This was a typical Springhill Suites property, and it was located in the
same complex as Marriott's Fairfield Inn and Courtyard in Newark. Only
the Courtyard has a restaurant/bar combo, and there is nothing else
within walking distance (you can see the airport, you just can't walk
there). There are a lot of Portugese/Spanish restaurants within a 5-mile
drive of the hotel, but the written directions provided by the hotel
seemed to be more effort than we were willing to make. We saw a shuttle
for one of those restaurants driving around the hotel complex, so at
least one restaurant provides free shuttle service - which is a nice
perk if you want to make the effort to eat somewhere else. There is very
little outdoor space here, or at the Fairfield Inn, just small
fenced-in patios off the pools with a few chairs. The Courtyard has a
more extensive outdoor/garden area. Both the Springhill and the
Courtyard have pantries, where you can purchase drinks and snacks (not
sure about the Fairfield). The rooms are typical Springhill Suites, with
a separate sitting/work area, and include a refrigerator, microwave,
and wet bar. I didn't get to try the complimentary breakfast because my
flight departed before the breakfast began. Complimentary shuttle
service is provided to the airport, every half hour on the hour, from
5:00 am to midnight (and then hourly after that). This hotel offers
park-and-fly packages, where you can stay overnight at the hotel either
before or after your flight, and you can leave your car parked in their
lot during that time (usually the packages include either 7 nights free
parking or 14 nights free parking). The lot seemed relatively secure,
however, there was not enough parking for all guests, and cars ended up
parked in places where they did not belong. I'm not sure what a guest
does who has paid for the parking package if their car is not actually
parked in a legal spot when it is time for their flight to depart. I
would stay here again if not for the possible lack of parking issue, but
perhaps the Fairfield and/or Courtyard allow the overflow to park there
when necessary. While the hotel shuttle drops you off at your exact
terminal to catch your departing flight, it is necessary to take the Air
Train to P4 to catch the shuttle back to the hotel (hotel shuttles
can't pick up passengers directly in front of the arrivals/baggage claim
area). It wasn't really a problem, and even if you parked onsite in
economy at the airport, you still need to take the Air Train. Something
else I just remembered about this hotel - it had no hot water on the
evening that we arrived, so if one wanted to shower, it had to be done
with cold water. Fortunately, it was fixed by morning, but it was
slightly inconvenient. Hopefully, that was just an isolated incident.
Although thinking back some more, the air-conditioning wasn't
particularly cold either (and it wasn't even a hot day). While the hotel
shuttle drops you off at your exact terminal to catch your departing
flight, it is necessary to take the Air Train to P4 to catch the shuttle
back to the hotel (hotel shuttles can't pick up passengers directly in
front of the arrivals/baggage claim area). It wasn't really a problem,
and even if you parked onsite in economy at the airport, you still need
to take the Air Train.
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