Newark: SpringHill Suites Newark Airport (February 2011)

My spouse and I stayed at the SpringHill Suites Newark in mid- February 2011. We have stayed at the this property before (see my July 2010 review titled “Newark: SpringHill Suites Newark Liberty International Airport: Park and Fly Package Makes It a Decent Choice”). There was plenty of parking, despite being here over the President’s Day Weekend which could be a popular getaway time. The hotel didn’t seem to be at capacity, and it was easy to fit on the airport shuttle that is shared between the Springhill, Courtyard by Marriott, and Fairfield Inn. We walked to the Courtyard Marriott for dinner, which was a more acceptable meal than the last time we ate there (for our July 2010 Springhill stay), probably because we knew what to expect (or not to expect). I don’t have much new information to add to my last review except for details on the airport shuttle. The last time we stayed at the SpringHill (in July 2010), the shuttle driver dropped guests directly at the airport terminals. This time, the shuttle driver said that he would need to drop us at the AirTrain station so that we could take the train one stop to the airport. Fortunately, we were able to convince him to drop us at the terminal instead, but we will be prepared to have to take the train on our next stay. On our return, we weren’t so lucky; we needed to take the AirTrain to the first stop and wait for the shuttle there. The wait was quite long, and it was very cold and windy. It is possible to wait inside, but with all passengers waiting together for all hotel shuttles, it can get crowded, and we were afraid that if we didn’t wait outside, we wouldn’t make it onto the first shuttle. Despite the shuttle obstacles, we will stay here again, because this is the only Hilton-branded Newark airport hotel that seems to offer 14 days of free parking with their hotel packages (the other Hilton properties offer 7 days, and sometimes only 3 or 4 days, of free parking, with extra days possible but pricey).