Howard Johnson Inn Suffern

I stayed five nights, August 4-9, and the room was really clean. The bed had just the right firmness for a good night’s sleep. Staff were friendly and helpful, bringing fresh drinking water, extra toiletries, and towels when I didn’t want housekeeping in the room. My only sticking point was the weekend noise. People on my floor were rowdy all night and woke me several times. Some guests also ignored the no-smoking rule in their rooms, leaving strong cigarette and other “smoke” smells in the hallways and lobby whenever I stepped out. I told the staff, but there’s only so much they can do short of throwing guests out. That’s why I’m giving four stars instead of five.

Room 116 was awful. It’s one of only three accessible rooms, and if you need one and want to rest, I wouldn’t suggest this place. There was no sound insulation: the elevator buzzed, people’s rolling luggage rattled by, and the ice machine across the hall was loud. I tried resting for about 20 minutes before asking to move to a quieter room. The new desk person was rude. He could have said the hotel was full, including both accessible and regular rooms, or asked a manager, but instead said it was the cheap room for a reason and made it sound like my fault. The person who checked me in, possibly the site manager, was fine, but after I said I didn’t need an accessible room, she didn’t offer a change or explain what that room was like, even though I hadn’t noticed I’d booked it. The lobby smelled like smoke, and the room smelled stale when the AC was off. There were two flies, mysterious streaks on the unclean side table, and the floor by the toilet didn’t seem clean. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this place. It lacked both cleanliness and hospitality.

We won’t return to this location next time we’re in the area. The parking lot had an incredible amount of garbage during our first two or three days, and a bin at one end was visibly overflowing. It was finally emptied on Thursday, though we’d arrived Sunday night. Housekeeping was also very late. We’d be out until about 3 PM and still no one had come to our room. On our last full day, we were glad we’d brought an extra toilet paper roll, and we had spare towels for showers. When we got back around 3 PM, a housekeeper had been down the hall from our room without moving for over half an hour. A large family on our floor made a lot of noise for our first two nights. On the second night, after over two hours of doors slamming, kids running and yelling in the halls, and adults yelling, I called the front desk at nearly 1 AM. Guests also weren’t social distancing or wearing masks, despite signs asking people to stay six feet apart, and nobody enforced it. I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years of hotel stays. It may sound high maintenance, but wanting to sleep at a reasonable hour shouldn’t be too much to ask when rude guests let their children run freely through the building. There was a lack of cleanliness inside and outside the property, and we’ll take our business elsewhere.

The exit right outside our room stayed open all night and wouldn’t lock. People kept coming and going, which was annoying and unsettling. The whole hotel smelled like cigarettes, including my non-smoking room. Faucets leaked, and the shower was so filthy I didn’t feel comfortable using it. I woke up sick with a sore throat after what must have been a lot of secondhand smoke during my one-night stay. When I asked for a manager, no one could help, and the front desk staff did nothing to fix it. The stay cost over $200, even though it was the cheapest place in the area. I’m waiting for a management call, though I doubt I’ll get one. This was the most disgusting hotel I’ve ever set foot in. Sleeping in my car would’ve been preferable. Find somewhere else. Never again. If I could give zero stars, I would.