Sonesta Simply Suites Jersey City — Hotel in Jersey City

This review applies before Sonesta's management, but I am submitting it if the same onsite managment is still present - there are several negative reviews during the same time period, so I hope they have been resolved. I stayed here several times over 10+ years because of its convenience & kitchen facilities, & most times something was not working or there were other problems in the rooms & I never submitted a review because I thought my business was valued & treated cordially -this changed during my last visits because of a few rude staff & not offering to resolve problems that ranged from the stopper not working in the bathtub (deliberate to avoid overflows as they were not event the correct size to cover the drain), to the HVAC, strong odors attempted to be disguised by. very strong room freshener (irritated my senses & absorbed by my clothes), icemaker in refrigerator not working &/or no ice maker at all in the refrigerator, sewage odor coming through the walls. Upon checkin I inspected the rooms & requested relief from some of these conditions - some were resolved (ie, bathtub stopper) but it took time out of my trip while I waited in my room for someone to do repairs. The response to the "no ice" problems included asking me to go the front desk to ask for ice from the staff's ice machine several times per day & most times there was only a cup of ice or none. This is not the proper response & it is not hygienic - I like to have control over making my own ice ( I wonder if it would be different with Covid). I offered a simple cheap resolution: provide me with some ice trays, but it was not done & It was in the 90s outside. Unbelieveably, my next stay, there was no ice maker in the regrigerator. That time, I was given a bag of ice (this should have been done the previous visit), but when it was delivered, a rude staff member asked if was the one who complained about no ice. I am a low maintenance traveller who likes to check in & go about my business without asking for anything, not even housekeeping during my week stay. However, when things in the room are not working, it is disruptive to my schedule. I do not think it was a coincidence that most of the rooms I was assigned had problems- female travellers sometimes do not get the same level of service as others & it is assumed we will just live with it. When I complained, it was met with a bullying attitude (ie, if i didn't like it too bad). Since my stays were a week or longer, I requested rooms in specific areas if available & even though they were confirmed verbally, I arrived to find that the room(s) was given away & I was given a room with a view of a stairway & when i expressed disappointment, was asked if I wanted to cancel & go elsewhere to find a room - after travelling over 10 hours to get there! How awful - sometimes staff have a nonhelpful attitude & treat guests like the enemy, failing to realize that they are the reason they have the job. I do hope that if I stay there again, that under Sonesta's management, this will not be tolerated. I have shared my concerns with Sonesta & have been requested to contact them asap if any of these issues are present. I also have a background in property management including environmental, health & safety (and have not mentioned all problems...

Suite-sized rooms include full kitchens with dishware, full size refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, sink, coffeemaker, stovetop, counterspace and storage space. Bedroom is behind another closed-door. Closet in the bedroom. Closet in the living area. The common area includes a very long work desk with multiple chairs, including one rolling work chair. Television in the bedroom. Television in the living area. Full bath. All very clean. Moderately-sized sofa. Armchair. Overhead lights and standing lamps all amber, none fluorescent. Space included both carpeting and bare floor. Both televisions work off of the same remote control. Staff both friendly and helpful. Purchasable snacks and and drinks in the lobby. Hotel willing to Mark and hold onto your suitcase if you must check out before catching a late flight. Upon request, guests are furnished with information regarding the eateries in the local area. Hotel staff was also very good at giving classic directions. Phones in both rooms. Short walk to Exchange Place and the riverside. Great pillows! Very close to local rail transportation (+/- one block.). Iron. Ironing board. Hair dryer. Both bar soap and liquid. Towel hooks. Warm selections of mass produced wall art. Smoke detectors in both rooms. Free WiFi. WiFi requires a selection and simple login in the form of accepting a terms of use

Minor drawbacks included forgivable furniture wear on some of the chairs at the desk. My toilet tank kept running non-stop but was inaudible with the bathroom door closed. Cable television went out for the entire hotel on the second day of my stay. One very small child's beverage was forgivably left behind in the refrigerator by the previous occupant, indicating that it might not get fully cleaned between each stay. There is a wildly makeshift and ugly extension to the room's air temperature control, presumably allowing it to heat or cool the two main rooms simultaneously. However, that does not seem to work effectively... requested 15° swings in temperature actually only effectuated about a 3 to 4 degree shift over 4 hours. Multiple addresses for this location appear online, depending upon whether you book through Expedia, found the address published elsewhere, or just use GPS. The result of that is such that UberEats drivers, Uber drivers, and cab drivers who use GPS are not being directed to the front of the hotel, rather to adjacent lots and the back of the building. Very poor view on lower floors. As most modern hotels, either pursuant to labor issues or sustainability directives, this hotel does not clean your room each day of a multiple-day stay by default; so save your towels and make your bed. I did hear one guest at the front desk verbally requesting toilet tissue. My company paid for me, and I feel it is worth the price, but get ready for some sticker shock if you visit from a more suburban...

TL;DR. This is a terrible hotel if you want a good night's sleep and you're not handy.||||We traveled from Massachusetts to the NYC area to see several performances at Lincoln Center. This hotel appears to have been designed as a long-term stay residence. The rooms have kitchenettes. However, I can't imagine a long-term stay here because of the noise.||||Basically, the back of this hotel faces the NJ Transit light rail, which appears to run very late into the evening. The property is located at a curve in the rail. So, when the trains are approaching, they make a loud screeching sound in addition to general train noise. Moreover, the walls in this hotel are PAPER thin! When we stepped into the room, we could hear the TV in the room next door like it was in our room with us. For these reasons alone, I would definitely look elsewhere. We got a room here during NYC's fall high season at $150 a night plus $30 for parking. At that rate, I still expect to at least get a good night's sleep.||||Then, there were the maintenance issues. Within an hour of check-in, we attempted to flush the toilet for the first time while in the room and it just backed up. Apparently, there are no maintenance workers at this property in the evening. We called the front desk...and were told they would leave a toilet plunger outside of our door! We had to clear the clog ourselves, which I have never had to do at a hotel before and I wouldn't expect at this price point.||||The front desk was responsive about asking the person in the neighboring room to turn down their TV. However, the neighbor apparently said we were too loud when moving into the room. (We weren't shouting or making a ton of noise - just speaking in a normal conversational tone while trying to get our things in the room.) It was only then that the front desk attempted to change our room. Okay, so toilet backing up - stay in the room and unclog it yourself. Complain about the neighbor - stay in the room and we'll call them. Neighbor complains about you - YOU HAVE TO MOVE NOW! Did I mention that I'm a brown person? What a messed up way to treat...some customers.||||Property is convenient to transit. As stated, the light rail was right outside the hotel and the walk to the PATH Station wasn't too far. However, for the reasons discussed above, I would never stay here again or recommend...