Every time we plan a New York City trip, I go through the same cycle: start by checking Manhattan hotels… remember what Manhattan hotels cost… then start looking across the river.
That’s where Long Island City keeps winning. It’s close enough to Manhattan that you don’t feel “far away,” but you can often get more space for less money. So for this stay, we booked the Hyatt Place Long Island City / New York City for three nights.
Location & Transportation
We’ve written before about why Long Island City can be a great alternative to staying in Manhattan. You’re still a quick subway ride from Midtown, but the hotel prices are often noticeably lower — and you can sometimes get a bit more breathing room than you’d find in Manhattan at the same price point.
One small downside of the Hyatt Place is that it’s not right on top of the subway. But it does have a nice practical advantage: it’s about as far of a walk to Queens Plaza and Queensboro Plaza. Since those stations serve different lines, we liked having options — it made it easier to pick the most direct route depending on where we were headed in Manhattan.
For airport transportation, we took a rideshare from LaGuardia (LGA) to the hotel. We could have taken the bus to the subway, but we weren’t in the mood to deal with transfers and luggage. This time, we opted for door-to-door convenience instead. Our ride to the hotel — just before rush hour — took about 30 minutes and cost around $50. For the return to LaGuardia on a Sunday morning, it took about 20 minutes and cost about $35.
It’s definitely pricier than public transit, but the convenience was hard to beat with bags. And if you do want the cheaper option, we’ve previously covered how to take the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus to the subway — a solid budget-friendly alternative when you’re more in the mood to navigate it.
Booking Our Stay
For this stay, we paid cash because we couldn’t find any award availability — something that’s been an ongoing issue for me when I’ve looked at this hotel in the past. For our three-night stay, we paid $832 out of pocket, which was comparable to other hotels in Long Island City and still cheaper than what we were seeing in Manhattan for the same dates.
That said, the Hyatt Place Long Island City is currently a Category 4 World of Hyatt property. That means it can be a solid use of Hyatt points or a Category 1–4 free night certificate — if you can find award availability.
The Hotel
The Hyatt Place Long Island City is a fairly typical example of the brand — modern, functional, and designed more as a practical place to stay rather than a destination hotel. That’s exactly what we were looking for on this trip.
The hotel sits a little off the main street, which helps it feel slightly less hectic than some of the properties right on the busier avenues. Of course, this is still New York City, so “quiet” is always relative — but the location felt a bit removed from the constant traffic and crowds.
Inside, the lobby is a little smaller than the familiar Hyatt Place layout, with seating areas, workspaces, and the lobby bar all sharing the same open space. It’s the kind of setup that works well whether you’re grabbing a quick drink, meeting someone before heading out, or just looking for a place to sit for a few minutes.
From there, elevators around the back side of the hotel take you up to the guest room floors, which follow a straightforward hotel corridor layout.
The Room
Our room followed the typical Hyatt Place layout, but was still somewhat smaller than we’ve seen at other locations. Still, this was more spacious than many standard hotel rooms in New York City. The sleeping and seating areas are part of the same room but arranged to give each space its own purpose.
The king bed sat against a wood-accent wall with reading lights and small bedside tables. Across from the bed was the TV and a long desk that worked well as a workspace. There were also plenty of outlets at the desk and near the bed, which made it easy to charge phones and laptops.
One feature we always appreciate about Hyatt Place rooms is the seating area. In addition to the bed, the room included a sofa and ottoman, which made the room feel less cramped than some NYC hotel rooms, where the only place to sit is the bed.
Near the entrance was a small wardrobe area along with a mini-fridge, coffee maker, and safe. It’s a simple setup, but it had everything we needed for a short stay.
Bathroom
The bathroom had a modern design with a glass-enclosed walk-in shower and a well-lit vanity. Counter space was reasonable by NYC hotel standards, and the lighting around the mirror made it easy to get ready in the morning.
Toiletries were provided in wall-mounted bottles in the shower, which is becoming the standard setup at many hotels. It’s not luxurious, but it’s perfectly functional for a few nights.
Overall, the room felt comfortable and — by New York City standards — surprisingly roomy. Having both the bed area and a separate seating space made it much easier to relax after a long day of exploring the city.
Amenities & Food
Like most Hyatt Place properties, the hotel offers a breakfast area off the lobby where guests can grab a quick meal. The brand is known for offering a complimentary breakfast with a mix of hot and cold items like eggs, waffles, fruit, yogurt, and pastries, depending on the location.
That said, we didn’t end up eating breakfast at the hotel during our stay. When we’re in New York City, it feels almost wrong not to take advantage of the local food scene.
One morning, we went out for bagels and coffee — because if you’re in NYC, that’s practically required. (We’ve written before about our love of the city’s food culture in Pizza, Bagels and Deli — Oh My!.)
Another morning, we headed into Manhattan for brunch at one of our longtime favorites, Sarabeth’s Park Avenue South. Sarabeth’s has been our NYC brunch spot for years.
So while the hotel does offer breakfast, we ended up doing what we usually do in New York — using the hotel as a base and heading out to explore the city’s food scene instead.
Other Amenities
The hotel also has a small fitness center, although I didn’t make it down there during our stay. For guests who need it, there’s also a basic business center setup in the lobby area — essentially a computer and printer on a table off to the side.
Nothing over-the-top here, but it covers the basics you’d expect from a Hyatt Place property.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a practical NYC base without Manhattan pricing, we’d stay here again in a heartbeat. It’s not a hidden retreat — nothing in New York is — but being a bit off the main street helped, and the room felt bigger than what we usually expect in the city.
Just don’t assume this is your only good option. Long Island City is loaded with Marriott and Hilton properties, and we’d happily pivot if award space or rates didn’t cooperate. But as a “reliable, roomy, and easy to get into Manhattan” pick, this one worked.
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