Our first stop on our mammoth journey around the USA in 2026 was Newark. We had flown in from Dublin and arrived at around 4 pm. I remember the time well, as Scotland had just kicked off in a stadium near the airport.
I was absolutely raging that we hadn’t arrived a bit earlier, as we could have gone along to watch the game. But alas, it wasn’t to be!
One of Megan’s demands for the trip was that we spend a day in NYC before moving on to Florida. Now, looking at the bank balance, I was slightly less enthusiastic about this idea. We could have flown straight on to Orlando on a low cost airline, but it was a request from a teenager, and you know how it is!
So, we had to find somewhere to stay that ticked all the boxes: affordable (New York was very expensive that summer), accessible to the airport, and conveniently located for getting into New York City.
After a bit of discussion, we booked 2 nights, and this is our review of the Holiday Inn, Newark Airport.
Where is the Holiday Inn, Newark Airport?
The Holiday Inn Newark International Airport by IHG is located at 160 Frontage Road, Newark, New Jersey 07114, USA, just minutes from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Yes, that is a prison beside it!
Getting to the Holiday Inn, Newark Airport.
If you’re travelling from the airport, you have two options: grab a ride-share (sorry, I haven’t a clue how much one would cost!) or take the free hotel shuttle, which is what we did.
How to Find the Shuttle
- Once you’ve collected your luggage, if you have any, follow the airport signs for the AirTrain.
- Take the AirTrain to P3 Station.
- Follow the signs for hotel shuttles and look out for the Holiday Inn Newark International Airport bus.
The buses seem to run pretty frequently, and it only takes a few minutes to get to the hotel. Just make sure you get on the right bus, as there’s a Holiday Inn Express nearby as well! You don’t want to end up at the wrong hotel after a long flight!
Free shuttle service, gets a 5/5 from us, no complaints.
Holiday Inn, Newark Airport
Reception.
This gets a straight-up 0/5 from us. Not one, not two, but THREE rooms we had to go through before getting the right one! Two adults and one teenager do not fit comfortably into one double bed. Maybe when Megan was younger, it would have worked, but now that she’s practically a fully grown adult, it just doesn’t work.
The first time we went back to reception, we were annoyed. The second time, we were VERY annoyed. By the third time, there was no more queuing up and politely explaining the situation. We were straight to the point: “Sorry, but this just isn’t acceptable. We booked two beds for three people, and this is now our third room. Can we PLEASE be given the correct room?”
This caused a bit of a commotion, and eventually, a senior member of staff took us to one side, apologised for what had happened, and arranged for us to get the correct room.
We get it, having travelled lots. Sometimes key cards don’t work, room arrangements change, and mistakes happen. These things are part and parcel of travelling. However, having to return to reception three times just to get the room we had actually booked was simply not acceptable.
Reception, gets 0/5 from us.
Rooms.
Having seen a fair few rooms in the hotel (well, technically, around 1% of them!), we knew what to expect when we opened the door. We had our eyes closed, fingers crossed, hoping and praying that we’d finally get those two beds!
Thankfully, we got there in the end. The room itself was spotless, had a large TV, coffee machine, fridge, plenty of space, and a nice shower/bath combo (for small people) along with a toilet. Absolutely zero complaints in that department. Everything was pretty much what you’d expect from a hotel of this kind.
However, because things had been going so smoothly up to this point…., we just HAD to have another issue.
In the middle of the night, our fire alarm decided to start malfunctioning. Now, I don’t think you can necessarily blame the hotel for an alarm going faulty, as these things happen. However, how they dealt with it was another matter entirely.
After making a few calls to reception, as nobody seemed particularly keen to come and deal with it, a fella eventually decided to make an appearance. He told us there was nothing he could do that night and that it would be fixed in the morning.
Fair enough, I thought. But then, as he turned to leave the room, I was left thinking WTF. Was he seriously going to leave us with a faulty fire alarm still attached to the wall, going off constantly?
I asked if he was going to take it down or disconnect it. He paused, seemingly realising that might actually be a good idea, and said something along the lines of, “Yeah, that would be a good idea,” before taking it away with him!
I’ve absolutely no idea whether it was replaced the following day, and, to be honest, after all the back-and-forth we’d already had with reception, I wasn’t particularly keen on any further interaction.
The room itself was absolutely fine, but the experience was becoming a bit of a joke. At this point, we were beginning to wonder what on earth would go wrong next!
Room 5/5, issues with how the alarm was handled brings it down to 3/5.
The View.
I mentioned earlier that we were staying beside a prison. I’d already told Nicola and Megan, but, as usual, neither of them believed me. It was only when I pointed out a group of fellas playing basketball in orange jumpsuits that they finally accepted I might actually be telling the truth!
Megan was beside herself with excitement. Honestly, she’s an odd child! But at least it kept her occupied for a while, as she happily told all her mates that she was staying beside a jail!
You have to admit, it’s not every day you get to tell your friends that your hotel is right beside a prison. Certainly not your usual holiday highlight, but Megan seemed to think it was brilliant!
View 5/5, view if the prison was certainly better than the usual carpark or airconditiong system we normally get to look at.
Gym/Laundry/Shop.
I didn’t have time to use the gym during our stay, but from what I could see, it looked pretty much as you’d expect from a hotel gym. Nothing particularly fancy, but it seemed to do the job.
We didn’t need to use the laundry facilities either, but it was a self-service setup, and there were people using it who seemed perfectly happy with what was available.
The hotel shop, on the other hand, was a different story! It was honestly one of the most expensive hotel shops I’d ever seen. You know the sort of thing: when there isn’t a shop nearby, you’re a captive audience, and they know it!
It was pretty annoying, especially if you just wanted to grab a few essentials or a quick snack without having to go out of your way. My advice, if you can, stock up on snacks and drinks before arriving, because your wallet might take a bit of a hit if you rely on the hotel shop!
Amenities 4/5, would be harsh to give anything less, but the shop was ridiculously expensive.
Hotel Bar.
The food was a tad expensive, and although it looked pretty good, Megan had her heart set on Panda Express, so we ended up getting that delivered instead.
I did manage to have a beer, though, as it was on happy hour. Initially, I wasn’t happy spending any more money there, given how annoyed I’d been after our first interaction with the staff.
However, cheap beer is cheap beer, and sometimes you just have to get on with it.
Hotel Bar 4/5, no issues there just a bit of awkwardness around ordering and paying.
Getting to/from Manhattan
If, like us, you don’t have a car, you have two main options for getting into Manhattan.
Option 1: Hop on the free hotel shuttle to the airport, then catch the train from there into Manhattan.
Option 2: Get a rideshare to Newark Penn Station and catch the train into Manhattan from there.
Initially, I thought Option 1 was the obvious choice. After all, a free shuttle is a great start when you’re trying to keep costs down, rather than paying for a rideshare! However, after comparing the options, it actually worked out cheaper to go with Option 2.
So, we booked a rideshare to Newark Penn Station and caught the train into Manhattan from there. The whole process was really straightforward, and we were soon on our way into New York City!
Transport into Manhattan 5/5, really easy no issues there.
Overall thoughts on Holiday Inn, Newark Airport.
I think we were probably just unlucky with the issues we experienced and how they were handled. On a different day, things could have turned out very differently.
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced hotel for the area, with good transport links between the airport, the hotel and Manhattan, and a clean, quiet place to stay, I’d have no hesitation in recommending this hotel. However, when things start to go wrong, the experience can be a bit hit or miss.
Overall, we’d probably give the Holiday Inn Newark International Airport 3/5. It has plenty going for it, but our experience could certainly have been better!
Thank you for taking the time to read our review of the Holiday Inn, Newark Airport.
If you have any questions about our stay or anything we’ve mentioned in the review, please feel free to ask. We’re always happy to help!
Have a read as well of our other hotel reviews.
Thanks again,
The Lewis Family
