It’s not every day that a new concept in hotels comes to a city that thinks it’s already seen it all come and go. But, I don’t think New York has seen a hotel quite like the Q&A in the heart of the Financial District.
Rather than appeal exclusively to the short term traveler with a simple room or suite like so many New York venues, the Q&A Hotel is a residential hotel offering larger style spaces to its longterm guests. For a competitive nightly rate, the Q&A visitor ends up with a very expensive commodity — a proper Manhattan apartment.
The Q&A Hotel is the Big Apple brainchild of Furnished Quarters, an operation specializing in longer term, corporate accommodations. The idea is to give the upscale business traveler who has to be on station at a given venue longer than a few days luxury accommodations beyond a mere hotel. Furnished Quarters offers a proper residence — the proverbial home away from home.
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No matter the size of the given suite, the Q&A’s rooms include everything any residence must have, including everything from a complete set of kitchen appliances, to a quality bed to HD TV. Keeping in mind that the hotel is intended first for business travelers, most rooms include a work/office space set apart from the living room and bed room — guaranteeing the traveler always has a quiet, secluded place to work or meet other professionals.
The Q&A is set on the lower floors of a restored, Historic Registry high rise on Pine – the City Services Building. The gorgeous, 952-foot art deco tower offers a spectacular, evocative lobby for guests to enjoy before they tuck off to the side and the Q&A’s small lobby.
The amenities are more akin to the apartment vibe the venue is reaching for with its self-contained, private spaces. There’s no restaurant or bar on the premises — though the building’s extended lobby will soon offer upscale versions of both. There are computer and printer facilities and a common area where a simple, continental, working breakfast is served each day.
With a location a block off Wall Street, this Q&A Hotel is surrounded by a mix of hardcore business establishments and tourist attractions many travelers miss when they visit New York. Short walks will take you to everything from Federal Hall to the 9/11 Memorial to the New York Stock Exchange to a bevy of bustling dining spots.
As word gets out on the Q&A, it’s safe to assume it’ll fill up with international guests on site to do business amidst the financial center of America. But, now still in its infancy, the hotel is finding its footing in the city. Rooms are available and (if you catch them at the right time) affordable. That means you can book the kind of apartment space that runs New Yorkers four figures a month for the same price as many single hotel rooms across the city.
So, if Manhattan bound, get in on the joint now. In a few months, its occupancy rates might not be so casual traveler friendly.
