La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Secaucus Meadowlands — Hotel in Secaucus

The furniture is worn and dirty. One of the two elevators is broken and has apparently been this way for months. There is a musty smell. The carpets were dingy and stained. Scuff marks line the hallway walls and doors, which are chipped and the handles were tilted toward the ground, as if broken. The door jiggled horribly in the frame as we tried to get the key card to work. It took several minutes of trying. Once the light turned green for admittance to the room, we still couldn’t get the handle to release, so we had to turn the handle back and try again. The fridge was warm. We informed the front desk and were told that someone would be sent to look at it. When we returned over 4 hours later, it was still warm, yet it was obviously a different one. We reported it again and were informed that we could just keep the medication in the fridge behind the desk. We said that this was not acceptable because it was medication for diabetes that had to be administered with meals and whenever blood sugar spikes occurred, typically without delay. During this time, we also let them know that the door handle to the room was broken, as was the toilet fill valve, so the toilet wasn’t able to be flushed. After being gone 10 hours, the fridge was working, but the door handle and toilet had not been given any attention. We also did not have any fresh washcloths. We went down to the desk to ask for some and were informed that there were none to be given and some rooms hadn’t gotten any linens. We gave another mention that our door handle and toilet weren’t working properly and asked to be given a different room, but were informed that there were no other rooms available. The next day, the door handle and toilet weren’t address again. This would also be the last night that we had housekeeping enter our room, too. On Sunday and Monday, the bed linens weren’t changed and towels weren’t changed out. The door handle remained broken and the toilet continually had to have the tank lid removed and the innards manually manipulated for it to flush. We mentioned both of these issues each day again. I don’t think it’s asking too much to have a door and toilet that work appropriately. Those should be given simple amenities when booking a hotel for a five-day-six-night stay that costs over $780. As we checked out and once more informed the front desk staff that there were troubles in the room with the door handle and the toilet, we also mentioned that there were a pile of towels in the room because no one ever came to change trash, refresh the linens, or vacuum the room. We were informed at that time that housekeeping was an “at-request-service,” which was the first time we had ever been told that during our stay, despite having to ask for towels a few times. Also, upon booking the hotel, the Expedia website and Wyndham’s own website say that there is “daily housekeeping,” but never mention it is only upon request. More curiously is the fact that on Friday and partially on Saturday of our stay, we were given housekeeping services without requesting them, but then they stopped when we seemed to be making multiple requests for things in the room to be fixed. After such a horrendous stay, I called Expedia to report my problems, and they tried to get me a refund, but were unsuccessful, as the hotel referenced a “non-refundable policy.” I then called Wyndham’s customer service line, but I was told that I would have to wait “approximately one week” for someone “from the property to contact me.” It’s appalling that the hotel hides behind a “non-refundable” policy that protects their horrendous service, deplorable amenities, and dismal behavior toward the customer. It’s even more disturbing that, upon checking out, as I described the issues and how they were never addressed, the clerk mentioned that many of the rooms have door handles that don’t work and toilets that need serviced. The staff knows there are concerns, but they are not being addressed. Overall, I’d pay a higher price and go elsewhere if you’re looking for a hotel...

La Quinta Inn & Suites Secaucus: A Hotel That Tries (But Mostly Fails)

The Queen and I with the little prince planned a one night trip to NJ for some fun at American Dream mall to visit the water park [which was amazing! Review coming soon.] Jumping online and a few moments later I’d booked a one night stay at La Quinta Inn and Suites Secaucus Meadowlands. It’s has 3.5 stars and we did not have the highest of expectations but it was a 5 minute drive from American Dream mall and was pet friendly for Queens little dog.

We called about a week ahead to ask for early check in and the Queen spoke with Austin. He assured us it would not be a problem, and would make a note on your reservation. He followed up saying that we should call the morning of our checkin before hitting the road to speak with the person working to let them know we’d be checking in early. Easy. Sunday morning came and the Queen called, spoke with the person working the desk who confirmed the note and assured us a room has already been assigned. So far, so good. The family and dog smoothly travelled from Boston to NJ and it was an uneventful. Car parked with family waiting, I went to the desk to check in.

Now you already know there had a to be something bad coming, that’s why you’re still reading this review.

Andrew was working the desk and greeted me.

Handing My ID and informed him I was checking in. A few click from the computer, the light from the monitor flashing across his face as his eyebrows raised and fell. He stated that he wouldn’t have any rooms available until after 11am at the earliest. I let him know that Austin had put a note in that we’d be checking in early and we called just like Austin had instructed us to this morning and the person we spoke with said a room was already set aside for us. Without skipping a beat, Andrew said, “if someone promised you, then I will make it right and honor that.”

Andrew at the front desk? A legend. He didn’t just fix it—he owned it. "If someone promised you, I’ll make it right." Hero talk.

A few more click on the computer and I had room keys in hand. I was very impressed and appreciative of Andrew being able to resolve this small hiccup.

But things continued to not go well. Family, dog and our stuff in tow, up to the 7th, key in and ….the room was still occupied. After backing out, I went back down to Andrew. He was surprised that someone was still in the room, but I know he wasn’t as surprised as we were walking into the occupied room. Another set of key cards printed and we got situated into our room on the 3rd floor.

Let’s talk about the hotel before getting to the end. The Aesthetic: "Well-Loved." The carpets have seen things. The furniture has endured. The parking lot? A pothole homage to Boston’s finest. This place doesn’t need a refresh—it needs a séance to revive its former glory.

It wasn’t a hotel that was bad enough for us to not check in, but it needs a strong hug and huge makeover. I could go on but you get what I’m saying, right?

It’s now time to get ready for bed. We get the sofa pullout bed ready for our prince. After a quick search around the room, closets and draws we found no linens to make the bed.

I reach out to the front desk who informs me that I need to go downstairs to get them from the front desk. Ok. Short elevator ride and new face working the desk. I ask for the linens but was told they don’t have any pillows.

What would a manager of this place be able to do at this point to right the wrongs for this singular visit that would help me feel better?

What would you have done? What would have helped to improve your overall experience if faced with this situation? Leave a comment below.

2.5/5 stars** – One for Andrew, one for location, and a half-star for the dog-friendly policy. The rest? Lost in...

I will start with the ONLY good thing: the staff was very friendly and helpful for the most part. However, every other aspect of the stay was negative.||||When we arrived the first room we were provided was truly awful. The couch was covered in stains, and when I pulled out the mattress it was even worse. There was not a single spot that wasn’t covered in some kind of yellow or brown stain, there were crumbs all over it, and the springs were literally ripping out of the side of it. When I asked about a different mattress, I was told we could get a roll away bed, but one was never brought up. While waiting for it, we noticed the entire room had not been cleaned before we checked in. It appeared the two beds had been made and towels had been put in the bathroom, but that was it. There were more crumbs and a whole French fry in the living room area and under the couch. In the bathroom, the vent was entirely coated in dust, the mirrors were not cleaned, and there was dirt and standing water in the tub. In the main bedroom, there were stains on the curtains and in the lamp shades, dirt on the floor, and the lights didn’t work. There were also cobwebs in the corners and dirt on the walls. Additionally, the phone did not work for me to get ahold of the front desk to ask about the roll away bed in the first place.||||I spoke to a staff member and we were moved to different rooms, again he was incredibly helpful and kind but I sadly didn’t catch his name.||||Unfortunately, while the new rooms were substantially better they were still not what we should have been provided given the cost of the rooms. In these rooms, the pull out couch was still stained and the springs were popping out making it unusable. The beds were not very clean, with stains and hair on the sheets, and the curtains again had stains on them. The floor was also stained and the door to the room would stick or keys wouldn’t work. The bathroom was the worst in these rooms though: there was no fan, or at least not one that worked, there was dust and cobwebs hanging from the lights and in the shower, the floor was so dirty that there was almost mud when it was wet, the curtains did not stay shut, and the tile of the ceiling was falling apart. On the last day, we woke to water dripping from the bathroom ceiling with it later becoming an actual stream down the wall. Furthermore, the phone did not work for me to get ahold of the front desk when we needed to. In the other room we had, there were the same problems and the air conditioning didn’t work.||||It is wholly unacceptable we paid as much as we did to stay in this hotel and were provided one room that was so bad we had to be moved, and then two rooms that were not clean. I will NEVER stay in this hotel again and will never recommend anyone else to. I am incredibly disappointed since I had stayed here before, but it is clear that something is very wrong if rooms cannot have a basic standard of cleanliness. This was truly one of the worst hotel stays I have ever had and you should be ashamed of the state of these rooms, especially for the rate charged. It is truly despicable to have rooms in that state for the rate we paid when I have stayed in a 4-Star hotel IN NYC for close to the same price and could have done so again, but chose to stay with you because we’d had good experiences in the past. This was truly horrendous...