Hampton Inn & Suites Newark Airport Elizabeth

The hotel and room were clean and comfortable, though the shower drained slowly and I had to stand in the soapy water while rinsing. The room gets four stars, while the front desk service was just okay, three stars. As a Hilton Honors member, I don't feel treated like one. I read the shuttle complaints and was picked up a little after 4:30 a.m., which was no big deal. Being dropped at P3 instead of my departure terminal was fine too, if that's a new setup, but someone should have told me before I boarded. Hampton Inn, please step it up. I'd stay here for one night before a flight from Newark, but not long term.

The rooms were spacious, comfortable, and seemed recently renovated. Even near the runways, the soundproofing was excellent. The hotel is well placed for Newark and has a convenient airport shuttle. The drivers, though, made the shuttle service a real disappointment. On arrival, the first driver ignored me when I asked which route he was taking. When I left, the driver wouldn't help with my luggage. What upset me most was seeing a clear double standard: he was dismissive toward me as a Latino, then immediately friendly and helpful to an American passenger. That lack of professional courtesy and the bias from hotel staff was disheartening.

For a quick trip, the location was the main reason this was an alright stay. I could walk to the mall across the street, and the airport was only 10 minutes away. My room looked clean on arrival, seemed fairly updated, and had a comfortable bed. The gym was big and nice, but breakfast was poor, with limited food that tasted very basic, almost as if it had been sitting out. The breakfast staff seemed checked out, and the front desk and other employees didn't feel welcoming or interested in helping. They weren't rude enough to make a scene, but that attitude matters when you're traveling. Lobby coffee was empty when I went to get some, and finding a random cleaning rag in the bathroom made me wonder how rushed housekeeping was. The desk chair was awful too. The rooms are decent and the location works well for the airport or mall, but between breakfast, the staff, and those little issues, I'd call it an average, around three-star stay.

The most important thing in the morning is coffee, and there weren't any cups. My room had two TVs: one showed a no-cable message, and the other got only one channel. When I asked where to find ice, the desk sent me to odd-numbered floors. The machine on 3 had none, the one on 5 was out too, and I finally found a working one on 7. I'm here with a college sports team. When we got back, everyone's room key had been cleared, leaving about a hundred guests in the hallways. One person in our group was given a key to an occupied room, then another occupied room. The desk apologized and issued a third key, and he opened the door on a couple doing the deed. Unbelievable.