Queens

M&R Hotel Management Adds Long Island City Holiday Inn to Portfolio

Today M&R Hotel Management announced that it has been awarded a contract to manage the 136-room Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View hotel in Long Island City, Queens, which becomes the 14th hotel in the company’s portfolio.

Holiday Inn Long Island City exterior

The full-service hotel at 39-05 29th St., owned by Queens Plaza North LLC, features king and queen rooms and suites, each equipped with a Keurig coffee maker, refrigerator, premium cable TV channels, audio connection for iPhones and MP3 players, desk, speakerphone, voice mail, iron and ironing board. Top-floor suites and many other guest rooms feature views of the East River and Manhattan skyline.

Holiday Inn Long Island City guest bedroom

Complimentary amenities include wired and wireless high-speed Internet service, local calls, daily newspaper, bottled water, 24-hour fitness and business centers and on-site parking. The hotel also offers valet laundry service, an ATM and two function rooms that each can accommodate up to 60 people, theater-style.

breakfast tray in a guest bedroom at the Holiday Inn Manhattan View

Rio Grande, the hotel’s full-service Churascaria restaurant, serves traditional Brazilian barbecue in the main dining room. Breakfast is served in an enclosed patio, and a bar-lounge offers a limited menu every evening.

The Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View offers access to Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn as well as LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports via frequent subway service, taxicabs and private car service. The hotel is near LaGuardia Community College and offices of JetBlue Airways, MetLife, Citigroup and Barclay’s Bank.

For guests interested in exploring Long Island City, the hotel is near the Museum of the Moving Image, P.S. 1/Museum of Modern Art, Noguchi Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park and Gantry Plaza State Park.

Holiday Inn Long Island City exterior at night

Guests at the Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View can earn points in the IHG Rewards Club program redeemable for free hotel stays, merchandise and other benefits. Reservations can be made online at holidayinn.com or by calling 800-315-2621.

Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View participates in the IHG Green Engage program, an online system that measures its day-to-day environmental impact, tracks energy, carbon and water consumption and waste management. IHG Green Engage provides tools to help hotels use fewer resources, improve their carbon footprint and reduce water use.

Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View complements the M&R Hotel Management portfolio of hotels in New York City, where we developed a reputation for consistently pleasing guests by providing high-quality accommodations and friendly, helpful service.

For Better or Worse, Guests Judge a Hotel by its Cover

With the arrival of summer, hotel managers again can focus on what’s known in the industry as “curb appeal:” the first impression guests make when they approach a hotel. A positive first opinion, coupled with welcoming service and a comfortable room, bodes well for a successful stay overall.

The challenge here is greater for older hotels. Buildings that appear out of style or suffer from worn exteriors aren’t likely to appeal to travelers of any age. This is especially true for millennials, with their preference for all things contemporary and stylish. Granted, little can be done about a building cursed by the forgettable architecture of the 50s or 60s.

M&R Hospitality Management is fortunate to operate hotels that either are new or of very recent vintage. “New” usually is good when it comes to aesthetics. But the curb appeal of even the newest hotel can benefit from enhanced landscaping, improved lighting and the addition of outdoor furniture, as space and place permit.

Travelers who research hotels and book stays online can be expected to scrutinize posted images, underscoring the importance of quality photography. It’s just as important for hotels to put their best photographic foot forward as it is for any other online retailer. Who is going to buy a shirt or hotel room online if it’s not available for visual inspection?

True road warriors – the ones who actually drive cars and work outside of the office – typically will seek a room in whatever community they reach at the end of the day. If they see two competing brands – both at the same price point – the appearance of the exterior definitely will play a role in deciding where they will stay for the night.

We continuously evaluate the exterior and interior appearance of our hotels and respond to guest comments on TripAdvisor regarding the perceived quality of our hotels, based on appearance. As a result of those efforts, three hotels operated by M&R Hotel Management currently are upgrading their curb appeal.

The Holiday Inn Express New York JFK Airport Area just finished expanding the porte cochere in front of the main entrance. General Manager Brent Hnatow said the protective outdoor roof gives the hotel more of a “sense of place.” It also serves a function, providing a shelter for guests waiting for the complimentary airport shuttle.

The Days Inn Jamaica-JFK Airport recently installed new outdoor furniture, creating what General Manager Faiza Nadeem describes as “an outdoor room.” Hotel guests already are enjoying this outdoor refuge, even though temperatures have been distinctly more spring-like than summer-like.

The Comfort Inn Midtown West on West 48th Street in Manhattan recently added more flowering plants. General Manager Juan Soto says the investment will be well spent. “Guests tell us that when they come back to the hotel, it’s like a touch of home in the middle of the city,” he said.