Just plop your butt in a chair and buy a magazine. 12 hours isn't enough for a hotel
The terminals are that bad. There is a really good selection of food. I was just there for 5 hours last night.
12 hours stay is long just sitting in the airport. There's a mall nearby called Jersey Garden with bus connection to and from EWR. Check with your airline front desk.
12 hr is quite short for a hotel stay when you take into consideration any possibilities of delay and or any securities check, etc. If you have access to priority lounges depending on which airline you are with, that may be the way to go.
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