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One of the major concerns that I had even before flying out of India was where I stayed in New York. Being one of the most expensive cities in the world I was quite sceptical if I would get an affordable stay in the Big Apple. If you have been following my blog, you must have read about my first Amex points redemption that I did and how I spent just $20 to stay at a Marriott property.
In this blog post, I am going to share my experience and review of staying at the Residence Inn by Marriott. Is this an affordable stay in New York well read on to find out more.
Why I Stayed In Queens?
Before I answer why I stayed in Queens, I think we should understand the neighbourhoods of New York. New York is a city of five boroughs namely Manhattan Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. Every tourist would want to visit and stay in Manhattan but then that’s one of the most expensive places in New York. I mean the average prices of hotels in Manhattan could be anywhere upwards of $500 a night!
While the other boroughs are not quite close to Manhattan and would require you to commute a lot from wherever you stay. In that case, the best way to commute in New York is using the New York subway, do read my previous blog post on using the unlimited pass of the New York subway.
That was the reason I decided to stay in Queens located next to the East River going from Queens to Manhattan using the New York subway was anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes which was apt.
I wasn’t staying in Manhattan I wasn’t too far away from the most happening place in New York. And while hunting for places to stay in New York, I zeroed in on Queens and came across this new property called Residence Inn by Marriott.
Residence Inn By Marriott Queens – Review
Marriott is one of the most popular chains of hotels in the world. They have a lot of sub-brands under them, including the likes of Le Meridien, Marriott and Westin to name a few. Residence Inn are properties which were built for longer stays. These are studio apartments with a small kitchenette and bathroom with spacious rooms and a working desk, which are perfect for anyone to stay for a longer time.
If you are a frequent traveller, it makes so much sense to invest in Marriott Bonvoy membership. With hotels all across India as well as the globe you get great deals on room bookings, dining out and a lot of other services at the hotels. Moreover, you can also use your Amex reward points and transfer them to the Marriott Bonvoy program to enjoy free stays anywhere in the world.
Location & Ambience
Residents Inn Queens is located conveniently in the neighbourhood of Astoria. It is bang opposite the Ravenswood generating station which overlooks Manhattan. The neighbourhood has a lot of shops, service stations and laundries. It is a walking distance from the 21st Queensbridge Metro Station. The neighbourhood is not one of the most happening ones and hence you might not see a lot of people around and may find this place lonely. The place did look shady at times.
Talking about the property itself is a multi-story property which is quite new and they have a dedicated parking area right in front of the hotel. The reception area is fairly large and there is a lot of seating space in the lobby for guests to sit and relax. There’s also a restaurant which is open for breakfast for guests. There are also a couple of vending machines from where you can buy snacks and cold drinks if you want and be at the reception.
Spacious & Functional Room
My room was conveniently located on the ninth floor which did give me a good view of the city. However, I reached my hotel at almost midnight. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the beautiful sunrise from the massive window every morning. It was almost 5 degrees outside, but the morning sun did make things pretty comfy.
The room itself was quite spacious. The moment I entered I had a small kitchenette which had a refrigerator, a dishwasher and a microwave oven along with an induction cooktop. It had all the utensils that I needed from plates to ladles and everything.
There was also a small dining area where I could sit and eat as it was right next to the kitchen. There was also a small couch where I could entertain some guests and the work desk was perfect. It was quite large, spacious and very functional.
The queen-sized bed was extremely comfortable. One of the most comfortable beds that I have slept on. Side tables had Bluetooth speakers, telephone, reading lamps and all the standard features. There was also a walk-in closet sort of which was right next to the shower which also had the attached toilet. For the folks from India, unfortunately, there was no jet spray in the toilet.
Overall Service
The fare that I had booked included free breakfast. As a vegetarian, I would say that the breakfast was not very good because it barely had anything hot for vegetarians. So all five days, I had fruits, milk and cereals along with my favourite bagel and cream cheese combo. I liked cream cheese so much that I brought a few of them to India as well. They didn’t serve lunch or dinner from what I know, so yes food can be a challenge. I mostly got something to eat from outside.
The service at the hotel was great as there was a room cleaning almost every day. However, an interesting thing to note here is that almost 90% of the hotel staff barely speak English. Most of them spoke Spanish and that’s when I realised that there are many Mexicans there. I was glad that the reception staff at least understood English.
Further, the room didn’t have any drinking water like you find here in India and the only place where I could get free water was the gym or during breakfast. Apart from that if I needed water, I had to take it from the vending machine which cost about $2 per bottle.
But at $40 for five nights, I am going to take everything that comes my way. This was my first ever credit card redemption and I am super happy with the way things turned out. Otherwise, I would have spent more than a lakh just to stay in Manhattan at a hotel.
A Good Stay Option Next To Manhattan
Overall, I would say Residence Inn by Marriott in Queens is one of the better properties to stay when you are travelling to New York. Not only it is very close to Manhattan but it is very close from the airport as well. Irrespective of whether you are coming in from Laguardia or JFK. It’s not too far from either of these airports.
At the price point, irrespective of the reward points, I feel the prices were decent enough for the proximity to Manhattan. Whether you’re looking for a short-duration stay or a long duration, this property in Queens is something that I would recommend.
What do you think? Did I choose the right hotel? Have you stayed at a Residence Inn property earlier? Let me know in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM @Atulmaharaj on Instagram or Get In Touch.
Nice post ✍️