Queens is expected to add almost 50 hotels by 2019 — and roughly half of the properties will located in Long Island City, according to data from hospitality research firm STR.
Occupancy rates in the outer boroughs kept up with the development boom, climbing as high as 81 percent between January and November. The borough currently has 101 hotels with a total of 10,694 rooms. About 100 hotels are on pace to open in the outer boroughs over the three years.
The 120-room TownePlace Suites Hotel and the 176-room Aloft Hotel are both coming soon to Long Island City, for example. Developers also set their sights on the area around LaGuardia Airport and downtown Flushing, Rob MacKay, director of the Queens Tourism Council, told Crain’s.
“The unanswered question is how deep is the market for people who dream of coming to New York and couldn’t because there weren’t enough rooms available or in their price points,” Sean Hennessey, CEO of consulting firm Lodging Advisors, told the publication. [Crain’s] — Mark Maurer