Mid-Atlantic - Need a recommendation for a short day break at an EWR hotel

Traveling with the family (incl a little baby) and we have 12 hours between flights, during the day - at EWR. Thought it would make sense to check into a hotel in the proximity.

Would you have a recommendation of a good airport hotel with the following requirements?

1. Provides an airport shuttle for pick up and drop off
2. Is at least a 3 star rated hotel
3. Preferably has a rental car desk so I can pick up a car from the hotel lobby directly for a few hours during the day

Thanks in advance!

There's a number of airport hotels, along US 1/9 - which is a maze of roads leading to/from the various terminals like your typical Sheraton, Hyatt & Hilton at typically upper price range of $200+taxes/fees, etc. and the Marriott being the closest (relative to others, our favorite stop for weekend brunch, time permitting) all with free 24/7 airport shuttle.

You might want to check out the following - rated 3 stars & fairly good reviews on tripadvisors . com etc. for about $100 inclusive based on non-refundable rate with all taxes/fees added. Free 24/7 shuttle and onsite Payless car rental, it's on the north side of EWR by closer to the Air Cargo but still less than a 5 to 10 minutes ride back to the main buidings.

Wyndham Garden Hotel Newark Airport - 550 Route 1 South NEWARK NJ US 07114

There's a Best Western also and less pricey, rated 3 stars but aren't as nice, depending on whether you just wanted a bed to rest, shower & relax.

There's a (relatively new) Springhill Suite by Marriott also, price around $150-ish without taxes/fees - obviously nice and more space to stretch out, typically with more amenties. (Don't recall any of them offering a day rate special - won't hurt to call each of them directly & ask about it @:-)

It really depend on what you are looking to do since you will need time to clear security/checkin for your continuation flight out of EWR. Renting a car to go nowhere or to check out the nearby (JerseyGardens ???, bad with name, haven't been there a while) outlet mall near Ikea to shop & eat at the food court ?? (it's about 15 minutes away) - or just call for a taxi ??

Also, beware of limited choices of decent restaurants nearby - calling for food delivery would be my option instead of dining inside the hotel on their specials, or charging to room service if on a per diem/expense account.

Hope this help in you planning .... :D

1. Provides an airport shuttle for pick up and drop offAll the hotel shuttles pick up from a common location at EWR...which entails an AirTrain ride from your terminal. And it's really not like you can call the hotel to have the shuttle come and get you...they just keep picking up and dropping off and picking up and dropping off... I think the Marriott is the only hotel on the airport grounds so maybe you could walk to it.
3. Preferably has a rental car desk so I can pick up a car from the hotel lobby directly for a few hours during the dayBe sure to get GPS. As Letitride3c says, it's a maze of highways, exits and access roads. Driving into Newark, though, depending on the weather, might be a nice treat and an opportunity to pick up some good food.

Thanks for the incredibly detailed and helpful responses. I did already check with Wyndham - their car rental desk has shut down, FWIW. Wont open again till sometime in January. This would be important for me, given the 12 odd hours we have. We need to get some rest, then go look up a friend in NYC afterwards.

I'll keep looking and will also post the final outcome...

If a nap and rest is the top priority, the Marriott inside the airport parking lot is sound-proof and would have the shortest shuttle trip......when I was there a few months back, the Marriott shuttle van could only do a pick-up at the one all-hotels shuttle stop, but could drop you off right at your airline terminal. I've walked from airline terminals to Marriott when weather is nice, but you must climb over several 3-foot high parking barriers.

Alternatively, the hotels at the Outlet Mall may have shuttles to/from Newark Airport, but do check on whether the shuttle van runs when you need them. See www.jerseygardens.com --- there's shopping and restaurants.

Renting a car is time-consuming, and the roads are confusing. Perhaps look at the trains at the Newark Airport Rail Station.......trains run by NJ Transit (njtransit.org) go to downtown Newark in 15 minutes, and into NYC-Manhattan-Penn Stn in about 35mins. If the weather is pleasant, donwtown Newark has some sightseeing with old churches, statuary and riverfront area (www.downtownnewark.com or www.nj.com

I've stayed in Hampton Inn several times and was very pleased with the service and amenities. They have decent free breakfast too.

Just my additional thoughts - with a total of 12 hours for a short layover, even with Express Checkin/out of the hotel and assuming fast track with car rental, you really don't have much time on hand to get some rest/nap, enjoy a meal and time to get into NYC and back out to EWR with a rental car.

While EWR/hotel nearby is typically a 20 to 40 minutes drive via Holland Tunnel or Lincolon Tunnel into lower/mid-Manhattan respectively, those time can easily double, triple or quadtriple with traffic, rush hour, mid-day constructions and weather delays - or matrix of it. Then, you have to deal with outbound or return trip from NY side back out to the "Jersey" side, which can easily take 60 minutes to 2 hours, idling & bumper-to-bumper - sweating it out. Just a caution as any regulars in this area can easily affirm this - taking NJ Transit or even the Path train into NY and back is probably easier but they aren't delay-free either for peak hours. The tunnel toll is $8 cash, collected one-way into NY only and is a major bottleneck for delays - especially at rush hours.

Having said that, there are some lunch spots in scenic/historic Hoboken, NJ overlooking Manhattan's skyline or even around the Newport Mall Centre area with views of Lower Manhattan on a Path station stops, if your friends would consider coming out to meet up with you - that'll be far more relaxing time without worrying about rushing back to checkout & miss your continuation flight - and you can snap quite a # of decent travel photo's along the Hudson River waterfront with NYC as a backdrop.

The good news is that I dont need to get into NYC, just into the surrounding areas of EWR (to meet up friends). So the next most important thing after getting a comfortable hotel to rest for a few hours, is the car rental - hoping that one of the hotels has a counter within their lobby areas...

There's an independent car rental called "U-Save" at Newark Int. Airport - (Inside Hilton Hotel), 1170 Spring Street, Newark, NJ 07201 - Tel. (908) 289-6500 - limited & mix reviews on it - you can check with them on rates & availability. (It's next to the Hampton Inns - both of them on the southbound local lane side of US Rt. 1/9 - facing the airport terminals)

There's another car rental place near the Hilton except that I just cannot remember it's name (Enterprise or Thrifty, or one of those 2nd. tier‎ - definitely not yours Hertz/Avis/Budget/Nationla) that's not far, not exactly walkable - maybe they can give you a ride from the hotel. On the other side, northbound - local lane side of Rt. 1/9 is Dollar-rent-a-car.

What I would do is hop back on a hotel shuttle to the terminal & catch the car rental shuttle to get the car, especially if you are one of their frequent renters and can skip the counter. Or, call for a taxi & take a short cab ride over to the rental place (it'll save time and quick)