Z NYC Hotel

The funky Z NYC Hotel in Long Island City, is located in the industrial part of Queens among chain hotels and is a pleasant departure from an area dominated by warehouses, taxi garages, and furniture factories. The fun hotel draws mostly couples from Europe, followed by business travelers needing to be near the corporate offices of Midtown.

The immediate location of the hotel is not very touristy or attractive; however, it’s only one subway stop from Midtown and located within several subways that connect to Manhattan and Brooklyn. While dining, shopping, and entertainment are a little further away, the neighborhood does offer its own gleaming skyscrapers on the waterfront. MoMA PS1, an outpost of the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, is the neighborhood's most notable attraction.

Z NYC Hotel was smartly designed so that all rooms are on its west side, meaning that every unit has a view of The United Nations, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Citigroup Center. Accommodations at the hotel are just as fun as the design with features such as touch-pad dimmer lamps, intimacy kits, minibars, stocked mini-fridges, and striking floor-to-ceiling windows. Each room offers its own climate control, where lower panels open.

Aside from its contemporary design and staggering city views, the hotel also offers a number of freebies, including the free hourly shuttle to Midtown and free continental breakfast with a variety of foods and drink. The most impressive is Z Roof, the 5,000-square-foot rooftop bar/lounge with 360-degree views of Manhattan and Queens.