Swan Motel, Short Hills

I told my husband that they could have made a good comedy out of our experience similar to the Out-Of-Towners, that old movie with Jack Lemmon. The first part of our trip was uneventful. We got to the Orlando airport in plenty of time to get checked in, and then we just went to the gate to wait. We also made it onto the airplane with no problem. That all changed when we got to Newark . The plane we were scheduled to go to Norfolk on, which was the last plane of the evening, had become overbooked and we couldn't get on (Continental only flies small planes into Norfolk , so there's probably a good chance that it's normally full). When we asked about our luggage, we found out that it had gone on to Virginia without us. We weren't too happy about spending the night in Newark , a very crime-ridden and expensive city. Then we had several different people tell us that all of the local hotels were booked up due to all the European tourists that were stuck in the states because of the volcano. One agent told us we'd have to sleep in the airport. I've never slept in an airport, and I didn't want to start now. I couldn't envision not being able to bathe or sleep in a bed. We finally had another Continental agent tell us that there might be rooms available at The Swan. The name sounded nice, but I got the impression that it wasn't going to be all that great because crew members get rooms there because they're cheaper than others around. You can easily spend 100+ a night in Newark on what would be considered an ordinary hotel room that you might pay 40-50 for anywhere else. I don't get why such an undesirable city would cost so much to visit. So anyway, we found out that they picked people up from the airport on an hourly basis, so we waited 1/2 hour for them to come for us. They wanted 80 a night for this place. We had never seen such a dive in our entire lives! The window in the lobby had bars on the window because the clerk didn't want to be murdered, I suppose. I paid for our room, and then I asked if the room had the usual stuff (tiny shampoo & conditioner bottles, blow dryer, etc). I was told it was just a basic room with no add-ons. They had a vending machine next to the lobby window where we could purchase tiny shampoos and shower gels for a buck apiece. I couldn't get conditioner, toothpaste, or toothbrushes in it, although they had several rows of condoms. When we got into our room, the room was barely wider than the bed, and the bathtub was right next to the bed! I'd never seen anything like it. The tiny bathroom just had a toilet and sink. I think we were very lucky that there was toilet paper in it. I was paranoid that bullets could come flying through the wall or that the bed could have bedbugs. I examined the sheets very closely, but I didn't see anything crawling on them. We didn't feel safe trying to walk anywhere in search of food, so I ordered a Domino's pizza online with my laptop and had it delivered. They didn't even have a single plug in the room (it was a very old place that opened in the early 50s), so I couldn't charge my laptop. We hated putting the same old clothes on in the morning, but at least we'd been able to bathe, and we rinsed our mouths out with shower water and tried scrubbing our teeth with our fingers to get them somewhat clean, and then I had cinnamon gum to help with our breath. The next morning the van took us to the airport. The area was so bad that we'd go by homes that had graffiti spray-painted all over them. I don't think I even took any pictures of New Jersey because I found it all so ugly; well, at least the part we were in was. That's the first time I've had to spend a night in New Jersey, and I'm hoping it'll be the last.

I stayed at this motel for a 3 days,and the rooms are very nice,staff helpfull and they drove us too the shopping centers,price is very good,and overall nice motel and a nice bar,thanks.

I recently stayed at the Swan Motel. I looked at the reviews and cant understand some of the negative comments. I dont know what the rooms used to look like but it appears that they have redone them. I had a basic room with what appeared to be new wallpaper, furniture and even a Flat panel TV. The carpet was new as well. They had a diner next door for a late night snack. The staff was very helpful with directions in the morning. I saw business people in the lobby having coffee. There were a number of pilots and flight attendants getting on their shuttle van. I will stay here again. it was a great experience.

Traveling in the greater Newark area, finding a clean property under 80.00 can be a challege.After reading some of the reviews I was not sure what I would find. It seemed that some loved the place and some hated it Feeling kind of brave I figured the true test was to try it. I am in the area every two weeks or so, and love to place.The staff was great, the pub was filled with a friendly crowd, the drinks were priced lower then the airport properties, and most of all the rooms were very clean. Give it a try !

Two men shot by off-duty Newark cop in Linden charged with attempted robbery By Mike Rispoli May 21, 2009, 7:36PM LINDEN -- The shooting of two men by an off-duty Newark police officer Monday at a Linden motel was the result of a robbery gone awry, authorities confirmed today. This place is a dangerous crap hole!

I was stuck in Newark overnight whem my flight was cancelled. This motel was horrible, dirty, filthy... I can't say enough bad things about it. I wouldn't even sit on the tiolet and I slept fully clothed because I didn't want to lie on the bed sheets. Do not stay there if you can avoid it.

The hotel was clean, the staff very attentive. The bad reviews should not scare you away. They appear to be written by the same person; who has some sort of agenda. I am looking foward to my next stay.

The reviewer below is clearly a friend or associate of this run down hovel. Yes, the outside frontage of the place has been tidied up but it's the condition of the rooms, services & reliability of the staff that matters most surely? The best rooms are apparently leased to the airlines for their crews between shifts, while everyone else has to put up with scruffy, dirty rooms & because of the types of people (low grade prostitutes & their pimps) that live & frequent here, this place ain't safe. Bust ups & violent arguments can frequently be heard at night with no intervention by the good (not) staff, hell no, like another reviewer alluded to, the staff appear to in with it all or are too scared to do anything about it. Either way this place ain't worth the hassle unless the only alternative is sleeping on the street.Either way - watch out!

This place is a real gem. The staff treats you like family, rooms are newly renovated, and prices are reasonable. We needed a ride to the train when we were checking out. The property owner was right there and took us, personally, to the train. Now that's service!!!

Like other unfortunate people I arrived here late at night due to my original hotel being over booked & no alternatives being available. This motel I believe is being mainly inhabited by illegal migrants & other undesirables with the full knowledge & blessing of the desk staff (management). The people running this place must also be getting some sort of kickback for the blatant prostitution going on here because they turn a blind eye to it all. What's worse is that some of the hookers appear to be minors! So, the local law enforcement people need to investigate & earn their pay. This motel creates the impression of fear or danger in the mind of any decent person unfortunate enough to have to stay here overnight & I note from local police that it has been raided many times in the past for drugs & firearms offences. I suspect it will be even more dangerous there now since the state of New Jersey has abolished the death penalty! Sure it's a bit cheaper than many other places but it aint a pleasant experience, so next time I will pay a bit more. I agree with other contributors here too about the poor hygiene with embedded chewing gum in some of the carpets, strong odour of stale cigarette smoke (even in non-smoking rooms), poor doors locks, dirty bed linen, problems with the heating (ie, not working), etc, etc, etc. Disgustingly low standards.