Stay Report: Hampton Inn, New York City - JFK Airport (New York - September 2015)

Stay Report: Hampton Inn New York City - JFK Airport
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photo courtesy of Hampton Inn

I had an early morning flight from JFK, so instead of leaving early from downtown, I decided to look for a hotel that was near the airport.  I had previously stayed at the Hampton Inn JFK Airport and so decided to stay there again.  Previously and this time, my stay lasted for less than 24hrs and each time the hotel provided a decent place to stay and was a nice transit hotel.

My previous stay at the hotel was when I was connecting from a domestic to an international flight and had a long layover in New York, about 8hrs.  Instead of spending it in a lounge or at the airport, I decided to get a nearby hotel to relax in.  I came back this time because, as previously stated, I had an early morning flight out of JFK so wanted to be closer to the airport in case of any delays. 

The layout of the hotel is a standard Hampton Inn layout.  As space is limited in New York, the hotel lobby is not that large.  As you enter the lobby, on the right are the check-in desks while on the left is a small waiting area.  Straight ahead is the restaurant area while to left are the elevators.  Check-in was generally quick, while check-out takes some time, but I received my key and proceeded to the room.

The rooms look decent – in my first stay the rooms looked a bit outdated but during my second stay at least the beds and other fixtures had been updated; the hotel generally looks a bit older.  As you enter the room, on the right is the bathroom while on the left is the closet.  Both are standard, with the closet provided storage space, and the bathroom containing the basic fixtures of a sink, a toilet, and a bathtub; this is where the hotel looks the oldest as the bathroom has not been updated.  Further into the room, the bed was on the right while on the left was a table, a stand with a TV on stop of it, and a desk with a chair.  During my first stay, I had a room with two double beds and during my second stay I had a king-size bed.  The double beds were a nice size, but they were a bit older so not as comfortable; the king-size bed had been updated and so it was both a nice size and comfortable.

photo courtesy of Hampton Inn

The hotel provides standard Hampton Inn amenities such as complimentary breakfast, complimentary wifi, fitness center, business center, meeting rooms, and complimentary shuttle.  Since both of my times were limited, I was only able to try the complimentary wifi and the shuttle.  The wifi was decent and strong enough to check emails and do basic searches.  The shuttle was an issue during both of my stays.  The shuttle picks you up from the Federal Circle Station but drops you off at your specific terminal; and both times it took a really long time for the shuttle to come to the station.  This is definitely something that needs to be improved (Hint: the Hilton JFK and Hampton JFK share a parking lot so if the Hilton shuttle is there, I was advised by the hotel to get on that shuttle and just walk to the Hampton).

Overall, the Hampton Inn JFK provided a nice transit hotel.  I had specific reasons why I wanted to stay near the airport; the first time I had a long layover so getting a hotel with a bed and a secure place to leave my luggage while I went to the city, and the second time was to ensure I made my early morning flight.  For both of these reasons, the hotel was good.  Given the shuttle issue and the distance from the city, it would not be my first choice if I was staying in the city but it’s a good choice as a transit hotel.