Rodeway Inn Meadowlands — Hotel in Secaucus

If I could give this hotel negative stars, I would. This place is a complete biohazard and should honestly be condemned. I attempted to stay here on 8/13 because of its proximity to MetLife Stadium for the Chris Brown concert. I traveled all the way from Boston, and we booked this hotel 3 months in advance, thinking it would be convenient. Big mistake. From the second I arrived, the staff made it clear that guests are not welcomed here. The woman at the front desk was visibly annoyed that I was checking in at 2 PM (which is standard early check-in time that we requested 3 days prior and they agreed). Her attitude set the tone for what turned out to be a nightmare. We dropped our things in the room and left immediately for the concert to avoid traffic. When we returned around 2 AM, we settled in and inspected the bed before lying down—thank God we did. What we found was beyond disgusting: mystery stains all over the mattress and dried BLOOD dripping down the bedskirt. It literally looked like a crime scene. We rushed back to the lobby, horrified, and the night attendant, OM, offered us another room. At 2:30 AM, exhausted, we went to this so-called "cleaner" room, which reeked of mold the moment we walked in. Upon inspecting the bed, we found more stains and pubic hair on the sheets. Pubic hair. That was the breaking point. Om gave us attitude when we went back down to let him know, saying there were “no other rooms available,” as if that excused anything. At that point, it didn’t matter.We immediately checked out on the spot and scrambled to find another hotel in the middle of the night, eventually driving to Jersey City to salvage what was left of our trip. I understand this is a cheaper hotel, but under no circumstances should any guest have to deal with blood stains, mold, or pubic hair in their room. That is not “budget lodging”—that is a health and safety hazard. This place is vile, unsafe, and should be shut down. Do...

Honestly, the prior reviews of this Rodeway Inn property had me decently concerned about my stay at this property, however, I ultimately followed through with the stay due to the competitive pricing for my stay. All in all, this property was a solid choice, albeit a bit dated, for a property close-ish to New York City, and extremely close to the American Dream mall and MetLife Stadium.

This hotel is a simple, 20 minute, $5 bus ride from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Times Square providing easy access to the city and touristy sites. This property, however, isn't very walkable- you have to approach the building from the side, which is off a major highway. Upon my arrival at the property, it appeared dated, and had a very small lobby, consisting of just a desk, small office, and elevator entry. The check-in was simple enough, and got me to my room quickly. While the hotel did certainly appear a bit dated and didn't have the best curb appeal, it certainly looked- and acted- functional.

The room itself looked tired- reminding me of a moderately average-sized hotel room, with no major frills but straight out of the 70s. However, it was exceptionally clean. No major cleanliness issues that I noticed during my three day stay- the sheets were clean, the shower was old but clean, and no furnishings needed to be wiped down. No trash or remnants of prior guests were present, showing that housekeeping taking their role seriously in ensuring this property works. While dated, it was effective, and the bed was mostly comfortable. No bugs or mold was seen as in prior reviews.

Overall, for a hotel that was less then $100 a night for the majority of my stay, I...

You’ll never sleep alone at the Rodeway Inn Meadowlands. That’s because this hotel has roaches. I saw three during my trip, once during the day crawling around the air conditioner.

This is a shame because it is otherwise a property offering really fantastic value. The bus stops are convenient to it to Manhattan, the rooms are large, and the people running it are brusque but helpful. If it can just clean up it’s easily a three star, even four if they got rid of the weird smell (more in the tiny lobby than in the rooms).

If you are forced by circumstances to stay here…it is the cheapest place around…consider bringing some sort of a spray solution for the creepy crawlies. Something as simple as soapy water in a spray bottle can make you more comfortable (that’s an instant-kill for cockroaches, which were mercifully small). I wore flip flops the entire time I was here. Thankfully, the linens appeared clean.

Nearby, the busses to Manhattan were pretty plentiful and there is always the option to take a cheap Uber to Secaucus junction and take the train in. Don’t miss if you are in the area the excellent “Food Street” south Asian fusion joint. I went back twice during my 5 day stay and only wish I found it sooner.

Also just to say for the bus, don’t set your google location for the hotel itself! Google maps will steer you to the BACK of the property where it is impossible to approach because of a fence. You will need to direct yourself to the nearby gas station and then approach the property from the front. The accessibility is not great. Forget about it if you need a wheelchair. But...