NJ Newark Crowne Plaza Secaucus-North Bergen Options

[blindman]

Not a priceline stay but relevant information about the location.

Arrived by Taxi from EWR, it was very late, cost $35 + tips +$1 toll which I thought was fair.
Daylight options would be by Airtrain and NJ Transit
Assigned a 3rd floor disabled room on check-in, we were past 01:00 so no other rooms available.

Impressive lobby with two grand pianos, a coffee stand and ample conference facilities.

Rooms either have a city view, which is about 4 miles away, (choose at least floor 5 if you want this unhindered view) or a ‘view’ of the turnpike over the Hackensack river.
Décor in corridors is starting to look jaded, but still intact.
No fridge in the room, but there were coffee maker, iron and board, safe and alarm clock.
Bed very comfortable and air conditioning worked fine.

BIG plus is that if you are a member of the Priority Club (enrol for free) then you can access the Executive lounge on the 14th floor (1412)
There is FREE breakfast (06:30-09:00) A decent mix of waffles, croissants, bagels, juices, fruit, jams, cereals and yoghurt.
Endless coffee and tea.

FREE Evening snacks (18:00-20:00)
Evening snacks were beer, wine, water and cheese and hot snacks.
There seemed to be no checks to see if you were a Priority member, room access was by key (didn’t think mine was different to other guests) and you were ‘encouraged’ to sign in (presumably to account for stock usage).
The waitress who ran the place was very friendly and well worth the tips we all gave.
New York skyline visible from the executive lounge. No problem in staying relaxing there (big TV and comfy chairs) after evening snacks have finished.

Outdoor pool is seasonal and is a fairly good size, with depths from 3ft to 8ft.
Accessible by room key and is open from 09:00 until 21:00
Small exercise room is accessible by room key and is open from 05:30 until 23:00.

Free parking is available and the hotel shuttle is ‘on demand’ and will take you to the nearby Malls or the Secaucus Railway Junction or anywhere within a 3 mile radius.

Nearby bus stops at the Valley National Bank (110yards) are served by the 129, 124 which will get you into NY Port authority terminal in about 20 minutes when taking the express buses which run weekdays before 10:00 to New York and from 17:00 from New York. The fare is $2.30 each way.

There is the Small convenience store (next to the Bank) where the New York bound bus stop is located and which also serves liquor.
The bus stop from New York is on the opposite side of the road.
Too far to walk anywhere from here and if you have no car one has to rely on the on demand shuttle (which may be out elsewhere).
Time it right with the express bus and you’ll be in New York in 20 minutes, get it wrong or at the weekend and it will take 30 mins or even longer.

The Malls are accessible by shuttle and have restaurants and fast food options.
Wal Mart is there too.
Secaucus Junction is big, bright and shiny, pity I can’t say that for the trains. It was very empty when we transferred to Jersey and we got there using the hotel shuttle in about 15 minutes.
Plenty of rail options here. The transfer to Jersey City Hyatt cost $2.00 to Hoboken and then $1.50 for the PATH.

Not the best option in this area for location and priceline minimum wins but not the end of the world if you stay here.

[GuyfromOC]

Here's my review from going the Crowne Plaza first week of Aug 2008.

IMHO I think it is a 3 star and not a 3.5 Star.

Hotel Staff - Excellent!
Hotel Room - Good
Shuttle - Fast and Friendly
Location - Perfect.
Dining room staff - Very friendly. Food service is normal speed. Breakfast in the morning is average, nothing special.
Maintenance Staff (Cleaning / Repair) - Poor
Internet - Wireless ($9.95/night)

Ok read blindman's review as it is more complete but I will offer a few changes.

If you can, get a room that faces New York. The view at night is nice (Direct view of Empire State), and the sun will wake you up in the morning.

There are 2 buses at the stop the 2 (To Jersey City) and the 129 (To NY Port Authority). To go to NY the bus is every 30 or 60 minutes and will cost you $2.55 and take about 20-30 minutes. This is one the most convenient bus stops ever and while it servered 3 hotels nearby it was closest to the Crowne Plaza.
I really recommend you leave the hotel before 10am. Anytime after that you will have 20-40 people from the hotel waiting at that bus stop and it will be standing room only.
The 129 bus is fairly large and will support suitcases below (just open the hatch)
Port Authority is in Times Square and from there you can catch the Tour buses or the NYEAS to JFK ($15)
Also Port Authority is a small mall in it's own right, and there is a little breakfast deli in the center (It's orange but I forget the name right next to the post office) that had breakfast sandwiches for $3 made right there on the spot.

Why did I rate the Maintenance poor? Well because it is. The room we were given had a broken lamp and desk and despite 3 calls (over 3 days) to maintenance they did not fix it. (They finally transferred us to a new room). Each time I found a fault with Maintenance / Cleaning (From missing newspapers to missing amenities) but each time it wasn't a big deal, it just added up after a while.

For the late night snackers I would recommend asking the front desk for the Local Pizza place (Angilos? I think). I loved their Stromboli sandwich and they deliver (takes 45 minutes). Beware of their Sicilian pizza as it was very large and I could not eat it all. (It's thick and square).

The Priority club is in a great location but the selection has gone down a bit (no more waffles) but free Sodas at night with the Beer and Wine.

To get here from JFK, just go to the NYEAS buses ($15) to Port Authority (1hr 15min) and from there take the 129 (Gate 318) to the Crowne Plaza stop (Just ask the driver to announce it which he will probably anyhow - 20-30mins $2.55).

[Randi66]

Stayed 2 nights( Oct 27-29th). Paid 110.00 on Priceline. Personally, I thought the room was more of a 2.5 than a 3*. We were given the handicapped room( non-smoking king). The shower was disgusting and old. The toilet seat was high and uncomfortable. The bed was supposed to be new, but it didnt feel that way. There was a little gift pouch on the bed that contained earplugs and a mask. When I opened it, the mask was missing and the ear plug pouch was open. I asked for a fridge for medication and was told there would be a charge. I told them about the ADA and the charge was waived.

The 129 bus was close and easy to get to NYC. It took about 45 minutes due to morning traffic. The last day, we took the 2 bus to Jersey City to check into a B and B. The PATH station is at the Journal square stop( last stop) and that takes 15 min to get into NYC.