Hyland Motor Inn

The front desk staff were really polite, and the pool looked nice, though it was still too cold for us to use it. We’ll try again sometime. The room was clean, but the bathroom was disgusting and they need better cleaning staff.

I picked this place because it was near the assisted living home where my father now lives. For $90 a night, in a residential area along a major highway and away from the beach or other attractions, this was possibly the second-worst property I've stayed in during my 63 years of travel. The room looked nothing like the photos online. There were a few positives: the sheets, towels, and room overall were clean, and the carpet had been vacuumed well. But the room smelled strongly of old cigarette smoke and mildew despite the posted no-smoking policy. The furniture, carpet, bedspreads, and bedding all need replacing, although the sheets themselves were very clean. The wall air conditioner didn't work. I tried to turn it on without my glasses and got an electric shock after putting my finger where I thought the black power button was. I contacted the after-hours front desk number and was told they'd look into it in the morning, but management never checked it. I also told them the cigarette smell was affecting my asthma, and was advised to open a window. The old electrical outlets wouldn't hold my charger, which kept falling out. The property apparently takes social services vouchers. I have nothing against that, since people can't always control their finances, but this place had a lot of problems. If not for the clean linens and room, I would have warned people away.

The fire alarm kept going off every 20 minutes from 3 a.m. until 10 a.m., and there was nobody at the desk overnight to help. We got no sleep. In the morning, staff acted like it was no big deal and pointed to the no-refunds sign. We left early despite having paid for two nights. They complained that we hadn't checked out soon enough for them to rent the room again, even though we paid for a night we didn't use because we knew we wouldn't sleep there. They didn't offer a partial refund or even an apology. The room was run down, with stained, dirty beds and pillows that were very uncomfortable. The bathroom was awful, and we found a large spider on the comforter in the morning. This was the worst motel I've ever stayed in. I wouldn't stay here again even for $200 a night.

When we returned to Hyland Motor Inn in April 2025, we had a room much like the one from our Saturday-to-Sunday stay in April 2024. Nothing seemed to have changed, and we were still very happy with how clean and quiet it was. I also forgot to mention last time that the grounds are spacious and wooded, with two barbecue areas among the pines. I like the old-school feel, including the bottle opener and corkscrew on the bathroom wall. The staff was still the same, and my wife and I recognized the cleaning maid from the year before, so we left her another large gratuity. For us, clean and quiet covers the basics. It's an old-fashioned independent motel, so anyone expecting everything to be shiny and new should look elsewhere. If you just want a clean, quiet room near the highway, it works. The check-in office was dim enough to feel like the start of a horror movie, but check-in itself went smoothly. They held a $50 deposit on my credit card, which was released several days after checkout. The room was very clean, though the bare floor felt a little sticky and there was a faint cleaning-product smell. The Wi-Fi was strong, and the room stayed quiet despite being close to the Garden State Parkway. The full-size fridge was especially useful since we brought a lot of food. The partly renovated bathroom had a strong, hot shower, but there was old towel-rack hardware, little shelf space, and some rust on the shower rod. The bathroom window faced woods and had no curtain, so we hung a towel there for privacy. There was an unused coffee machine and a working microwave. I think there was an iron, ironing board, and hairdryer too, but I can't say for sure. The outlets were old but plentiful, and there were no USB sockets. The desk mirror had dated vertical fluorescent lights that worked fine. The beds were clean and average, and the TV worked okay. The phone looked like it dated from 1960, so we didn't try it. We had a nice chat with the friendly, responsible maid at checkout and left her a good tip. I can see older guests finding the place quaint, while younger travelers who expect modern tech and new furnishings may be disappointed. Overall, our experience has been shaped by the basics being done well.