La Quinta Inn Paramus

Chose this hotel simply because I needed a stay at a La Quinta to keep our points account active - but only booked one night, due to the reviews I'd read here on TA. It was a good thing: All you read here is pretty accurate, although I didn't have a truly bad experience at any point...although I was questioning whether I'd made a big mistake when we arrived. This hotel has what I would describe as "negative curb appeal." On one side, there's a now-abandoned, ramshackle former Hooter's restaurant. On the other side, what appears to be an abandoned car dealership or car-repair provider littered with broken glass and random litter...enough to cause my husband to question whether his relatively new car would survive the night intact. (Luckily, it did.) Happy (relieved?) to report that the experience improved once we got inside. The lady at the registration was very friendly and took care of things quickly and efficiently. Contrary to one of the reviews I read, they actually DO have an elevator, although it's at the opposite end of the hotel, far away from the lobby - I used it to get to our 3rd floor room with my bulging suitcase. The carpet in the hallway was in definite need of a good shampooing, but once we got into our room, all was well. The carpet in the room appeared to be relatively new; the linens were impeccably white, and the room and bathroom appeared to be very clean. There are many restaurants in the area - some of them even on the same side of this jersey-barriered street as the hotel, although they're probably too far down the street to walk there. (We had a nice dinner at Shake Shack.)

Since I moved to Upstate NY 3 years ago this has been the location I stay at when I head downstate to the NYC area. It is located right off of 17 which can be quite an adventure trying to get back on (and unfortunately you can only go South and have to travel a couple of miles before you can cross the highway to go back North). On my credit card receipt it registers as a Howard Johnson so I'm guessing it wasn't always an LQ. It is a bit rundown and not at all appealing inside or out, but as a place to sleep and shower, it's fine. I definitely wouldn't consider it as a place to stay if you're on some grand vacation for instance. I imagine for business travelers or somebody like me, it's adequate. One more thing, I honestly don't know how somebody in a wheelchair could get around in this hotel. I've not seen any ramps, and, whether you're on the first or second floor, you'll still have to walk some stairs from the entrances on the side and back of the hotel.

A relatively clean old roadside type building that's been somewhat remodeled, but should be retired. Parts of the roof trim are falling off, couch across from check-in serves as lobby, breakfast area locked when not in use (therefore, no 24 hour coffee other than that in room), breakfast items unavailable, gym equipment in poor condition, no landscaping. We needed a place to stay for the night with our two furbabies. That's basically what we received. Too much money for what your received. Not up to par with other LaQuintas we've stayed at.