NYC-Area Hotels: Unraveling Whether The Ravel Is Worth the Stay

June 16, 2008 at 2:06 PM | by jennm | 1 Comment

New York's five boroughs can easily be equated with select members of the Brady Bunch: Manhattan is so obviously Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! and Brooklyn, with its hipster scene and neighborhoody vibe is paramount to Cindy and her lisp--annoying, but also cute on occasion.

The Bronx, with its northern location, is sort of like when Greg finally landed his own room in the attic and Staten Island is the borough we liken to Jan, since it never gets any respect.

Then there's Queens. Very much the forgotten borough unless its baseball season; sort of like how no one remembers any significant story line for Bobby except the episode where he got to play football with Joe Namath.

Which is why we were so intrigued to learn via Bloomberg News that NYC tourists are venturing to Queens, particularly the Ravel Hotel in Long Island City, as a way to be in close proximity to Manhattan without the Manhattan price tag. (Ravel rates start at about $200.)

The boutique hotel offers five different room types, some with balconies, including a penthouse suite, that feature 42-inch flat screen TVs, down comforters, MP3 player connections, and a minibar that according to one reviewer, goes unstocked until the hotel gets its liquor license later this year--evidently the same reason the rooftop bar has yet to open.

To a tourist, we can see how the industrial area the hotel is located in can seem a little sketchy [Ed. note: I live in Queens, and Long Island City and neighboring Astoria are quite safe with lots to do], which is likely why the hotel offers shuttle service to Manhattan and an hourly bus to Bloomingdale's for a fee, despite the subway being just blocks away.

The Ravel looks like a decent stay to us, but as one reviewer put it, what you pay in transportation fees you could have spent on the difference it would cost to stay in Manhattan. To truly get noticed, we think the hotel's needs to get that rooftop bar open--and maybe score Joe Namath to host its debut.

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