desk) for us to get into our room. After two sets of electronic keys didn't open the room door, we learned that the problem was dead batteries, which a maintenance person replaced. This problem didn't reflect well on routine maintenance or on the alertness of staff to what should have been a signal: a blinking red light on the door mechanism. Other signs of neglected maintenance: chipped door paint and loose formica trim hanging from the edge of one night table. o View - A water view is available at an extra charge, but we were very happy looking out on the town, Route 280, and trains going by. (BTW, train noise was not a problem in our room -- 521, in about the middle of the floor.) We were also very happy with the spaciousness of the king "studio suite" -- considerably larger than a regular king room; it was well worth the small extra charge. o Lighting - The room had several light fixtures (bedside lamps, a desk lamp, and a standing lamp beside a chair, and high hats in the "kitchen" area) but even with all of them on, it was dark. o Location - The hotel was very convenient to the rock-climbing competition we attended in Newark, about a half-mile walk away, and to the Newark Museum, which we also visited. We also enjoyed being within easy reach of several good Harrison restaurants., including La Fiamma and Charley's. o Heating -- Instructions on the HVAC unit said to use the wall thermostat, but it had no effect on the room temperature. We reported this problem to the front desk but never heard from maintenance. Finally, we figured out the issue for ourselves: the controls on the HVAC unit did indeed work. o Checkout - We were unable to have checkout delayed to 2p, an AARP benefit described on the Hilton website when we booked the room. The manager denied that such an offer existed and came across as hostile and unpleasant when we made the request. o Parking - We were never asked if we were parking a car. Nevertheless a charge appeared on our final bill. We knew from our reservation that there's a charge but wondered if all guests are automatically charged for parking -- and if some who didn't park don't notice the charge and end up paying for a service they didn't use. BTW, the lot has no signs indicating that it's paid parking. o Security - A special shout out for the security person who was on duty on Friday night, at about 11:30p. He was extremely helpful when we told him that our daughter, who was about to join us at the hotel, was having trouble finding a place to park. (On the other hand, it would have helped if there were signage in the closeby parking lot alerting guests to the existence of an overflow lot.) o Breakfast - So so.

I strongly advise against staying here. Despite being advertised as non-smoking rooms, the hallway and my second-floor room were filled with the smell of ****, which was highly unpleasant. Cleanliness was another major issue. We found stains on the carpet in the room and even candies left behind by a previous guest—clearly, housekeeping standards were not up to par. The air conditioning in my room wasn’t working properly. A technician had to bypass the thermostat, leaving me to control the unit manually—a less-than-ideal solution. The breakfast, supposedly available from 7:00 to 10:00 AM, was practically nonexistent by 9:30 AM. When I asked for toast, a staff member bluntly said, “No toast, we’re out for the day—it’s a limited breakfast.” Although the hotel is located by the Passaic River, the view is far from scenic, with garbage floating visibly in the water. The noise levels were unbearable. The hotel is situated right next to a massive train bridge, and trains pass every few minutes, creating loud, disruptive noise that’s impossible to ignore. I had booked two nights but couldn’t bear to stay longer. I checked out after just one night. This was one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve ever had.