First, jokingly code-named the Sub-Standard by its proprietor, Hotel QT is no longer a budget hotel. The idea is to offer limited service, but still chic, more inspiring and attractive than the chain motels and stylish enough to attract the right sort of patrons.
So far, it’s succeeded—though this is Times Square, you won’t see the typical tourists in souvenir shirts. Instead expect young arts and media types, up and coming musicians, and anyone else with Mercer style and a Holiday Inn budget. Youth hostels were one inspiration; but we’ve never seen a hostel with free wi-fi, flat-screen televisions, DVD players, and Egyptian cotton bedding. Rooms for four are available, with twin bunk beds and an LCD screen in each bunk, perfect for a traveling band or four very close friends.
Other decidedly non-hostel perks include a swimming pool with underwater music and a swim-up window for ordering drinks from the bar. DJs play nightly in the lobby lounge, and there’s a 24-hour coffee bar for anyone exhausted by New York’s round-the-clock schedule. A continental breakfast is complimentary, and there’s even a sauna and a steam room. No restaurant, but given the location, you won’t go hungry for long.
With rates starting at around two hundred and twenty-five dollars for the simplest rooms, this is an excellent value. And even if you’re not prepared to rough it, the penthouse at Hotel QT runs about as much as the most basic room at one of the tonier downtown hotels.
author Daily Tablet Hotel, source www.tablethotels.com
