Move over Manhattan: The Rockaway Hotel, touted as “an urban beach getaway for surfers and cultural enthusiasts,” will open its doors this summer in Rockaway Beach in Queens. The year-round hotel will offer a respite from the city bustle and will usher in a new wave of visitors to the destination while providing a community hub for locals. Good to know: The Rockaway Hotel will be accessible by all sorts of public transportation (ferry, subway and city bus).
The Rockaway Hotel will be steps from the beach—the only designated surfing beach within New York City limits, that is. The hotel promises a lively outdoor pool area, rooftop bar with ocean views, an extensive public arts program, recreational activities, the full-service Spa Rockaway, live entertainment and a robust food and beverage program.
The new-build hotel will have just 53 guestrooms, along with eight fully furnished, extended-stay suites. All rooms have either an ocean or bay view and many offer terraces.
With an emphasis on supporting the culture of Rockaway Beach, the hotel will collaborate with local organizations, artists and brands to produce programming. Events will include festivals, film screenings, artist panels and public art initiatives. The hotel’s public spaces and guestrooms will have a rotating selection of artwork from local and international artists. In addition, The Rockaway Hotel will sponsor The Liberty Bell Project, a virtual public art installation by Nancy Baker Cahill set to launch on July 4, 2020 in partnership with the Art Production Fund, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy and Rockaway Artists Alliance. The hotel will also be the lead sponsor and collaborator on a mural project launching in September 2020 at Seaside Playground, known as “The Big Yard” by the students of Waterside Children’s Studio School, located adjacent to the hotel.
New York City store Warm will open its second location at the property and will be designing the hotel staff uniforms. Pop-ups for other local brands include Rockaway Brewing Co. and Locals Surf School. Soaps and bath products from Goldie’s—a Rockaway Beach shop—will be available in the guestrooms.
The hotel will have four food and beverage options. Margie’s, an 88-seat eatery located on the ground floor, will serve reinvented American classics made with healthy, natural and sustainable ingredients for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Open all day, The Pool will offer a light menu consisting of health-conscious seafood dishes and salads. Located on the sixth floor and comprising both indoor and outdoor space, The Rooftop bar has panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline, Jamaica Bay and The Atlantic Ocean to accompany a menu of small plates and craft cocktails. Lastly, the Greenhouse Café will be the hotel’s street-side coffee shop concept.
The Rockaway Hotel will also have 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor, versatile function spaces.
The hotel is now taking bookings for summer 2020 and beyond.
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