That is a pretty fair statement. There is a Doubletree that is somewhat decent near the airport that I stayed at last year. There is also a Marriott nearby, IIRC.

Now for my warning. I had an early morning flight from JFK last year and waited too long to book a room. All that was left was a property called the JFK Inn. Whatever you do....do not stay at this property. From the check-in clerk behind bullet proof glass, to the seedy patrons, to the disgusting (and I mean seriously disgusting) rooms, to the warning about leaving a car in the lot...it was the single worst property that I have ever been in. Grab a couple of chairs in the terminal before staying at this place.