Quality Suites NYC Gateway — Hotel in North Bergen

I keep telling my friends that I'm going to call this review "Why Quality Suites is not Quality." It was not quality the moment I walked through the door. My flight landed around 11:45 because I had a business meeting to attend at 3. I understand that check in is at 3, trust me, I travel almost every other week. But I have never gotten to a hotel early and them just flat out been like, "What are you doing, check in isn't till 3." Normally they'll at least see if there's a room available to check in early, etc. I don't know how, in a city that close to NYC, they don't expect people to show up early. I was like....okay, that's fine, I get it. So I asked if they could store my luggage, since I couldn't check in. Again, I travel often, and this has never been a problem. They told me they could store my luggage...for twenty bucks a bag. I've stayed in the HEART OF TIMES SQUARE and never even had to do that, it's usually just tipping the bell hop. Still I was like....okay sure, whatever, I have a meeting and won't be carrying my luggage through NYC. So I went to pay him, and the guy tells me that I'm not allowed to use credit card because I'm not officially checked in so they can't trust that the charge will go through. Honestly at this point, I'm convinced that he just pocketed the cash for himself and did not want to have to report it either to his boss or the IRS. When I went to get my luggage that night, the guy that helped me was even shocked it was just sitting in the back office, nowhere safe or locked up. ||||And that was just how it all started. The last night was equally awful, as we got into the room and it smelled like paint fumes. We looked and sure enough, they had completely painted our bath tub. Now mind you, it’s known that you are not supposed to sleep in a room that has been painted for 72 hours as the toxins are incredibly dangerous. It triggered a migraine for me, and I spent the entire night throwing up. My friend I was with went to complain to the front desk, pointing out that this was a hazard and a health code violation, and all they said was that this renovation has been planned for months and they offered to give us air fresheners. Now I’m not a hotel manager at all, but I am pretty certain it is ILLEGAL to put people in a room that you are also renovating. They completely taped up the tub faucet so we couldn’t use it because of the paint job, which meant we also had no access to a shower. ||Those were the big things, but that doesn’t include the fact that every single vending machine was either out of order or sold out. The television was broken and had pink streaks across every channel. Their breakfast only consisted of bread products (literally toast, bagels, waffles, and pastries – there were apples ONE DAY of my stay) which for those that are celiac/gluten intolerant they wouldn’t have been able to have any sort of meal. Basically, this place is completely falling apart on its ass and I’m surprised that it’s still running, especially with the shady business like I have mentioned in the beginning of my review. I’ll be reporting them to the BBB for literally endangering people and potential fraudulent...

I keep telling my friends that I'm going to call this review "Why Quality Suites is not Quality." It was not quality the moment I walked through the door. My flight landed around 11:45 because I had a business meeting to attend at 3. I understand that check in is at 3, trust me, I travel almost every other week. But I have never gotten to a hotel early and them just flat out been like, "What are you doing, check in isn't till 3." Normally they'll at least see if there's a room available to check in early, etc. I don't know how, in a city that close to NYC, they don't expect people to show up early. I was like....okay, that's fine, I get it. So I asked if they could store my luggage, since I couldn't check in. Again, I travel often, and this has never been a problem. They told me they could store my luggage...for twenty bucks a bag. I've stayed in the HEART OF TIMES SQUARE and never even had to do that, it's usually just tipping the bell hop. Still I was like....okay sure, whatever, I have a meeting and won't be carrying my luggage through NYC. So I went to pay him, and the guy tells me that I'm not allowed to use credit card because I'm not officially checked in so they can't trust that the charge will go through. Honestly at this point, I'm convinced that he just pocketed the cash for himself and did not want to have to report it either to his boss or the IRS. When I went to get my luggage that night, the guy that helped me was even shocked it was just sitting in the back office, nowhere safe or locked up. ||||And that was just how it all started. The last night was equally awful, as we got into the room and it smelled like paint fumes. We looked and sure enough, they had completely painted our bath tub. Now mind you, it’s known that you are not supposed to sleep in a room that has been painted for 72 hours as the toxins are incredibly dangerous. It triggered a migraine for me, and I spent the entire night throwing up. My friend I was with went to complain to the front desk, pointing out that this was a hazard and a health code violation, and all they said was that this renovation has been planned for months and they offered to give us air fresheners. Now I’m not a hotel manager at all, but I am pretty certain it is ILLEGAL to put people in a room that you are also renovating. They completely taped up the tub faucet so we couldn’t use it because of the paint job, which meant we also had no access to a shower. ||Those were the big things, but that doesn’t include the fact that every single vending machine was either out of order or sold out. The television was broken and had pink streaks across every channel. Their breakfast only consisted of bread products (literally toast, bagels, waffles, and pastries – there were apples ONE DAY of my stay) which for those that are celiac/gluten intolerant they wouldn’t have been able to have any sort of meal. Basically, this place is completely falling apart on its ass and I’m surprised that it’s still running, especially with the shady business like I have mentioned in the beginning of my review. I’ll be reporting them to the BBB for literally endangering people and potential fraudulent...

I had a truly awful experience at this hotel, and I feel compelled to share it to prevent future guests from facing similar issues. From the moment I arrived, my stay was marred by a series of disturbing problems, including what seemed like discriminatory treatment.

Unpleasant Odor: On the first day, we immediately noticed a very odd and unpleasant smell in our room. We had to spray air freshener just to make it bearable. This set the tone for the rest of the stay, as things only worsened from there.

Fire Alarm and Unprofessional Behavior: On our third day, the fire alarm began going off. I called the front desk to confirm whether it was a real emergency, and they assured me it was just a drill and there was no need to evacuate. However, just five minutes later, I received another call stating that despite the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door, they needed to enter the room for cleaning. According to the staff, this was required by New Jersey law. Reluctantly, I agreed.

When they entered, I witnessed them cleaning the bathroom counters and floors with the same towels provided to guests. They were even using bath towels to clean the floors, which was utterly disgusting. This level of cleanliness was unacceptable and a serious hygiene concern.

State Official Visit – Unclear Credentials and Discrimination: The next day, I was told that someone from the state had to inspect my room. The supposed "state official" arrived, claiming to be from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. When I asked to see their credentials, he was unable to provide anything beyond an ID card around his neck, which he insisted I could not photograph. To make things even more unsettling, every single staff member I encountered, including the alleged state official, was Indian. This may seem irrelevant, but the lack of transparency and the peculiar nature of these events left me feeling very uncomfortable, especially when I was not given the courtesy of knowing the name or title of the manager.

Lack of Hot Breakfast and Misleading Advertising: The hotel also misrepresented its breakfast offerings. They advertise a "hot breakfast" and encourage guests to come down for it, but all that was provided was a waffle maker, along with some fruit, muffins, and cold options. There were no hot meal options at all, which was very misleading given their promotion.

Early Checkout and Unresolved Issues: I chose to check out a full day early due to these ongoing issues. Just ten minutes before I left, I received a call from a staff member asking why I was checking out. I pointed out that if she was not the manager, she wouldn't have been informed about my complaints. She seemed unaware of the issues, which only further demonstrated how poorly managed the hotel is.

Overall, this was by far the worst hotel experience I have ever had. From poor hygiene practices and deceptive advertising to discriminatory undertones and unprofessional staff behavior, I felt completely disrespected during my stay. I will never return to this hotel and strongly advise others to...