Paramus, New Jersey / Crowne Plaza

June 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom #257

Status perks and check-in

I did not receive a room upgrade, although I received an amazing goody bag. This was probably the best goody bag perk I have ever received--not considering the times that I have received a full bottle of wine with fruit, cheese, and crackers delivered to the room. The goody bag contained all of the items shown here: baked chips, single-serve bottle of Woodbridge merlot wine, small bottle of water, fruit snacks, trail mix, sugar-free cookies, and a small package of cheese crackers. I was impressed with the wine and the sugar-free cookies. It was great to receive something out of the ordinary like this. I also received a coupon for the breakfast buffet the next morning.

I usually ask for a top floor guestroom at the end of the hall because it is often quieter. This is an older hotel, and there is no elevator. The front desk agent asked me if I was aware of this, and if this was okay. I had researched the two hotels in this area that I considered before this trip, so I was aware that there is no elevator. Since I had a smaller carry-on bag, I told her that was not a problem. She told me that someone could help me with my luggage, if I wanted.

Guestroom 257

The guestroom had been recently updated, and it was comfortable. The work area was spacious with plenty of room to work. The bedding was good quality, and the bed was comfortable. 

The guestroom contained the following: large desk work area and chair, plenty of lamps/lighting throughout the guestroom, one bottle of water with the ice bucket, a single-serve coffee maker with supplies, a soft chair with footstool, king size bed, flatscreen TV on an armoire, suitcase bench/bench seat, and nightstands with lamps, and a lighted alarm clock. There were two telephones in the guestroom; one on a nightstand, and one on the desk. A closet with an iron and board was located across from the bathroom. 

I probably would have been very happy at this hotel with this guestroom, had it not been such an old building with some other faults. The walls were extremely thin, and I could hear my neighbors on both sides. One neighbor was having a heated discussion with his female friend about their child (apparently) for several hours--first on the telephone, and then in person. And, the guest on the other side was either a night owl, or s/he sleeps to the TV noise, because I could hear the TV most of the night.

Other downsides to this being an older building, were the small bathroom, and the guestroom had a musty smell to it. 

The bathroom vanity was very small with no counter space. A low quality hairdryer was mounted on the wall. The toilet seemed to be a newer style with low water flow flushing; however, it did not work very well.

The musty smell in the guestroom was somewhat bothersome. I keep odor reducing spray in my travel bag when I am traveling with more than a carry-on, and I wished I had had it with me this stay. Apparently, the dampness had not been removed during the remodel, and the new carpet and such did not cover up the smell.

The fact that this guestroom contained a bottle of water for no charge, gave me the impression that it is a concierge floor room. Usually, I do not see bottled water included in guestrooms unless it is a concierge or executive floor room. Other than the water though, this room did not appear to be an executive or club floor room. The guestroom diagram on the back of the guestroom door, showed this room to be one of the smallest rooms on this floor. The front desk agent did not tell me this is an executive guestroom, and the bill I received did not say that it is. If this is an executive room, it is a poor one. If the guestroom diagram is to scale, I would say this is a basic guestroom.

Food & Beverage
This hotel has a breakfast area and the evening restaurant in the hotel is the Bonefish Grill. A breakfast menu was available in the hotel restaurant, and I should have asked if I could use my buffet coupon toward an a la carte item, because the buffet was not very good. The foods I recall were basic non-fresh scrambled eggs, white breads, cut fruit, and cereals. Beverages were included, and I was happy that V-8 juice was available. I have found that many hotel restaurants do not carry V-8 juice, and servers often try to give me tomato juice without letting me know that V-8 juice is not available--as if I would not know when I taste it! The service at breakfast was very good.

Bonefish Grill is located in the hotel, and it is accessible without having to walk outside. I was able to eat in the restaurant and charge it to my hotel room. The bar area was quite busy during my visit, and the service was mediocre to poor. I received much better service at breakfast than I did in the evening. The bar service was not solely my experience; the patrons seated next to me had to get the bartender's attention to place their food order over 10 minutes after they had requested a menu. I also had to request a menu and my check. Even though the bar was active, it was not so busy that the bartenders could not keep up. They had plenty of time to chat with each other; they were just inattentive to guests' needs. I have been to several Bonefish Grill restaurants, and this was the worst service experience I have ever had. The service was not terrible; however, it was not up to par compared to past experiences. The food, as always, was excellent!

Business center
The business center is located in the lobby near the front desk. It contained basic equipment, and I was able to print items for no charge.

Fitness center
I was glad that there was not anyone in the fitness center both times that I used it, because it is not very big. The equipment was in working order, and the hotel does offer free passes to a nearby gym. The photos on the hotel website are an accurate depiction of what is available at this hotel.

Overall
I thought all of the staff members at this hotel were accommodating and professional. As much as I liked the Platinum member goody bag and the bed comfort, I do not think I would choose this hotel again. The reasons I would stay elsewhere are the thin walls and the damp smell. Had it not been for those two factors, I would choose this hotel again. Even though the bathroom in the guestroom is small, that is something I could overlook when traveling by myself.

Wayne, New Jersey / Residence Inn Wayne

June 2013, Weekday, 1-night, 2-bedroom suite #318

Status perks and check-in

At check-in, Maggie said that I had been upgraded for the night. I was impressed by the upgrade at this Residence Inn in Wayne, NJ, because my experience at most Marriott properties, has been that I do not receive an automatic room upgrade unless I am staying in one of their full service hotels.

A room had not been released on the computer yet, so Maggie called housekeeping to ask if a 2-bedroom suite was available. I was then assigned room 318. I do not know if this is a different room than what was initially intended because Maggie did not say. She provided professional and friendly service. I also received the standard Platinum bonus points.

kitchen/living room view from door

Guestroom
This is a spacious guestroom with a kitchen and living area, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The guestroom is so large, that I do not know if I will be able to include all of the photos that I took in this review.

The kitchen area located by the entrance contained a full-size fridge, range, dishwasher, microwave, table with four chairs, cupboards and drawers stocked with dishes and utensils, coffee maker with supplies, microwave popcorn, and other miscellaneous items, such as salt and pepper, and paper towel.

living area, king bedroom

The living area straight ahead from the kitchen contained a sofa with throw pillows, a coffee table, an end table, lamps, and a flatscreen TV on an armoire. A nice gas fireplace was located in the corner.

The entire guestroom was tastefully decorated, although I was surprised to see a few stains on the sofa fabric.

king bedroom

king bed bath

The bedroom on the left contained a king size bed, a flatscreen TV on an armoire, and night stands with lamps, a lighted alarm clock, and telephone.

king bed bath

Both of the bathrooms in the guestroom were pretty similar. There is a door between the vanity and shower area in both bathrooms. The vanity in the king bathroom is across from a closet with mirrored doors.

queen bed bath

Both bathrooms contained a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod. A hairdryer was provided in both bathrooms, as well as bath amenities--lotion, soap, shampoo, and conditioner. I was again surprised to see a problem with stains. The hand towels in the bathroom next to the queen bedded room were stained. I set the towels on the counter after I saw this, because they looked kind of like someone had used them to wipe with, and then they had not been replaced. I have included photos of the stained items at the end of this review.

queen bed with desk

The queen bedroom also contained a flatscreen TV on an armoire, a night stand with lamp, lighted alarm clock, and telephone. Additionally, this room has a large closet in the bedroom area (instead of the slightly smaller one across from the king vanity), and a desk and chair. The desk chair had so many stains on it, that I sat on a towel to use the chair.

queen room looking from desk

Both of the beds looked comfortable, so now I had the dilemma of deciding where to sleep! Initially, I thought that if one was traveling with children, the adults would want the room with the larger closet and the desk; however, that room contained the queen bed rather than the king bed. Since I was traveling alone, I decided to use the queen room to work in, and sleep in the king bed. The bedding and bed was comfortable for the most part, although the mattress was a tad too hard for my taste.

queen bedroom

This would have been an excellent guestroom, if it had been located on the top floor. I had the unfortunate experience of a family staying overhead--with 3 children and a dog. I do not have anything against children or pets, and I have traveled with both myself. I do, however, have a problem with unruly guests.

The family above me, ran up and down the halls and the guestroom, and they jumped around in the guestroom. When it got so bad that the smoke detector cover fell off the wall in my guestroom, I called them. The situation did not improve much after my call, although the jumping vibration that caused the smoke alarm to come loose ceased. It is beyond me why a hotel would ever assign a top floor guestroom to someone with children and pets. It seems like bottom floor rooms should be reserved for pets.

Food & Beverage
Food items served the evening of my stay included: broccoli cheese soup, fresh spring mix salad, tacos with salsa and toppings, carrot cake, lemonade, and I do not recall the additional non-alcoholic beverages. This hotel did not serve wine or beer.

Breakfast the morning of my stay included: turkey canadian bacon, scrambled eggs, waffle maker, oatmeal, cold cereal, hard boiled eggs, whole bananas and apples, juices, coffee, tea, and milk.

Business center
Two computers and a printer were set up in the dining area. The printer was initially jammed when I tried to print something. After I solved the issue, many pages printed! I guess several people had tried to print without bringing the problem to someone's attention. I dropped off the documents that came out of the printer at the front desk.

Fitness center

The fitness center located near the front desk was adequate. It contained four cardio machines with cardio theater, a flatscreen TV with remote, hand weights, a drinking fountain, and towels.

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Below are the photos of the stained items in the guestroom. The stains on the desk chair look kind of like debris. I tried to clean the chair off, and the marks did not change, so they were either stains or ground-in debris. The towel stains are difficult to see in the photos, although a slight discoloration/yellowing is visible. The stains that I observed stood out more than what is visible in the photos.

sofa

desk chair