The Crowne Plaza had a package deal for New Year's Eve - room for two, full course dinner, band, DJ, appetizers, open bar and breakfast buffet the next morning. We booked two rooms for ourselves and another couple. We arrived early at no extra expense; we were graciously accomodated at the front desk. As my partner checked us in I took a quick look around the main foyer. It was nicely decorated with black and white leather couches, some lamps, some tables - all very clean lines. Upon closer inspection I noted that the black couches all had tears which were covered over with black duct tape. The white couches also had tears, but management might not have been aware that duct tape also comes in white, as those tears were left without covering up. I then noted that every surface was smudged, not terribly, but noticably when one considered sitting down. The floors were clean but stained as if they'd only been wet mopped and not actually cleaned. I assumed the foyer was a busy place and cleaning was most likely left to more needy places.

The Room:

We found our room on the 15th floor - our friends had a room roughly across the hall. Their room was half the size of our room for some reason, which didn't bother us but they seemed put off by this. Our room included a bar area which was filthy and which did not have a refrigerator. The glasses were disgusting. It looked like someone had dipped them in mop water, they were covered in old, gray lint and dirty scum. The entire bar area was covered in a film of dust, dirt and scum.

The carpeting was gross. It wasn't that old or worn, but it was dirty and stained. Not that it hadn't been vaccumed - you could tell it was vaccumed - but there were blotches of stuff stuck to it, and stains of varying types. I made sure not to walk barefoot.

The bathroom was questionable - someone had used the toilet and, um, left something there for us to discover. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to let you know someone had used the toilet and hadn't bothered to double flush to get it all out. Gross. Me. Out. It's hard enough to deal with that with my own family in my own home with my own toilet. After that discovery I inspected the bathtub. I found a moldy showerhead and mold in the crevices around the tiles. The cauking was a tad moldy, and the tub and walls looked as though no one had bothered to wipe them clean in a long time.

I immediately inspected the bed to look for bed bugs - delightfully (and surprisingly), there were none. That's a very positive thing I can say about the room - no bugs!

The Party:

The party was for 400 people, and at the last moment the staff added tables across the hall to accomodate folks who wanted to attend the party but who weren't staying the night at the hotel. So there were roughly 500 in attendance. The party was fun - we met a lot of nice people. The drinks were indeed free all night and did not appear to be watered down. The food was very good - the appetizers were delicious, however we had to call over the servers several times as they'd pass our table often without stopping. The courses were good, however the fillet mignon we were promised was extremely thin - as if one medallion had been sliced into four. For the price we paid to stay and eat, we expected better, but didn't complain. I had more drinks than I could drink, and though the line was long there was no limit on how many you could get - two hands, two drinks, all night long. Nice! The band was - meh - not so great, but the DJ was good and played an array of genres to make everyone happy.

My main impression of the hotel and staff is this: these are tough times, and the area around this hotel isn't doing as well as it once did, many businesses are gone or are no longer sending travelers here. The staff was sparse, and though the hotel staff did their best to accomodate and provide for their guests, there's only so much you can do. So, the room was awful, but we didn't expect to stay in the room the entire time. I wouldn't stay there again unless there was another big party like the one we attended, mainly because the room was so dirty. If the hotel were to do better business perhaps they'd hire more maids, or perhaps they need to inspect the rooms better because the maids aren't doing a great job. I certainly would not have left a tip had I stayed more than one night. The party and the front desk staff are the reason I even consider three stars; without those elements, I'd have dropped that to two or one and one half.

Got a super deal on Hotwire at a Motel 6 price on a summer weekend. Has a large Indoor-Outdoor pool with a connector that the kids loved. Rooms were decent. There was an extra charge for the fridge. Attentive and courteous staff. Restaurant was good for breakfast. I'll be back for the right price again- been there 3 times already.

This is one of the hotels that could not make the cut when IHG launched their new rebranded chains. They finished the Holiday in relaunch (hotels with new sign), they are now starting on the Crowne Plaza's.... As for the Hotel Somerset i called to book the CP and was told that its no longer a Crown Plaza. Stayed at the HI across the street.

This hotel is in an area with many hotels. I assume it is for corporate purposes as well as for Rutgers, which is nearby. I had stayed here 5 yrs earlier as my high school reunion was also held there. This time the reunion was nearby-- so I again booked here as previous stay was fine. The rate was astoundingly low. I assume this is because of much local competition as well as a quiet weekend. I jokingly asked for a "really nice room" and I was given a room on concierge level, at no extra cost. Room clean, very nice, with small balcony. All the small perks, though they did not have an in-room safe. I had a tablet with me and so on leaving I asked that it be placed in safe at reception area. They did not have room in the safe for it but obliged by placing safely and giving me a receipt. I say this because they were very accomodating in every way. Great deal if you are in this area!