Spark by Hilton Rahway

The room was clean and fairly new, easily at a 4-star standard. Parking is free, and breakfast was okay, though not especially complete. The hotel is really far from Manhattan, so there are closer choices if that’s your main destination. The pool was a letdown. When we arrived in the evening, there were no towels, and reception gave me a tiny, hole-filled face towel. The next morning there were towels, but no bin for used ones, so people left them on the chairs and all the seats were covered. The shower was completely broken, and I uploaded a video. There were lots of fine particles in the pool water too, as if the filtration system wasn’t working right. One inconsiderate guest across from us kept their door open until 3 a.m., and we couldn’t sleep.

We came up from FL to see NY and the city, and everything turned out great. I’d stay there again. The trip into Manhattan was an easy 25 minutes, and breakfast coffee was good. I didn’t like seeing how many Pakistani people were walking around without shoes, going in and out of three different rooms. One person would peek out at us when we left our room, then go back and hide. I almost told my wife we should switch hotels.

The room was nice, and so were the people at the hotel. Breakfast was meant to be ready at 6, but when I went down at 6:30, there was only cereal and a couple of bagels. The oatmeal didn’t come out until 6:45. I wouldn’t expect a four-star breakfast, but if I’d known I’d only have granola and apple juice, I’d have gotten up earlier and eaten somewhere else. That’s why I took off a star.

The room was clean and huge, with even a couch. I’ve stayed at other Sparks, and their rooms weren’t this big. There wasn’t much grassy space to walk the dogs, but there was some. It was about 30 minutes outside NYC without major traffic, which was a good location for me. The TV didn’t work, the AC didn’t seem to kick in, and the room was loud with other guests. Since the TV was out, I couldn’t use it to tune them out. The room didn’t get uncomfortably warm, though. It was alright, about what I’d expect from a lower-end Hilton hotel.