The Hilton is located approximately 10 minutes from the airport. The complimentary 24-hour shuttle service departs every 20 minutes, beginning at the top of the hour. The shuttle TO the airport drops guests at their terminal; however, the shuttle FROM the airport cannot pick up passengers directly at any terminal. Guests must first take the Air Train to the P4 stop, where all hotel shuttles wait to pick up passengers. (Valet parking and public parking are also available at the P4 stop.) The Air Train runs every 5 minutes or so; therefore, the wait does not add much time to your pick-up. The process involves many steps, though. First, you must descend the escalator to the lower level of the terminal to claim your bags, go back up the escalator to access the Air Train escalator, then up another escalator to truly board the train, travel to P4, then descend to street level and wait for the hotel shuttle. At P4, no queueing system exists; therefore, it is possible that latecomers could board the shuttle before people who have been waiting. (This process is not unique to the Hilton. Every Newark Airport hotel must follow the same drop-off and pick-up procedure.)
From the Hilton Newark Airport, guests can safely walk to the Hampton Inn or the Marriott Renaissance because those properties are adjacent to the Hilton and their parking lots adjoin. Guests cannot walk to any other hotels, shops, or restaurants. A bellman provides baggage service to guest rooms.
A three-story garage provides parking at the Hilton. Although the top level is exposed to the elements, the first and second floors are covered (although open on the sides). Unfortunately, no underground or covered access leads from the parking garage into the hotel. (It was raining heavily on the night that we checked in, so we got wet.) However, the hotel features a porte-cochere where guests can unload their bags, thus minimizing their contact. The parking garage features an ACE rental car outlet. One helpful hint that we discovered when we departed the garage: If you drive around to the back of the garage (which is not intuitive), you can exit the property on McClellan Street. Otherwise, if you exit the front entrance of the hotel, you must drive through nearby neighborhoods before you reach McClellan.)
Three eating venues exist at the Hilton: a casual bar (Amelia’s), a full-service restaurant (the Newarker), and a quick-pick snack bar (that sells Starbucks products). Because we are HHonors Diamond members, we received coupons for a complimentary breakfast in the Newarker restaurant or at the quick-pick counter. Unfortunately, we had to depart for the airport before the full-service restaurant opened at 6:00 am. The quick-pick cafe opened earlier at 5:00 am, but that time was also too late for us to depart for the airport. When we spoke to the front desk clerk about the timing issue, she exchanged our breakfast coupons for an appetizer coupon that we could use at Amelia’s or the Newarker. (It was not an even exchange, because the quick-pick Starbucks options were worth about $10 each, and the buffet cost much more than that, whereas the appetizer coupon was worth only $12. Still, we were happy with the trade.) The hotel has a pantry store that sells non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, toiletry items, and small toys and souvenirs.
Because Amelia’s Lounge and the Newarker serve the same menu, we chose the more comfortable option and ate in relaxed bar. We shared an appetizer (calamari), a salad (beet and goat cheese), and a sandwich and French fries, and we were pleased with the quality of both the food and the service. Room service is also available 24 hours per day.
On a table in the lobby between the front desk and the bar, the hotel offers two Mac computers where guests can print a boarding pass or use the complimentary internet. (Wi-Fi is free only for Gold and Diamond HHonors status levels.) The lobby features a flight board that displays the flight times, delays, and cancellations. (Unfortunately, guests cannot access that same information from the TVs in the guest rooms.) Internet on a personal device is complimentary for some levels of HHonors members. The Hilton has an ATM machine. Many meeting / conference / banquet rooms of varying sizes are located on both the ground level and the second floor of this hotel.
An indoor swimming pool and gym are located on the second floor of the Hilton. The fitness center is open 24 hours, but the pool is open from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm only. The pool area features one wall of windows as well as a skylight, so the environment is bright in the daytime. About 12+ chairs (both lounge chairs and traditional sitting chairs) surround the pool. The hotel supplies pool towels. A Jacuzzi / hot tub is located near the pool; however, it was drained, surrounded by yellow “crime scene” tape, and out of service. Handicapped lifts are available for both the pool and the hot tub. The fitness center is small, with three treadmills, two elliptical machines, one bike, some free weights, and two universal gyms. The hotel provides small towels and a water fountain in the fitness center. The fitness center and the pool share bathrooms, but they do not contain changing cubicles or showers.
We booked a Standard room. We hoped for an upgrade because the hotel was not full and better rooms were available. (For example, each floor contains two 2-room suites.) The self-closing mechanism on the door to our room did not work, so we had to pull extremely hard on the door to close it. Otherwise, our room was in good condition. The oversized space featured one king bed backed by a headboard with built-in lighting and nightstands. Our room also contained a unique chair / ottoman combination with a built-in table on one arm, and a modern desk / TV console. Several lighting options exist in the room, and guests can flip the main switch near the bed to control all lights. The closet contained a large electronic safe. The room had only one luggage rack; however, a padded bench functioned as a second baggage stand. The bathroom was a standard hotel-size, and the hotel provided Peter Thomas Roth toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, massaging soap bar, and regular soap).
We will stay at the Hilton Newark Airport again before a flight for the right rate. The location and amenities make it worth another stay.
