Howard Johnson Express New Brunswick

Getting around from here was a pain. It sits in a freeway tangle, was really noisy, and you can only turn north onto the 1. To head the other way, you have to drive several miles before making a U-turn. The room was dark because two lamps didn’t work, and despite the online photos showing a fridge and microwave, ours had neither. We needed them for the kids. There were cigarette burns on the blankets even though we’d booked a non-smoking room. Internet was painfully slow, and breakfast was as bare-bones as it gets. Unpleasant stay. I won’t be back.

The floors never got vacuumed. Still, that wasn’t the worst part of our stay: my brother was bitten by bed bugs two nights in a row, until he started sleeping on the TV stand. We caught one and trapped it in a cup. On our last day, we were robbed, and the desk attendant said she’d heard about four to six other theft complaints that same day. Some departure. Other than that, it wasn’t bad. :-\ We stayed 11/7/12 - 11/13/12.

The beds were comfortable, but that was about the only upside. The non-smoking room smelled strongly of old cigarettes, and the top sheet had burn holes. The bathroom was dirty, parts of the shower were broken, and it looked like I should’ve brought flip-flops. Upstairs there were frequent, loud thumps. I couldn’t tell if the people up there were practicing for the Olympics or having sex. I definitely saw hookers. The heater made such loud noises it woke me several times each night. There were hardly any outlets, some lights and switches didn’t work, the old TV had static-filled channels, and the Wi-Fi existed but didn’t work. Those were the least of my worries. This HoJo had me concerned for our safety, just like a hotel I once stayed in that had possible bloodstains and roaches. It looks like nobody has cared for or spent money on this place since 1995. Avoid it. If you do stay, bring your own towels, blankets, and pillows, and have a weapon.

I chose this place because it was the cheapest, $70 including all taxes, for a one-night stay before an interview. The room looked quite nice, but in the middle of the night I woke up to a huge bed bug crawling on my neck. The staff moved me to another room right away and apologized, but it made for a miserable night before my interview. In the morning, while I was waiting in the lounge, staff were cursing and speaking rudely on the phone. Sometimes it’s worth paying more, even for just one night. Stay away.