The Station At Element - Harrison

My family visited the USA in August 2022 – our first trip. First we were left at the airport, although we book the airport transfer. Our plane didn't arrive on time, our phones didn't work for any reason, and this hotel didn't react to our emails. Other hotel shuttle buses drove every 15 minutes except ours, we were thinking there for about 2 hours, our shuttle would arrive soon! Finally, one of the other hotel shuttle drivers was friendly enough to ask our hotel to pick us up, but the staff was not only rude, but regret that we had to wait another hour before their shuttle could pick us up. We had to get over there. Second: We paid for our 11-day stay with a debit card, but this hotel took two payments!!! The first went through, but there was not enough for the second payment because there was a lot of money – both payments came to almost $4,000. This blocked access to ALL our money. The employees were incapable, unhelpful, uncultivated and unprofessional, they argued with us every step of the way. We had no money to spend and had to wait from Friday to Tuesday only to report this to their assistant General Manager who confirmed that their payment system usually takes your payment and THEN blocks an equivalent amount on your debit card. Why? Why don't you let your customers know this BEFORE hand?? What happens to the money while you block it? Steal it! And evil! And illegal!!! In addition, they received a separate payment for ‘interferences’. Long story short, we have our money back on the last day of our 11-day vacation! We just borrowed to eat and get out. A holiday turned around a nightmare!!! Thirdly, see the attached pictures of our beds, just lift the upper sheet that covers the bed – these are used over and have to change! All this was reported to their assistant General Manager, who apologized and promised to reimburse us a daily allowance as compensation, but said it had to be done AFTER we checked. Long story short: It has been 3 months, about 3 emails with alternative account details, NO REFUND.

This is an interesting property in an interesting part of New Jersey. When we arrived, we were promptly greeted but our check-in process hit a snag. Every credit card in our group was declined including several debit cards. The processing machine was reset, and it did not change or help the issue. We tried another machine as well as entering the credit card numbers manually but that did not work as well. Alyssa was as bewildered as we were, but our room keys could not be given out since we could not check-in. Alyssa contacted her boss Carlos who attempted to call the processing company to do something on their end. We tried another terminal, and the issue was not resolved. We attempted to use gold bullion and cash any of my stash of Funko Pops and trading cards but just as I was handing over an autographed Aaron Judge baseball card, the terminal accepted the credit card and we received our room keys, I greedily took back my trading card and stored it safely in my pack. There's quite a lot of working and lounge space on the ground floor. The dining area offers the typical breakfast space and a bar lounge area just past that. On the way to the elevators is another open space with plenty of couches and windows for people-watching. NOTE: You'll need your room key in order to access any of the floors which gaining popularity in many properties due to security reasons. My room was on the fourth floor and when I opened my door, I was surprised to see a refrigerator, dishwashing machine, sink, functional countertop, sofa area, and bed. My view looks upon the train station and, in the distance, I could see the New York Skyline. There's a set of dishes, cutlery, and anything anyone would need for an extended stay. Our group was just staying one night, I'm not sure what the rationale was for picking an extended stay location for one night, but I was not in charge of the booking on this business trip. It's one of the larger hotel rooms I have stayed in that may be even considered a mini-suite. The shower and bathroom were modern, and everything was functional. The next morning, I was greeted by several housekeepers as I passed by and downstairs in the kitchen area there was some activity for free breakfast. While I did not partake in the egg frittatas, they looked delicious and handmade versus the packaged variety that is just heated up via a microwave. There are cereal, toast, bagels, and muffins to have and to toast and there's a yogurt bar to customize your yogurt. As for juices several were available as there were three different coffee decanters and a Nespresso Machine I sliced and heated a bagel and then grabbed a banana before heading out and visiting a local café. When I did return, I made a two-shot Nespresso with Oat Milk. I was happy to see that Oat Milk was available as an alternative milk option. Thanks!All in all, the Element at Harrison is ideal for extended stays as it has the train station located within a two-minute walk and there are some restaurants close by like the Vanguard, Five Guys, and Taco Asian Fusion restaurant. It's trendy and has a vibe just make sure you bring something to barter with if the credit card machines are not working.

Easy place to find not far off the interstate. Front desk service was wonderful. Everyone was super polite and helpful. The room was clean and stocked. The room looks like it could use some updating as there were some light switches that did not function. There was an outlet that had a broken prong from some appliance still in it so it wasn't usable. On Friday night when we arrived there was live music playing downstairs out front that went on until around 10pm. Overall it was a good place to stay at for a quick weekend getaway for the price.

Pros Good location in terms of being easily accessible to the PATH train with direct connections to NYC. There also a nice handful of restaurants and convenient shops (i.e. drugstore, liquor store) within walking distance. Cons 1) Showing it's wear and tear. For example the corridors could definitely use a fresh coat of paint and new carpets. 2) The housekeeping service was subpar. Their were stains on the walls in our suite which were ignored day after day and I just felt there was a lack of conistency in terms of schedule and level of service. I never felt clean staying here. 3) The customer service was inconsistent. Some were friendly, some definitely were not. This definitely fell short of my expectations where I think everyone in hospitality should be consistently friendly. Finally the most heartbreaking aspect of my stay was the sheer amount of trash this hotel generates daily. Other than what is provided in your suite's kitchenette, all of the dishes and cutlery are disposable; paper plates, paper cups, plastic cutlery, EVERYTHING! Even when ordering food from the restaurant, meals are servied with paper plates. It's extremely disheartening when there's so much awareness being created about the environment and it also seems completely at odds with the Westin's whole wellness mantra. Shame on them.

The hotel holds the brand. The front desk staff is amazing. The breakfast exceeded our expectations. The hotel is located right across from NJT station: 4 stops and you are at WTC, in Manhattan. Very reasonably priced and don't forget to book the garage online, it is cheaper in a package.