I am a college student, used to living in crap holes. but this place was so bad. not one of the ice machines in the whole place worked. the pool was drained, it looked like they started to fix it up but abruptly stopped. in our room the wallpaper was peeling and had water marks and mold. there was a lot of shady people staying there too. one night when we were walking back to the hojo some girls were yelling weird things at us, there were a lot of creepers there. if i had not been with my boyfriend i would not have gone outside alone after dark (near the hojo). but atlantic city itself was very fun and when on the boardwalk i never felt scared even at 3am, (i only got scared walking the block from the boradwalk to the hojo) the boadwalk was well lit and there was always at least a few poeple out no matter what time it was. There was a few homelss people sleeping on benches at night, but we were never once begged for money. we were frequently begged by those cart dudes to pay them to push us down the boardwalk.
summary: hojo = bad , atlantic city = good

next time i go back, i will not be staying there. i'll wait til i can afford to stay at a real hotel.
if you want to go to atlantic city and stay somewhere cheap, a cheaper motel would be just about as good as the hojo

My Wife, our friend, and myself drove around the shady block of the Howard Johnson Hotel to find limited/scarce "Free Parking." After being told by another gentleman, most likely a guest, that we had to move our cars we finally made it to the check in counter. The front desk attendant asked for my last name twice after I had introduced myself and asked for my Driver's License and Credit Card. He said the room would be $59 plus tax. I was quoted a price of $49 for the night and he said it was because of the third person. I had made reservations for a Smoking room with a king size bed. I received keys for a smoking room with two queen size beds. We entered the room to a lovely view of the building under construction next to the hotel. Also upon entering the room the following discoveries were made: The toilet had toilet paper and other remnants, the lamp by the window had no light bulb, the windows were dirty inside and out, the windows had finger prints and a questionable substance on the window, the room smelled like mold, the bathroom floor was filthy, the hair dryer had hair in it, and the fridge smelled like mold. As I sit and write this complaint I feel itchy on the seat and the room feels like it received the least amount of attention neccessary. Not surprising to say, but I am not satisfied with my first 3 minutes in this hotel. I expected more and better.

The hotel is located between Tropicana and The Hilton casinos which are within walking distance. and a very short walk to the Boardwalk. The rooms are located beginning on the second floor.
The hotel itself is an older hotel but the refurbishments made the stay mroe confortable. The swimming pool is under construction but the hotel has made arrangements with the Boardwalk Holiday Inn next door (located closer to the Boardwalk on Chelsea) to use their swimming pool facilities. The Holiday Inn pool is outdoors and has plenty of room for sun-bathing.
The room itself was very clean and refurbished. My room faced Chelsea St and there wasn't any problems with noise or traffic outside my window. All of their rooms are accessed from within the building rather than an outdoor access like motels, so I was comfortable with the security.
The stop for the shuttle, which runs up and down Pacific Ave and will take you to all of the casinos, is right outside the front door (cost 2 dollars and run every 10 minutes).
Eating facilities - none - but you can easily go to the Boardwalk or go to either Tropicana or The Hilton. The Holiday Inn does have a nice cafe but it was closed during my visit.
If you have need for any sundries, there is a drug store and a 7-11 around the corner on Atlantic Ave.

Ignore the snobby reviews you see here; this place isn't nearly as bad as its made out to be. Yes, the pool is drained and unsightly, and the elevators are old and slow, but you can't beat the price for such a great location. The service was excellent, the staff was extremely friendly, and the room was exceptionally clean and smelled fresh. All in all, I had an excellent experience, and would stay at the HoJo again.