The staff were friendly and helpful, especially Eddie on the door! Our room was spacious and clean with a very comfortable bed and great quality bed linens. We stayed one night and chose this hotel for its excellent location for the Prudential Center (less than a 10 minute indoor walk) and close to Newark airport (they have a free hourly shuttle). We went on to New York but stayed in town instead, for the same money there (at the New Yorker) the room was much smaller and not as nice but better located for NYC although Newark Penn station was right opposite the Hilton if you wanted it.

The main reason for selecting Hilton Newark Penn Station was to have easy train access to NYC while paying less than half rates compared with Manhattan hotels. And it did work out perfectly. 20 - 25 minutes train ride to either New York Penn Station at Madison Square Garden or the WTC Path station on Lower Manhattan. You only have to be alert because the two lines depart from different platforms, and we also encountered a short notice change of platforms.
The hotel rooms are nice, clean and comfy. We had rooms on the conscierge floor which is really a waste since there was no lounge access in the weekend anyway. Thus we had breakfast in the main restaurant rather than in the lounge, but that was OK.
Before our last night we had picked up our hired car in downtown New York. Driving to Hilton Newark as well as parking was no problem, and the following morning we had immediate access to the freeway towards Washington DC.

This hotel provided an excellent base to explore NYC without paying the huge price to stay in Manhattan. Directly opposite Penn Street Station the PATH into Manhatten takes less than 20 minutes and is reasonably priced with trains running late into the night. Comfortable rooms with friendly staff. Not much to see in Newark but would highly recommend this hotel for a New York break.

We stayed here one night before a cruise as our flight came in to Newark. By the time we found the place (more on that later) it was quite late, but we were treated with a smile and courtesy by the front desk.

(Also as a side hint for the ladies who may be so inclined -- I discreetly noticed a bunch of handsome men in expensive suits checking in at around the same time -- turns out that an NHL hockey team was staying there as well ...just an FYI ;))

So one thing I can say for sure about this hotel is the room is clean clean clean...it just 'felt' clean and fresh. I felt completely comfortable sleeping in the bed, leaving my suitcase on the floor, etc. (I did still take precautions by searching the bed for the telltale signs of bedbugs -- this is NewYork/NewJersey, after all...). Bed was super comfortable. The room was set up in a way that made sense -- can't describe it rather than say it just had a good 'flow'...getting ready and getting dressed with someone in the room just seemed easy.

Our main objective the next morning was getting to NYC as soon as possible! We did get lost trying to find our way to the appropriate train station but I'm sure that won't be everyone's issue. Once we did get on the train it was easy to get into the city that never sleeps! Knowing we were coming back to our nice clean room after a long day of sight-seeing and shopping was comforting!

One of the bell-hops was super helpful in giving us information about where to ship, etc. He was so friendly and genuine!

The only issue I would have with this is if you are taking a cruise it would be quite hard to take all of your luggage on the train, so we took a cab -- because we were crossing the bridge and all the tolls it was $90!!!!! However, I'm sure if you took your time you could find a shuttle service or work something out -- we didn't plan ahead and we were stuck with the last minute idea of a cab. But just be forewarned about that.

Also, be aware that if you look confused once you get off the train with your luggage there are unofficial 'helpers' to help you...immediately we were approached by some guy who asked if we were out of town and wanted to show us to the hotel...he was very assertive but I didn't feel in danger at all because there were so many people around...he directed us to where we needed to go, the whole time I was wondering "what IS this?"...basically he was just a guy who helps people find their way around the station for a little bit of cash. He hinted that he would like financial compensation but not aggressively so. We figured that he had helped us rather than sit there and beg so we gave him $5. The next day I saw him doing the same thing with another couple. So it's sort of like his 'job'...but I was taken aback at first. Just wanted to throw that out there...he's harmless, and you don't have to pay him, but just wanted to give the heads up.

All in all the Hilton Penn Station hotel was a wonderful experience for us, and was perfect for the price!!! If you would rather spend your money on the cool things to do in New York City, rather than a room you will barely be in, (yet still want it super clean) this is the place!!!!!!