Upscale amenities meet NYC edginess at the Boro Hotel
Forsaking convention hasn’t hindered the comfort or convenience of one of the newest lodging option in Long Island City, the Queens neighbourhood closest to Manhattan.
With starkly industrial design features inside and out, the independently owned Boro Hotel is the furthest thing from a bland chain property. It also bears little resemblance to the iconic Grand Dames on the other side of the Queensboro Bridge, but not because it lacks creature comforts. From the stylish serenity of its café and lobby lounge to the Frette linens and floor-to-ceiling windows of the 108 rooms, the Boro combines upscale amenities with satisfying doses of NYC-appropriate edginess.
Then there’s its ace-in-the-hole: eye-popping views of the Manhattan skyline.
LOCATION, LOCATION
The Boro’s handy proximity to LaGuardia International Airport, a 20-minute taxi ride to the northeast, is undeniable. Hotel staff must work harder to promote the workaday surroundings as “the next Brooklyn,” but there’s little to substantiate this claim between the lobby doors and the Queensboro Plaza subway stop three blocks to the south. This won’t matter much to many out-of-town guests: The main draw, Manhattan, is minutes away by cab, public transit or on wheels rented from a Citi Bike station.
DESIGN
The Boro’s unusual history explains its extensive industrial flourishes. Before the current owners stepped in, its 14-storey concrete superstructure was unoccupied and unfinished, and was slated to become another generic chain property.
Rather than overhauling the building (at great expense), the structure’s rawness was left largely intact, with local architecture firm Grzywinski+Pons choosing to let function guide their efforts. Chilly concrete floors, for example, are now covered with maple hardwood and lively geometric tiles; cinder-block walls are partly concealed with rustic wainscoting; and “no smoking” is playfully spray-painted next to the elevators. Combine this with the lobby’s ample bookshelves and ultramodern central hearth – not to mention the incredibly informal front desk, which consists of a long table bearing laptops sitting on wooden crates – and the result is a surprisingly warm, inviting property that feels as though it hasn’t been transformed so much as saved.
The hotel’s exterior embraces the industrial theme less successfully. Scaffold-like balcony railings and grates not only obscure the glorious windows, but make it look as if the place is perpetually under construction.
BEST AMENITY
Thankfully, the unsightly exoskeleton doesn’t distract from the glorious views. An enormous rooftop patio offers 360-degree sightlines, while guest quarters feature as many as three entire walls of windows. Glass doors open onto expansive balconies that in some cases offer triple the square footage of the generously sized rooms. Manhattan-facing options are understandably popular, but the Queens side also has its charms. Watching distant subway trains trundle by at night, for instance, is like observing the movements of a meticulously detailed diorama.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY IN THE GLOBE AND MAIL