MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES NEW YORK CITY WILL HAVE A RECORD 90,000 HOTEL ROOMS BY YEAR’S END CONTRIBUTING TO CITY’S BOOMING TOURISM SECTOR AND CREATING JOBS
2,500 New Rooms Added to City's Inventory This Year with 30 Percent of Openings Outside Manhattan; Occupancy Rates at Highest in the Nation
City's $31 Billion Tourism Industry Continues to Grow and Add Jobs With Visitor Numbers on Pace to Break Record.
Photo: Elena Michaels
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced New York City will reach a record 90,000 hotel rooms by year’s end representing a 24 percent increase since 2006. More than 7,000 rooms are in the pipeline that will add to the City’s hotel inventory with an average 40 percent of new openings taking place in boroughs other than Manhattan including in Long Island City, Queens, a hotbed of hotel development.
The increase in hotels reflects an overall upward trend for the City’s $31 billion tourism industry. in September for instance, an estimated 323,000 people were employed in the travel and tourism sector, a record for the month. Last year, New York City welcomed a record 48.8 million visitors who collectively spent $31 billion. The City is on track to reach a record number of visitors this year. Room rates are steadily increasing, and occupancy remained at close to 85 percent, the highest in the nation. The Mayor made the announcement at the newly opened Z NYC Hotel in Long Island City where he was joined by State Senator Michael Gianaris, NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta and Z NYC owner Henry Zilberman.
“More people want to visit New York City than ever before, and with a record 90,000 rooms we have great places for them to stay,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “That’s good news not just for tourists, but also for the City’s economy. Our tourism sector employs 323,000 people, and those jobs are now increasingly located outside Manhattan as tourists want to visit all of the City’s great neighborhoods.”
There are now 17 hotels in Long Island City that are comprised of 1,500 rooms with five more properties and 650 rooms under construction. Major hotel brands in the neighborhood include:
Independent properties, such as the Z NYC which opened in July, join other LIC hotels such as the Ravel, the Queensboro Hotel and the Verve Hotel among others.
“One of the reasons why New York’s economy has rebounded faster than the rest of the country’s is the growth and development of the City’s tourism industry,” Deputy Mayor Robert K. Steel said. “The tourism boom is driving a boom in hotel construction which is creating thousands of jobs throughout the five boroughs."
Popular attractions in Long Island City include:
Long Island City and nearby Astoria are also hubs for New York City’s television and film production. Two of the largest studios outside Hollywood, Silvercup Studios and Kaufman Astoria Studios, are close by.
The new 100 room Z NYC Hotel opened in July 2011 providing stylish accommodations with affordable rates and views of the Manhattan skyline. Amenities include oversized mattresses with high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, feather beds, complimentary wi-fi in all rooms, complimentary global phone calls, Gilchrist & Soames bathroom amenities and outdoor lounges for guests on every floor. Z NYC Hotel offers two unique venues including the Z Lounge and the Z Roof, both serving signature Z cocktails, wine and beer. The Z NYC Hotel site was originally a warehouse that owner/developer Henry Zilberman purchased in 1996.
Overall hotel development in the City has been robust in 2011 with new properties recently opened or under construction in all five boroughs. Approximately 40 new projects are slated to open in the next 30 months with about 13 properties representing 1,865 rooms in boroughs other than Manhattan - 5 in Long Island City, 3 in Queens, 1 in the Bronx, 1 in Staten Island and 3 in Brooklyn. 22 new hotels representing 4,120 rooms are also under construction in Manhattan.