Five Towns Inn - JFK

This is a duplicate thread because I posted in the wrong area first time around.

http://www.fivetownsinn.com/

But ... New Yorkers and beyond ... anyone know this hotel? Any feedback/input would be appreciated.

I know it's not a big, brand name hotel. I was price shopping. It looked nice from the photos. Their shuttle will pick me up in the terminal (so says the front desk when I called).

Another hotel I was looking, you have to take the airport tram to a parking lot, follow arrows to find their shuttle. NOT for me.

Thanks! Cruise is fast approaching and all of these crazy questions are coming up.

I'm not personally familiar with this hotel, but the last thing you want to do at any of the three New York City area airports is stay at the cheapest hotel you can find. You're likely to end up in a dump located in a sketchy area.

There's a good reason why other hotels are telling you they have to pick you up at an AirTrain station, not at your airline terminal...the airport requires it. The fact that this hotel says they can pick you up at the terminal is a red flag that suggests you might want to avoid this place.

Even the name brand hotels in the JFK area area often used as temporary homeless shelters by NY City. We usually suggest that cruisers stay elsewhere. A recommendation would depend on your specific cruise plans...which cruise line you're taking, what type of bedding you need in your hotel room , when you're traveling and your hotel budget.

In reading reviews on TripAdvisor I see multiple comments about noise level ... both from aircraft and the roadway. Also agree with the comments of njhorseman.

Inwood is in Nassau County so it’s not going to be used as emergency housing for NYC so that’s one positive. I have never stayed there myself. Any property located close to airport is going to be noisy because it’s right under the takeoff landing path.

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OP, is this for an overnight sleep pre-cruise with zero sightseeing plan whatsoever and you found a "great" rate at this hotel ? Which cruise terminal are you using - what is your arrival date, budget & bed needs, etc. if any ? It is outside (NY) city line but really in the suburb along strip malls, next doors are fast food ... on one of the back roads that connect into JFK's network of service roadways, busy all day long - aircraft & traffic noises could be a problem, even with heavy curtains & shades, as already cautioned.

Virtually all hotel pickups are at JFK's Federal Circle, a free AirTrain ride from one of the 5+ airline terminals - shuttles are permitted to drop pax off at the terminal (usually) but pickup curbside, not necessary so or true.

You will need to pre-book and take a car service (outside NYC's zone) to the cruise terminal, expect a higher base fare (slightly, I think) as it's another 3 or 4 miles further away from JFK when it's time to check-out & embark.

Cannot vouch for the hotel - about 1 mile up the road, closer to JFK, service/back roads along is a Holiday Inn, used by some long-haul int'l airlines to house their flight crews & pilots on mandatory rest between duties, and it is fine, according to my family source ... he works for one with a contract and they stayed there when "stranded" due to weather or unusual incidents. Stranded airline pax are housed there on vouches issued. No idea if this property is doing so.

If price shopping, be asure to add the extra travel time & car service costs to your net ... lookup something comparable in price range using Hot* or Kay* search engine, or even CC's parent/affiliate - Tripadvisors. Given the ratings and prices quoted for a typical weekend, I'm not impressed.

With a little more details, the collective wisdom here can probably suggest other reasonably priced alternative - as often noted, staying at any JFK offsite hotel is not a wise one, unless your flight's scheduled arrival is late & you aren't going to be looking a late dinner ...

Five Towns is not in NYC it is actually right over the border in Nassau County and is a group of towns/villages. Your hotel is actually in the town of Lawrence.

Noise complaints are accurate as you are directly under the approach to runways 31R and 31L for JFK, and in the other direction, 22L is in your backyard (look at google earth).

I know nothing about the hotel, have been in the Five Town Shopping Center that is up the road on Rockaway Tpke which you can see from the plane when landing 31L just before you touch down.

New York Passenger Terminal

711 12th Ave. Manhattan New York, NY 10019

This is the terminal the cruise is leaving from. I got an internet search for an estimated taxi rate of about $60 (b4 tip).

I am not doing ANY sightseeing. This is to sleep, get up and go to the cruise terminal. My flight lands about 3:30pm ... so full daylight. My going home flight leaves at 7:00 - something a.m. So I wanted an easy shuttle/access to airport.

Many of the reviews were positive. Delta has a contract with them and their crew stays there as well as flight customers who are delayed due to flight cancellations.

The price after taxes for 1 night stay is $189. So ... it isn't super cheap ... but it isn't Manhattan prices either.

I'll look into the Holiday Inn mentioned and maybe other hotels at JFK ... it's getting so close to my travel date ... I'm hoping prices aren't crazy expensive.

Thanks everyone for the info/input. I really appreciate it. I do wonder why most have not heard of this place.

Make sure you get the exact address of the Holiday Inn from @mking8288 because there are a few in the JFK vicinity and some are not recommended.

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There is 2 Holiday Inn near JFK, both off the airport, "closer" one off the Belt Parkway, on the north side behind the service road on Conduit Ave, it is a Holiday Inn Express - AVOID and please, do not book it. There are other major national hotel chains in that area - same advice applied, do not book or stay there, except as a last resort & only if you get a bargain, distressed traveler's rate or when given an airline voucher.

The Holiday Inn at JFK that has contracts with airlines for their pilots, duty crews to rest and passengers stranded is technically still in Queens County, NYC - right at the city border with Nassau County, address is154-71 Brookville Blvd, Rosedale, NY 11422, it's just off the Rockaway Blvd - it continued east & become/renamed as Rockaway Turnpike, toward the area referred to as Five (small) Towns. Rates aren't cheap - same dates as the OP's - about $225 + taxes/fees for 1 night. It's close to JFK, somewhat convenient but you can get a pretty hotel in Manhattan for about the same rates, or less - and, a LIRR train or E subway (express) train ride from midtown Manhattan to Jamaica, and transfer to the JFK AirTrain ... in as little as 1 hour to the airline's terminal.

These hotel shuttles run, on average, every 30 minutes in a loop - typically with 2 or 3 vans ... but, during peak travel time, and often, it's the early morning hours - they can fill up quickly and you might not get on.

Airline crews/ground staff that stay there often use their own transportation (i.e. Golden Touch Transportation) to shuttle their crew back-n-forth to insure that flight personnel are early/on-time ... or, drive & park at the hotel and behind the secured fenced airport grounds.

Hotel occupancies and rates are historically & traditionally high for the month of September & October, dipped briefly and then run high toward the Thanksgiving & Holiday seasons ... one of the best hotel near LGA in downtown Flushing, the Hyatt Place is charging somewhere around $350 nightly for its base rate, very "competitive" compared to midtown prices.

A side note on taxis, you won't find them hanging out at this Holiday Inn or the Five Towns Inn (in Nassau County = higher rates/surcharges) - you could take the hotel shuttle back to JFK's terminal or (not sure if taxis ever hangout at Federal Circles' AirTrain station) for a flat $53 rate to anywhere in Manhattan (plus $5.74 in toll) - including the MCT for the sailing.

Carmel's car service price quote showing $52 for a std. 4 door sedan from Holiday Inn + toll & tips, $60 for the Five Towns Inn + toll & tips. If not available, a deluxe or luxury sedan is $59 or $69 respectively ...

If OP's sailing is on a weekend, plan for a travel time of about 1 hour to 75 minutes, depending on routing, on weekdays - allow up to 2 hours with typical commuter's traffic, not ideal (and, I recommend finding someplace closer in Manhattan)

For flying home with a 7 am'ish departure, you would need to be at JFK at "t" minus 90 minutes to 2 hours anyway - traffic is usually light to moderate, except for possibiy overnight highway work or construction - odds of running into traffic at 4 to 4:30 am is minimal, coming from (if staying overnight) Manhattan to the airport ... and, you can do some sightseeing, have a early dinner before getting some sleep & have a pre-dawn wake-up call to checkout for the ride to JFK.

Thank you very much mking8288 ... really great info. and details.

My sailing is on a weekend. Sat. 9/8th. I have called Carmel's and scheduled a car to go to the terminal. It isn't much more expensive than a taxi. I thought I could call yellow cab and get picked up at the hotel. Maybe not. Maybe NY cabs are at certain locations only ... that's what living in the boonies gets you, I guess. Meaning me, I live in the boonies and I just call and get a cab.

I really appreciate all of the info. And I know people on CC hate when OPs do this ... I am going to keep my reservation at 5 Towns Inn. There are a lot of good reviews. The bad reviews are mostly personal preference with comments about the noise. Well .. it's 2 miles away from the airport .. so to be expected.

The holiday inn ... with the good address is $283 after tax for 1 night's stay. It's so close to the departure date that even low end hotels are outrageously expensive.

I don't want to stay in Manhattan. I've been to NYC a number of times and I don't need to do any sightseeing this time around. I really don't want to navigate the subway with luggage. I'm going to call Carmel's again on 9/28th when the ship returns to NY and get a ride back to the hotel and fly out Sat. 9/29th.

Yes, the flight out is listed for 7:00 a.m. We all know they don't leave on time. So I'll get hotel shuttle at 4:30 a.m. to be sure I get to airport early enough ... shuttle could be dropping off at different terminals ... so a little leeway.

I really appreciate all the info/feedback. FYI ... Radisson JFK is $179, Best Western is $200, Hilton is $207, Crowne Plaza $214, Hilton Garden Inn is $201, Courtyard by Marriott is $202 ... all before taxes.

@Cruisegal999 - cool, understood & best of luck staying @ the Inn, you found a decent rate for early Sept. - annual US Tennis matches near us here in Flushing drive up rates across the city somewhat, followed by the United Nations General Assembly & Fashion Week, and all the early Fall foilage cruises, etc. - you probably would've found lower rates for October & possibly when you return for the overnight.

Those other rates are pretty in line (except for what BW is charging, like hell - would not paid that rate vs. other's asking/better deals) for a typical Friday night, if you like the Inn - by all means ... stay & keep the reservation (lower rates, hopefully) and tell them you are coming back, maybe the nice folks at the front desk will do a free & complimentary upgrade to a better room ... ask for a quieter room when you check in next week, they know the good & the so so's - won't hurt to ask & got nothing to lose.

My JFK nephews said there are places nearby that do take-out deliveries to the hotels in the area, just Google it or ask the front desk for menus, they usually have suggestions ... don't think you want Burger King or Popeye (Fried) Chicken for supper :p

For the ride on Saturday morning over to MCT, glad to hear you've booked Carmel already - it's just a little more than shuttling back to the A/P, worth that little extra costs ... Carmel has a free mobile app, works just like those Uber ride-sharing app, and you get airline miles for it too, ha ha. Download & install it on your smartphone and you should get a small digital or discount code to be applied to your upcoming ride, should save you $3, maybe $4. We've been using them for over a decade, much like their competitor, Dial 7 ... Give their dispatcher a call after you are checked into the hotel, just to reconfirm ... 10 minutes before the scheduled pickup, open the APP and the assigned car & driver info, license plate # will be displayed live - showing its location & ETA to the hotel, usually a few minutes early.

From there, see what route the driver is planning to take - you can always use Google Map or Waze to check & verify yourself ... there's ongoing weekend tunnel crossing work coming into midtown Manhattan, so the driver might even go north onto the Cross Island Parkway or I-678 to the Bronx, a big loop - and go west & then come down the West Side Hwy, it might be the fastes route (still that $8 cash toll applied) but a nice ride than sitting in traffic, with luck - get you there in about 1 hour or less.

Let us all know how it worked out afterward, if you remember, this could be helpful to others next time for a place near JFK. Enjoy your cruise & safe, smooth sailing :D

Thank for being kind & understanding with my staying with 5 towns. I have seen a lot of CC posts of "then why the hell bother asking us on CC!" ... well ... it's just how it goes sometimes. I will come back and give a full report on my experience with them & Carmel's, etc.

I forgot about Fashion Week ... I did see that noted when I booked the 5 Towns initially. Yes, those rates are locked in for me ... one is already pre-paid, but with free cancellation up to Sept. 6th. The other reservation for 9/28th hasn't been pre-paid. Maybe I'll do that to be sure I keep the low rate.

NO I don't want Burger King or Popeye's for dinner. Front desk said they have chinese delivery. I think everyone has chinese delivery. I don't know how good it'll be ... but it has to be better than where I am in UT! I'm like Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny .... How's the chinese food?

If I get that coupon code I'll be very happy. It'll be almost 1/2 of the toll cost! If I saw $3 or $4 on the ground ... I'd pick it up, so definitely will use the discount code. That's my benchmark ... is it worth picking it up from the ground? Yes, then use the coupons or discount codes or Viator for an excursion for the price difference, etc.

Thanks again, mking8288.

CruiseGal, report back how it worked out. You might have discovered a hidden gem for those who just want to stay at the airport before going to the cruise the next day. And NYers love their Chinese food as much as their pizza so it will be tasty [emoji16]

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CruiseGal, report back how it worked out. You might have discovered a hidden gem for those who just want to stay at the airport before going to the cruise the next day. And NYers love their Chinese food as much as their pizza so it will be tasty [emoji16]

 

 

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I will definitely report back. It'll be awhile ... cruise is 20 days long. I am not bringing my laptop.

I would love to get NY pizza too. I love how big the slices are ... pizza here is terrible. It's a sin what Pizza Hut delivers as a 'large' pizza.

I grew up in Boston & NH ... At least Boston's Papa Gino's (well ... when I was a kid) had large slices.

Ha ha, I can confirm, that the airline ground crews - housed off JFK during the last major storm, ordered in Chinese food from nearby, delivered to the Holiday Inn up the Rockaway Turnpike/Blvd ... don't know if they have interline discount for it, probably not. It's probably as good as what they served on ship's buffet as being Asian food, and definitely fresher & tastier.

As for pizza, a plain big slice is $2 around here - one place has a large pie, pickup only for $10 ... obviously, not Manhattan prices.

As for 20 days on a cruise, that's nice ... someday, we are going to do it, not soon enough (although we have a short, 7 days coming up soon) Have a great time !

OK. I am here in NY and at 5 Towns Inn. First, it is great for a simple stay over & continue your travels next day.

Having said that, it is great. Close to Jfk, food delivery or options to walk to. Nothing fancy, like Burger King next door. The people are SO nice! Shuttle drove me to liquor store because traffic was really heavy. And he waited for me. Front desk, I didn't get his name, was very friendly & polite & helpful.

I'm really pleased with this place, fits my purpose.

I'm a solo female traveler and feel very safe here. But I'm not walking around in the dark, either. A Delta pilot and crew member were in the shuttle van with me.

Thanks for checking in. Great to know Delta sends the crew here. Enjoy your vacation!

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I changed my reservation at 5 Towns Inn for the return trip, Fri. 09/28 - Sat. 09/29/18. I changed it because the booking site has BAD reviews AND in Singapore! SO ... I cancelled, got the cancellation email and nothing was charged to my card.

I then grabbed a VERY expensive (for the location) room at Radisson JFK. And it was HORRIBLE. I asked for a 4:00 a.m. wake up call, and it never happened. I, thankfully, woke up at 5:05 a.m. and with some RUNNING got to my gate at 6:05 a.m. I had to stand in line to get my seat assignment and once that was done, they began boarding the plane! Of course, there were other things were wrong with the hotel and this JFK Radisson is NOT a hotel for an overnight stay at JFK.

I stayed here in February to attend my nieces wedding venue in a nearby country club. We had to call twice for the pick up as the driver said he never got the first message so that was a very long wait in the cold outside the terminal. Their website said they will shuttle you anywhere nearby within 3 miles. My venue was 2.5 miles away. They reluctantly did bring us. Luckily I didn't call them at midnight to return, my brother drove us back. But it was a decent hotel for the price. Burger king right next door. Sketchy industrial area otherwise, would not walk around at night. We took the shuttle back to the hotel in the morning at 6 a.m. I would only use this hotel to/from airport. Not to the cruise terminal in Manhattan. Way too far away.

I changed my reservation at 5 Towns Inn for the return trip, Fri. 09/28 - Sat. 09/29/18. I changed it ... then grabbed a VERY expensive (for the location) room at Radisson JFK. And it was HORRIBLE ... other things were wrong with the hotel and this JFK Radisson is NOT a hotel for an overnight stay at JFK.

Most important, you made your flight & made it to your destination. Thank you for posting back to share with you ... if and when you get a chance, feeling it is proper, please kindly consider posting a summary to help others and us here on CC.

This does reconfirm our general recommendation for cruise ship passengers to avoid booking & staying at JFK area hotels, unless ... The Radisson has been in the news in recent past, not entirely surprised - hotels in that strip along/behind the service road off the hotel are rather similar, despite their branding.

I stayed here in February to attend my nieces wedding venue in a nearby country club. We had to call twice for the pick up as the driver said he never got the first message so that was a very long wait in the cold outside the terminal. Their website said they will shuttle you anywhere nearby within 3 miles. My venue was 2.5 miles away. They reluctantly did bring us. Luckily I didn't call them at midnight to return, my brother drove us back. But it was a decent hotel for the price. Burger king right next door. Sketchy industrial area otherwise, would not walk around at night. We took the shuttle back to the hotel in the morning at 6 a.m. I would only use this hotel to/from airport. Not to the cruise terminal in Manhattan. Way too far away.

So you would stay at a hotel IN Manhattan for a cruise and pay $600 - $700 a night ... just to be closer to the cruise terminal? That doesn't make any sense to me.

I called a private car company. The driver arrived early ... which was perfect. I was in lobby waiting. And car was new and he was a great driver, careful and didn't talk to me so I could read my book. It was wonderful. The cost of the hotel and private car were WAY less expensive than staying at a Manhattan hotel.

I didn't need to see or do anything in the city. I've been to NY a number of times and have done sightseeing and tourist things.

Well, I got to the Radisson EARLY ... not their fault ... and I do self-walk off ... off of the ship. Can't control that. It was 10 a.m. when I arrived and I acknowledged I was REALLY early ... but if I could check in early, that would be great. The woman at the front desk said no rooms available and probably will have one for me about 12 noon. While nothing this woman said was bad ... it was how she said it. I got the feeling if she could have told me to bug off ... she would have. Ok ... just sit and wait in the lobby. There were about a dozen people who arrived and had to wait in the lobby for a room. I did get a room at 1:30 p.m. Yes, that is earlier than the 3 p.m. check in time. But there were only a few housekeepers coming and going. It seems like there is a real housekeeping / personnel issue. A large hotel like that I thought would have more rooms available so people didn't have to spend hours sitting in the lobby.

The room was SMALL ... my room at 5 Towns Inn was larger. The tub had mildew around the edge and all the tile grout was mildewed. Luckily with NOT receiving my wake up call, I spent only 2 - 3 minutes in there.

They have a restaurant in the hotel ... it is only open at certain times and is shut down in between. So getting into my room .... starving at 1:30 p.m. and had to find menus for delivery. I'd been up since 4:30 a.m. .... no breakfast.

The TV didn't work ... no programming and called front desk. She sent a maintenance guy up . He spoke NO english. He had NO idea what the problem was. SO his boss came, the Chief Engineer, had to come and download digital programming. All of this took about an hour. No tv may not be a big problem for most people. I had just come off of a 20 day cruise. I had not had tv in 20 days. I really wanted to get back in touch with what was going on in the world.

The ice machine was broken and there was no vending machine. Again ... not a big deal for most people ... but come on.

Then the no wake up call and the flippant front desk clerk ... take a taxi ... it'll only cost you $25 ... are you kidding me? It took some negotiating ... but she did give me a voucher. The taxi driver almost hit a car on the way to the airport. That was fun. And he opened the van's side doors and just sat there. Didn't get out or help me with my luggage.

I know ... taxi stuff isn't Radisson issues ... but it was all piling on.

It is a so so hotel

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