NJ Newark La Quinta Suites Secaucus

[dahammer]

Stayed here to attend a trade show at the Javits center in New York City and was on a budget. Decent rooms in Manhattan were going for $250-350 per night, so I decided to book a room in the Secaucus area, accessing Priceline through SavingsBarn.com. I bid $70 as it was a same day bid and I really didn't want to go through the re-bidding process. Other winning bids have been accepted in the high $50's. The Prime Suites is a true suite hotel, the bedroom had two double beds while the sitting area (seperated by a door) had a sofa bed. I was given a non smoking Handicapped room and this was totally fine. This was formerly a Radisson Suites hotel. Rooms have mini-refrigerator and a microwave. There is also a restaurant on site as well as a pool for the kiddies and a fitness center. An ATM is in the lobby in case you run low on the green stuff. :) Check in and check out was fast and parking was free. Frequent bus service nearby takes you to the Port Authority Bus Terminal for less than $3.00 each way, the ride is less than 30 minutes. Not very convenient to the PATH train stations, I guess one could drive to Journal Square station in Jersey City and park. I chose to drive to the Port Imperial ferry terminal and take the NY Waterway to the 38th street terminal, a mere two blocks to the Javits center. Parking is $9.00 and the round trip on the ferry is $11.00. Parking around the Javits during a show is usually $25 or more plus $6.00 for the tunnel plus the hassle of driving into the city. Once at the 38th street terminal, several free NY Waterway busses were on hand to take passengers to various spots in the city along pre-set routes. From Port Imperial, there are ferries to Pier 11 in lower Manhattan as well. The location of this hotel is in the Mill Creek office/retail development and near the Harmon Meadows development. There is a small mall nearby with a supermarket and Kohls department store. A new Wal Mart and Sam's Club just opened up nearby (how about a cheap $5.00 Rotisserie chicken, members only!). The Hotel's website proclaims free shuttle service to the immediate area for shopping, dining and to a local movie theater. With the recent run up in NYC and Jersey City hotel prices, this is a good, albeit less convenient, inexpensive place to base at least part of your NYC trip. The savings here could let you stay in Manhattan for a few days of your trip and balance out your budget :)

[michellezz]

Just got back from the hotel. I agree that the savings are great, compared to NYC and Jersey City hotels. Overall I'd give the hotel 4 out of 5 stars.

1. location

Some people have mentioned that the hotel is hard to find. Here's what to do: follow the driving directions on the hotel's website :) Do NOT trust directions from mapquest or yahoo! as they might point you to the wrong way.

When you get off the NJ turnpike from the south, go straight, cross paterson plank rd and route 3, and you'll be on harmon meadow blvd. At the end of it you'll see Sam's Club, turn left there, then turn left again when you see the millcreek mall. At the 2nd intersection turn left and the hotel is on your right.

2. transportation

The 320 bus to PABT in NYC is very convenient. The hotel is its last stop, so you can't miss it. The drivers are very nice. Ask for a schedule at the hotel front desk. I don't know if they sell bus tickets as well, but some other hotels on the route did.

The bus ride usually takes 20-25 minutes, but on monday morning we were stuck in traffic for 20 mn because of a disabled bus in Lincoln tunnel :) So for faster access to NYC, Jersey city would be a better choice.

3. room and service

We had a non smoking king suite, big enough for a family of four. We liked the comfortable beds, 2 big TVs, clean and roomy bathroom. The microwave, minifridge, and coffeemaker all functioned well and were very clean. We didn't like the view (parking garage and route 3), oh well, we weren't there for the view anyway. No extra pollows or blankets in the closet.

Some staff members were very nice and helpful, others were okay.

Overall, the hotel is safe, quiet, and fairly convenient. I'd recommend it for families.

Many thanks to thereuare for helpful info.

[thesmart]

I stayed here from 6/3 to 6/5 (two nights). It was $55/night.

Overall I enjoyed our stay here and would consider staying again esp. when NYC hotels are expensive.

I agree with the previous reviews. I will add a few details.

1. Room

I got a suite room with a King bed. The room is quite spacious with additional space with sofa.

There was no door between the sleeping space and sitting space, though.

I think the room size is approximately twice that of a typical NYC hotel room.

There is nothing spectacular, but the room is clean.

2. Direction

I didn't use the direction by the hotel. Without it, it's REALLY difficult to get to the hotel.

I am quite good at finding places, but I was totally lost on the first night.

Even on the second night, I almost crossed Lincoln Tunnel. :)

When I was sitting in a lobby, I heard the front desk staff giving the direction over the phone a few times.

3. Bus service and surrounding area

The fare is $2.60 one-way. The interval is around 10 min on weekdays, 15 min on Sat, and 20 min on Sun.

It took around 25 min for both directions when I took it on Sat (around 10 am and 6pm, respectively).

The bus also stops at other nearby Inns (Holiday Inns, Courtyard by Marriot, etc.)

There is an Olive Garden within 2-min walk. As mentioned in the previous review, there are Sam's Club and Walmart, which are one bus stop away. Across the street from the Wal-mart, there is Loews, and many restaurants including Sizzler, Red Lobster, etc.

The area looks quiet, clean and safe. The parking garage is spacious.

I think you should consider the bus fares, extra time and hassle before you go with this hotel instead of NYC hotels.

For me, the rate difference was large enough (I guess, more than $100/night). I also brought my car, so I think I made a good choice.

[Jasmine]

I stayed here April 30-May 2. This was my review (from my original post):

I had some trouble actually finding the hotel. Mapquest directions weren't entirely clear and I had to stop three times to ask for help (first two times I got poor directions) so it took me about 45 minutes to get there (even though the entire time I was within 5 minutes of it). At one point I was staring at the hotel from across the NJ Turnpike but couldn't find a road to take me across to it! Not the hotel's fault - just thought I'd mention it.

It was about noon when I finally got into the lobby and although it was too early to check-in, I confirmed there'd be a room waiting for me when I got back that night from the city. I also requested a non-smoking room at that time. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

They have free parking available 'next door' in a covered structure (which I believe is shared with the mall) and also some spaces (maybe 10-15) out front. I nabbed a spot out front (easier access and safer I felt). The bus to the Port Authority stops right across from the lobby doors - it is the first stop on the way to NYC and the last stop on the way back. A lot of people chose to buy 'round-trip' tickets in the morning but (1) there isn't any savings (2) you have to carry a ticket with you all day and hope you don't lose it and (3) I over heard some people telling the driver that other drivers had refused to honour the ticket (?). So I stuck with one-way fares.

I got back to the hotel around 10PM on Saturday night and it only took 2 minutes to check-in. Oddly enough they didn't even take a imprint of my credit card for incidentals (they charge for even local phone calls). I was lucky to land a room facing a quiet street/parking garage. I believe some rooms face the turnpike and I'd imagine there'd be noise. When I first walked into the room I was hit with a pretty bad smell. At first I thought they had given me a smoking room but that wasn't the case - I think the entire hotel is just pretty old and musty. By the next day all my clothes smelled funny too. They have a good a/c system though so I turned it up and it seemed to help with the smell a bit. However the air system is pretty noisy and it woke me up at night whenever it switched on (had it on 'auto').

The room itself was a good size - when you first walk in there is a pull out sofa with a love seat, a TV, coffee table and writing desk. In the adjoining room (no door) there was a King sized bed with an arm chair and another 27" TV. The bathroom was an acceptable size with a bathtub. There is a microwave, little fridge and coffee maker as well. They give you two bottles of water every day which is nice. I popped them in the otherwise empty fridge and had ice cold water for the next day.

Now the bad part... the room was pretty filthy. Maybe I just happened to get a room cleaned by a lazy maid but it was gross (and I'm not overly picky about these things). There were "foreign" hairs in the tub and on the counter top around the sink *puke* I also found an eyelash on a pillow and a plastic thingy from a price tag on the sheets. There was dust everywhere and the carpet looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in awhile. I made a point of not taking off my shoes. Breakfast costs $7 but I opted to eat in the city so I can't comment on that.

Overall, I thought the hotel was in a good location but I wouldn't want to stay there again because of the apparent lack of cleaning. Next time I'd probably opt for a newer 2.5* over the Prime Suites. Better reviews might change my mind though.

I'm glad to see that everyone else so far seems to have gotten clean rooms. Maybe I was just unlucky. I also wish I had known to follow the hotel's directions originally! Would have saved me a lot of time! Good tips.

[farangene]

Stayed here one night in mid October 2005 and enjoyed my stay.

Rooms (suties) were spacious with a couple of tvs, couches etc. Good amenities and my room was clean. I wOuld definitely stay here again as the bus ride in either direction was only 20 minutes from/to PATB. I timed my "commute" to be mid morning (10AM) and late evening (9 PM-ish). The buses were right on schedule and think the hotel is the first stop on the route. Hotel clerks were helpful.

Can't imagine anywhere in NYC for this priceline price ($75) with this much space. They also had a free shuttle van and picked me up at the train station the first day when I called them.

[dahammer]

just got back from a one night stay at this hotel and for the price paid, I was happy with the room, but I couldn't conceive of paying the $200 rack rate. The hotel is going through a renovation: new beds, carpeting, and furniture in the rooms. The rooms have been painted that bright LaQuinta yellow that just kind of looks cheap and the furniture is spartan. Bathrooms have been painted, nothing else. Hallways have new carpet and new wallpaper and the lobby is set for a renovation. Overall, it seems that the renovation is being done on a tight budget, no frills or excess. This is the 6th nameplate on this property and I would agree with the 2.5* rating, but its not as nice as the nearby Hyatt Place. The big plus here is that the rooms are large and a true two room suite, but there is no door seperating the living area from the sleeping area. There is an indoor pool, but no hot tub. The living room has a pull out sofa bed. My favorite three freebies are offered here: hot breakfast, parking, and WiFi. The other big plus is its location, just a short drive to Manhattan for the adventurous and within steps of the NJ Transit bus that will take you to NYC's Port Authority Bus Terminal. Across the street is Bonefish Grill, one of the better chain restaurants, but I had dinner at Beyti, a Turkish kebab restaurant in nearby Union City, the chopped salad with feta cheese and grilled lamb patties were great!

[Thanh]

Useful info about my visit to the La Quinta Secaucus :

When: Sept. 22nd to 26th (4 nights)

Price: $87/night

Like my previous visits, I tried to get the Hyatt Place but failed. Instead, I got the 2.5* Newark (Secaucus-North Bergen) La Quinta Suites.

1) Location: I