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Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield – reviews, photos

2.0 of 5
1011 Route 22 West, West End Avenue, North Plainfield, NJ 07060
Hotel amenities
Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield
Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield
Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield
Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield
Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield
Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield
3.0 of 5 stars 20 Reviews
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20 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
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    6
    0
    2
    10
Date Rating
Philadelphia, PA
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Inexpensive, but still not worth it unless you are desparate.”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 December 2011
2
people found this review helpful

There are not many places to stay in this area that cost well under $100. This is one of them, but it is easy to see why.

Despite my poor review, I have stayed there several times over the past few years. I have regular work in the area. Many of my preferred hotels often get booked up and I cannot get a room. This is my hotel of last resort.

The building is an older two story style motel, where you check in up front, then drive your care around back to get to your room. There is no view and you will want to keep your curtains closed.

For many years the hotel has been run down and in bad shape. However, as I write this in late 2011, the hotel is in the process of being renovated. It appears the outside is still under construction, but my room had all new furniture and a nice new flat screen TV, so that was a nice bonus. I also had a mini-fridge and microwave in my room, which was nice too. The room seemed relatively clean for a cheap hotel.

Unfortunately, I suspect the renovations are not going well. Upon taking a shower in the morning, I put my towel on the shower curtain rack, only to have the entire rack fall down on my head.

Also unfortunate was the hotel's response. When checking out, I mentioned the incident and suggested that they would need to have that fixed. The clerk (who had been sitting in the lobby watching TV when I walked in) simply noted something on a piece of paper and continued the check out. A simple "I'm sorry" would have been nice.

The hotel also claims to make available breakfast. However, that seems to consist of a box of muffins, some cold cereal, and milk and juice (and they were out of juice). Despite what you may be told, don't plan on eating breakfast there.

The room is along Route 22, which is a busy commercial highway. Fortunately, the hotel is set back far enough that I was not bothered by traffic. There are a number of decent places to eat within a few miles, including several Chinese restaurants and an Outback. There is also plenty of fast food places.

My bottom line: if you are looking for a really cheap place and this a convenient location, you might give it a try. But don't expect much. If you can afford somewhere else in the area, it is probably worth it.

Room Tip: I recommend second floor so you don't get headlights in your window, and one facing the back, so...
See more room tips
  • Stayed December 2011, travelled on business
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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North Plainfield, New Jersey
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“GROSS!!!”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 November 2011
1
person found this review helpful

What a disgusting place! I stayed there and as soon as i checked in, the front desk were so rude and they were talking in indian and being very obnoxious not paying attention to me. I checked into the room and it smelled so bad! The heater was blowing dust, there were throw up stains on the sofa. The bed had pubic hair. I mean this place is horrible, I dont understand how anyone can pay so much for a crappy place! PLEASEEE TAKE MY ADVICE AND NEVER GO THERE! Horrible experience!!!!!!!!!

  • Stayed November 2011, travelled on business
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask tenzin y about Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Stockholm, Sweden
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
“Never again”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 August 2011
2
people found this review helpful

We stayed in this hotel for our last night in the U.S before flying back to Europe. I cannot recommend this place at all. The hotel is undergoing extensive renovation and refurbishment. It was like coming into a building site with paint cans and construction materials scattered all over the place. The stairs and hallways were dirty and it was extremely dusty due to the construction work - we were glad that none of us are allergic, that would have been a catastrophe. The room we got was completely refurbished and seemed very nice at first. However, it turned out that there was not much that worked. The great modern flat-screen TV on the wall had only one channel and the room's air-conditioning lived a life of its own... . We needed to check our flight booking, but there was no guest computer in the reception. The staff in the reception promised they could help us with what we needed from their own computer. But when two of the staff members had spent about fifteen minutes to just get out on the internet (they said that they happened to have a slow connection that day) and the queue of waiting guests lined up, we withdrew our request.

  • Stayed August 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
China
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
“To be avoided”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 August 2011

My son and I needed a place to stay while passing through so we decided to use an Expedia voucher on this (we never did get to use it, but that's Expedia's fault). (I do have to say that the young guy who helped us check in was very helpful and courteous to us.) It was late and we checked it, the first room was one of the remodeled ones and looked fine until we noticed ants all over the walls, bed-board and carpet. We asked for another room and were given the one next door- only saw one ant the whole time. My 6 year old took a long time to fall asleep because he was afraid bugs would crawl on him :) The bathroom wasn't too bad except for some hair in the tub.

The whole hotel is under construction which seriously detracts from the atmosphere of the place. The clientele seemed to be mostly people passing through, I didn't see other families or kids. The swimming pools seem to be permanently closed. I wouldn't even consider the non-refurbished rooms. The flat-screen cable TV had lots of channels, but it cut out in the morning and couldn't get much; maybe that was Comcast's fault.
The continental breakfast was very simple- bagels, cereal and Little Debbie snacks but it worked. The breakfast area, however, was a mess- nearly everything from drawers to pitchers to cupboards to bagel containers was broken or taped together (see picture). Not that I really care, but it shows me that the owner/manager doesn't care either.

Bottom line; this is a just place to sleep but I wish I had saved my $50 and stayed in the car. I never really felt clean or comfortable there.

  • Stayed August 2011, travelled with family
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask js96 about Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield
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Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“NEVER EVER EVER STAY HERE!”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 May 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Unsafe property, unsavory people lingering all around, the most disgusting dive I have ever seen. I checked in and turned around and checked out. The hotel then charged my credit card 3 times the amount of the room, over $300.00!!!

Stay somewhere else, anywhere else. I'd sleep in my car before I ever check in there again.

  • Stayed April 2011
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Howard Johnson Express Inn - North Plainfield

  • Howard Johnson North Plainfield
  • North Plainfield Howard Johnson
Address: 1011 Route 22 West, West End Avenue, North Plainfield, NJ 07060
Price range (per night):* INR3,455 - 5,127

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