Hampton Inn & Suites Newark-Harrison-Riverwalk

The room was clean, including the bathroom and linens, and the lobby was clean too. The desk staff were welcoming and polite. The hallway smelled a little like marijuana, and the bar selection was very limited. My kids enjoyed the comfortably heated pool, and there were plenty of towels. We’re from out of state and the surrounding area seemed pretty rough, so we stayed in after dark. We’re here before a cruise, and next time I’d try to stay closer to the port.

I’ve stayed here before, and I know smoking or vaping in the rooms isn’t allowed. I use medicinal cannabis, but I go outside like any other guest and never smoke or vape inside. On this visit, though, I came home to a $250 smokers fee on my bill. After checking with management, I’m still livid: the timeline from check-in to my trip outside to the alleged smoking incident seems fishy and possibly illegal. Nothing lines up with what the front desk manager SOFIA told me, and the charge came without a proper explanation. I’m a disabled US veteran with a medicinal cannabis card, and I feel this was a terrible, predatory way to treat someone who has stayed here before and spent plenty of hard-earned money. I believe the video showing me coming and going should have been enough. Instead, I feel the owners are using fake fees and penalties to rip off customers and run off without consequence. I’ll pursue other ways to investigate and report this, and repost on TRIP ADVISOR and other review sites. This is an absolutely terrible experience and a great way to ruin Harrison Hampton’s reputation with travelers.

Timothy at the front desk was so kind and clearly good at his job. We stayed one night for a performance at NJPAC, and the room was comfortable and spacious, with a clean bathroom. Parking was automatically added at $22 per day, which meant no dealing with a hang tag or registering the car. Breakfast was tasty and had a decent range of choices.

The heating and cooling system was so loud that we had to shut it off to sleep, even though it was freezing outside. The room was supposed to be a suite, but it was just one room. Outside, the view wasn’t terrible, though there was lots of construction, heavy equipment, and industrial stuff. Parking cost $22 a night, but there was no space on site, so I had to use a designated area outside the property that didn’t seem safe. The office chair was very dirty, some furniture was broken, and the toilet bowl was loose because it wasn’t fastened firmly to the floor. Breakfast wasn’t good, with very few options. White bread and plain bagels were the only bread choices, and there was no water for me to take with my medicine. This part isn’t about the hotel, but may help people staying in Newark to see NYC: NJ Transit was horrible and unreliable. Once the train arrived full and we couldn’t get on; on the way back it was full again, so we skipped it. Then another train never showed, even with lots of people waiting. Although we had round-trip tickets, we had to order a taxi from NYC to the hotel and pay almost $100.