LIC At Center Of City Hotel Growth
By Jason Banrey
The hotel business in Long Island City is certainly booming. In the past, the mere concept of starting a business in the dust of what was once only an industrial district would have had many laughed out the board room. Today, it has become prime real estate for entrepreneurs willing to take the gamble.
And as the area on the banks of the East River has already helped New York City come closer toward reaching its record peak of having 90,000 hotel rooms by the year's end, it's safe to say this slice of the borough has had a hand in the City's success.
Some 17 hotels already offer 1,500 rooms to thousands of domestic and international tourists in search of an affordable accommodation in the nation's top destination chosen for a getaway. And five more properties are on the brink of adding another 650 more rooms to the mix.
Before local hoteliers and Mayor Michael Bloomberg could tout the record numbers of visitors and the creation of borough jobs, local hoteliers stared into the bold face of a gigantic risk.
Today, their risk has paid off; Queens is now at the center stage of helping regenerate the City's economy by contributing toward the $31 billion tourism industry.
Hafeez Choudhary, owner of the Holiday Inn Manhattan View, calls himself a pioneer of Western Queens' hotel ventures. Prior to bringing the name brand establishment in to the Dutch Kills area in 2009, he says there was no one else out there willing to take the same risk he was.
Today, as his occupancy only increases, he believes his decision has paid off, ushering in a slew of hotels that have followed his lead.
"I believe our location has been the key to our success," said Choudhary, boasting the hotel's ease of access to major attractions such as the Empire State Building, Central Park and the United Nations. "Our spot is central and that it why people choose us."
Standing atop the newly opened Z NYC Hotel, owner Henry Zilberman looked across the landscape of Queens, with the Manhattan skyline to his back. In an effort to provide affordable rates to guests seeking an economical trip to New York City, he chose Queens as a home for his hotel.
"We are in a different stage of Long Island City," said Zilberman, who recognized the area's potential and has already hired 70 local residents as staff; he also incorporates area artists' work into his five-month old establishment.
"This is the next place to be. It's a place to be now."
As the City's tourism industry shows no signs of slowing down, Ravel Hotel has continued to invest in its own infrastructure, expanding to the lot which sits adjacent to its current location at 8-08 Queens Plaza South.
Confident not only in his purchase but also in the area's promise for growth, owner Ravi Patel says it was necessary to spread out and take advantage of the opportunity due to his hotel consistently experiencing an occupancy rate greater than 90 percent.
"Everyone keeps saying it, but it's true." Patel said with an over zealous smile, eager to expand his territory his small Long Island City empire by 10 more stories.
"I've been in the hotel industry for 14 years and Long Island City truly is the place to be. I wouldn't be expanding if it wasn't."
Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.