Stayed here the week after Labor Day on the opening rate ($160, I think). Very pleasant, if uneventful, experience. I really enjoy Element hotels, so I was excited to see a reasonably priced option within a short transit trip of Manhattan.

Within the property: It's a typical new-build Element, with lounge areas on either side of the front desk, a grab-and-go convenience store behind the front desk, a tiny gym & pool, and two small meeting rooms. Nice bonus: a small roof deck on the 2nd floor.

Food on site: Light breakfast buffet (with warmed egg wraps and smoothie shots) and evening reception (beer, wine, warm empanadas) are served in the lobby. During the day, there's a K-cup coffee machine. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase at the front desk.

Inside the room: Pretty much exactly like a new-build Element anywhere else. I personally love the marvelously efficient "studio" layout.

Around the property: The hotel is within the first phase of a major redevelopment of an industrial area adjacent to Newark. There's a lot of construction going on, but not much else has opened. There's a Dunkin' Donuts within the Aloft building, but facing the other side, and a Five Guys burger shop in the new apartment building across the street. A new soccer stadium is a few blocks away.

It's a few blocks (and across I-280) north to downtown Harrison, which has some basic services like takeout food. It's a working-class town with many immigrants from Latin America and Asia, but it's hardly a regional dining destination. Fine dining requires a trip out of town. I felt perfectly safe, and there were almost always people walking around to provide "eyes on the street," but there are some dark corners around.

Access: The hotel is adjacent to a PATH rail station, with 24-hour service to Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken, and both lower and midtown Manhattan. I didn't notice any train noise inside the building. The station's nothing special, and it doesn't have elevators (important if you have luggage), but a spiffy new replacement is now under construction across the street.

It's also a few blocks south of I-280. Self-parking is in a public garage behind the hotel and was $12 a day, with unlimited in/out. You'll need to validate the ticket every time you leave the hotel, though. The garage mostly serves PATH commuters, so be prepared for rush-hour queues, but there are spaces dedicated to the hotel right next to the hotel entrance.