Courtyard by Marriott Jersey City Newport — Hotel in Jersey City

We had 2 rooms over the Christmas holiday. The hotel looks older on the outside but inside it was very nice. The reception area is very small but there wasnt really anyone there anytime we went passed it,so it didnt pose a problem. They receptionists were able to handle all things but they did not smile much and really seemed to not care that we were there. When you walk in, there is ample seating for meals and families played games there often. There was free water occasionally but the hotel does not provide any food. There is a Starbucks but it wasnt open when we we needed anything. |The parking situation is around the corner and behind the hotel. This was a problem for us as we were told by reception to give the hotel our plate number which I did. However, the parking lot is owned by someone else and participates in nationwide parking lots so it recognized my plates already and had my cc info so it was already charging me the moment I pulled into the lot. I had to go tell the receptionist at the hotel this so that it was removed or we would have been charged twice. The parking lot charges $31/night. It hits your card every time you pull in and out. There is a nice walking path on the side of the hotel to and from the garage but you do need your room key to get into the hotel from the outside. |The path is literally next door to the hotel. You walk out the front door and go around the corner. The entrance to the path is right there. It is decently lit. We had no problems in the dark or cold. It felt safe. The path charges $2.75 per person to take you multiple stops either to Hoboken or all the way to 33rd in NYC. We did encounter a problem with the Path on the way back so you do need to look for alternate ways back to the hotel if that happens. It is rare but I did not know this and it did take us 2.25 hours to get back one night. You also need a phone with tap to pay or a credit card with that option and if you have multiple people they will need that too as I could only use my phone or card 4x and then it would not allow any other uses at that stop that hour. |The room did its job. The hotel is quiet. We were on the 3rd floor facing the mall and heard the sirens until about 10pm and then it all was quiet. We did not hear trains or cars. The furniture is dated as is the wallpaper but we just used the room to sleep and dress, so that was not a problem. The sheets were clean. The bathroom was clean. Extra towels would have been nice and room service was always there to take care of that. The toilet clogged on our first night and they came promptly to take care of it. We were there 6 nights and really I have no real concerns or complaints with the exception of the parking lot. They have a long term rate if you book far enough in advance and I did save quite a bit by staying here using the long term price and using path vs staying...

I stayed 4 days, Thursday - Monday. Stayed in the lowest priced room ($210/night) - a king size bed and pull out couch, on the 3rd floor.

PROS Location : It's literally right next door to the PATH Newport station that takes you throughout Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City.

Parking Lot: It is covered and protects your car from rain and snow, I was here during a snowstorm and it was nice not to clean the car off.

Other: there was a microwave in the room which is helpful but also it was not plugged, the decor of the hotel seems nice.

CONS

Price: although not as pricey as some of the other hotels in the neighborhood, it is still steep forgetting very little if anything at all. I've paid much less in the past for stays at a Marriott (less than $200 a night) and the least I've gotten is complimentary breakfast with the price.

Compliments: The hotel provides absolutely not one single thing complimentary. Everything must be paid for including water.

Room: The room I stayed in it was tiny. It was essentially a king size bed with a pull out attached to a sink that opened up into a room with a bath and toilet. I can't imagine staying in the space with three people as that's how it is advertised.

Amenities: The gym and pool area is not great. They promote them as if they are a plus but really they are just rooms with the very minimum. Plus the pool doesn't smell like water but just pure ammonia and chlorine.

Safe: there's no safe in the room. The room was advertised with a safe when I went down to the front desk to ask they informed me that the safe is in the lobby and I would have to hand over my personal items to them for safe keeping. That makes no sense to me.

Customer Service: The front desk would be outperformed by robots. No personality and lack of consideration. The hotel does offer internet but there are two options, one low speed free option, and the other high speed at a cost. It is very confusing to sign up. I accidentally signed up for the paid internet and after realizing it I approach the front desk and they advised me to call internet support. After going back and forth they were only willing to remove 24 hours of the fee. At this point I had spent 26 hours at the hotel. So for the two hours past the 24 hours they were not willing to reimburse. It was extremely inconsiderate and unnecessary for them to be this petty. So I had to pay $7 for internet I did not use.

Vibe: Even though the decor is modern the whole vibe of the hotel is depressing. Very corporate and cold.

VERDICT: I'd recommend this for a 1-2 night stay, tops, for a tourist visiting NYC. Other than that I don't think the hotel is anything special...

First, I booked two rooms for me and my family after a night out in Hoboken. Each room can have a total of guests. I booked the rooms together in hope that they would BOTH provide what is specified on the website which were: two double beds and a sofa bed and if requested, a roll away bed. Only one room was provided a double bed and a sofa bed. I inquired very nicely about why the other room didn't have a bed and the employee responded, "Well MOST of the rooms have the sofa bed" So I requested nicely for a rollaway bed and he responded, "I can't provide that for you because it is a fire hazard." I can totally understand that but if that's the case it should not have been in the list of things that are included of the room on their website. So 3 of my poor cousins had to sleep sideways to fit three in a bed. SECOND, We checked in around 3 pm. Only one room was available to check in. So we checked into the one room and the employer assured me that he will notify me once the second room was available and got the one set of keys. We proceeded with our day and had walked around the mall across the street. We came back after an hour or two and I had inquired about the second room. I wish I had gotten the name of the male employer who was very unprofessional and rude. But he did say the room was ready. So I asked politely about the keys and he proceeded to say, "We already gave you the keys" and I replied with, "Oh we only got the key to the first room." and he goes, "Um no, I did give it" in a very annoyed and rude way. So I had asked my husband to look and we only had two keys for that room. I insisted that we only had keys to one room and he kept insisting "I gave it to you myself and gave you the keys to both rooms". He was not the one who checked us in the first time. About five minutes later, he realized he was wrong and said "sorry about that" but not in a professional tone. These things are very minor, but it was the first time ever that I felt unwelcomed in a hotel and it was validated with the minor exchanges I had with employees. Only warm exchange I had was a woman who smiled the entire time and thanked me for waiting while she tended to another guest on my way out the door as we checked out. We only stayed for one night. My only request is that if people who don't have patient or have the ability to be kind even for the 5 minutes of conversation, they shouldn't work at a hotel where business comes in the form of other people's...