Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has announced that New York city will reach a record 90,000 hotel rooms by year's end, representing a 24% 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% 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%, the highest in the nation.
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 the Four Points by Sheraton Long Island city/Queensboro Bridge; Fairfield Inn New York Long Island city/Manhattan View; Country Inn & Suites; Holiday Inn Long Island city Manhattan View; and opening next month, the Wyndham Garden Long Island city. 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.'
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.
