The IZOD Center is the name of the sports arena at the heart of the New Jersey Meadowlands complex. The stadium is home to the New Jersey Nets and the New Jersey Devils, while the new Meadowlands Stadium is home to both the Giants and the Jets. The entire complex is less than 20 miles from midtown Manhattan and is connected to the city by train and roadway.
The Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel & Conference Center is a large convention hotel designed for business travelers to stay, work and maybe visit the IZOD center for entertainment. The hotel provides free shuttle service to the Secaucus Rail station which will take you into Penn Station in Manhattan within 20 minutes at a cost of $7. The hotel offers comfortable accommodations and convenient amenities like fitness center, indoor pool, sauna and Jacuzzi, a lounge and on-site Starbucks. The 427 guestrooms feature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Beds, paid Internet connection and work desk. You can dine in the hotel or take a trip to the nearby Medieval Times for a strange yet enjoyable experience. Rates for a double start around $143 as of January, 2011.
Rather than a standard hotel room, the Extended Stay America provides a low-cost efficiency apartment for long or short stays. The hotel has helpful features like guest laundry and weekly housekeeping. Rooms are in the form of studio apartments with separate living areas and full kitchens. Each provides refrigerator, microwave and stove top, all utensils and dining ware, free local phone calls, and Wi-Fi Internet with a one time fee. Rates for a studio start around $104 as of January, 2011.
The Hampton Inn Carlstadt is a mid-range tourist-class hotel without all the convention centers and business-centric amenities of many of the large hotels in the area. The Hampton Inn offers a homey atmosphere and a country-style inn setting instead of the oversize mega-hotel feel of some chains. There is still a small business center on site for the essentials, a coin laundry, a market on site, fitness room, and free airport shuttle to Teterboro Airport. In the rooms you will find flat-screen TV, high-speed Internet access, work desk and coffeemaker. Rates for a double start around $99 as of January, 2011.
Homewood Suites by Hilton also features apartment-style rooms instead of standard rooms, but the decor and amenities are mid-range quality. The hotel exterior is simple but modern and the interior is bright and nicely furnished with live plants and open space. The hotel's standout features include business center, complimentary daily breakfast, guest laundry, convenience store, pool, fitness room and basketball court. The rooms have four-star level furnishings with a full kitchen including fridge, stove and microwave, two flat-screen TV's, Wi-Fi Internet and work station. Rates for a double start around $189 as of January 2011.
