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April 19, 2007

Comfort Inn To Open In All Its Ugliness

comfortinn0407.jpg
Prolific Brooklyn photographer Sam Horine aka f.trainer posted this photo to Flickr recently of the Comfort Inn that has been so ungraciously dumped in our midst by the style hounds at McSam Hotel LLC who are also responsible for bringing us that other vision of loveliness, the Gowanus Holiday Inn Express . That "Coming Soon" sign has appeared at some point since Gowanus Lounge paid a visit to the site two weeks ago. As Mr. Horine notes in his Flickr post, though, this is a bit of a challenging location:

Across the street, there are two motorcycle clubs. in the back, the hotel faces the wyckoff housing complex and at the end of the block there is an abandoned school.

What do you think? Is this the best we could have expected for this location? Should we just count ourselves lucky to have a cheap place to stash the relatives and move on?
Comfort, Gowanus Style [Flickr] GMAP




Posted by Brownstoner at 8:57 AM | Comments (27)
Categories: Brooklyn, Gowanus, Hotels

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Comments

disappointing buildings are always disappointing.

Posted by: disappointed at April 19, 2007 9:06 AM

I don't know . . . . if enough people throw rotten vegetables, vomit and pidgeon excrement at it, it might look a bit better. Who's in?

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 9:08 AM

This is the place to stash relatives that you don't particularly LIKE, much less love.

Awful, awful, awful.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 9:09 AM

To tell you the truth, I don't care what it looks like. Beats putting people up on my couch. After my parents retired down to Florida (it's the law) they would stay in Bay Ridge when they came to visit me in the Slope. Not everyone is comfortable in a quaint B&B.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 9:18 AM

This is look/formula for motel construction these days. No way to hope for anything better. But - you're probably unlikely to be on this block anyway so don't fret.
The one in Union I can see, just a few steps to subway and block to 5th Avenue.
This one is really all by itself in dark industrial area - quite a walk for people to subway.
Bugs me that the one on Union St...basically residential block ..gets a double curb cut for its circular drive to front door for guests..then also gets the curbside along street between the curbcuts marked as hotel zone - so no parking.
What a sham...shame on DOT for doing this. If I lived on Union I'd be griping to city elected officials.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 9:27 AM

to 9:09..I wouldn't even put those I didn't like there...yikes

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 9:27 AM

I'd feel guilty putting my ex mother in law in this dump.

Posted by: John at April 19, 2007 9:51 AM

I love the crappy coverd carport on the right. What's that for, valet mugging?

Posted by: tinarina at April 19, 2007 10:39 AM

In its fear of "hot sheet" hotels and associated maladies, the City of New York has exiled hotels to industrial areas. That is why McSam isn't building on, say, 4th or 5th Avenue, where the quality of life for occupants might be a little better.

The B&Bs are all technically illegal, although it's enough of a netherworld that it's hard to be sure. Just make sure you aren't the "wrong type of person" according to the neighbors if you choose to open one.

Posted by: WT Economist at April 19, 2007 11:01 AM

I hate to make excuses for the builders, but as WT Econ says, zoning pretty much guarantees that you can build hotels here only in sketchy areas. Given that, it's hard to blame them for not investing the extra scratch to pretty things up more.

Or does anyone want to volunteer their adjacent block of 7th Avenue or maybe a nice Fort Greene park block for a hotel?

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 11:15 AM

"I'd feel guilty putting my ex mother in law in this dump."

it's amazing that you have been inside already!

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 11:29 AM

Nice photograph. I like the sky effect.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 11:29 AM

Good timing on this article.

I hate to disappoint the haters here, but I just stayed at the Holiday Inn Express just last night (due to having our upstairs floors refinished yesterday) and I can report the following:

It's actually really nice.

The room was immaculate and very comfortable, decorated in a manner much classier and more tasteful than we'd braced ourselves to expect.

The bathroom was actually (to our even greater surprise) appointed in more of a spa style, with the jacuzzi bath (/shower) tub and the room itself very tastefully divided from the main bedroom by a huge wall of frosted glass. Again, tastefully done...the effect in the main bedroom gave it a bit of modernism, and it made the bathroom spa aesthetic feel just that more airy, open and calming with all that natural light.

So, for a stay in the neighborhood (not going to Manhattan), um...

We loved it, well worth the mere $209+tx per night (especially compared to $450/night at the Marriott).

Sorry to dissapoint, just some real (and surprising) data offered here.

So, at least as far as the Holiday Inn Express goes, management there has done a great job pulling off a bit of a shocking, positive surprise.

Folks, it actually doesn't suck. To our great suprise, it's actually one heck of a nice (perhaps much-needed) asset to what is otherwise considered to be more of a rough, fringe nabe.

ps- where's Typekey?

Posted by: webster at April 19, 2007 1:11 PM

Please, webster, don't interfere with the daily whining on this board. Don't you realize that silly things like facts only stand in the way of a great bitch session? How dare you point out irrelevant truths, such as Brooklyn's need for more hotels or the fact that people are willing to invest in our neighborhoods. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 1:38 PM

I'm actually glad to hear that, Webster, but the Holiday Inn express is location-wise much superior to the Comfort Inn.... and even so, it cannot be said that your experience there will have any bearing on what it'll be like to stay at the Comfort Inn.

But I am happy to get your report on the HIE!

Posted by: EJ at April 19, 2007 1:52 PM

Anonymous 1:38p - hah, loved that.

EJ - Yeah, I meant to comment only about HIE, and I agree with you on all accounts.

No idea what decor, amenities or management will be like at the Comfort Inn or at the other new hotel about to be constructed at the corner of 3rd and President.

Each place will have to prove itself (or not) accordingly, and HIE definitely has the more preferable location of the bunch.

Posted by: webster at April 19, 2007 2:11 PM

the last time i stayed at the marriott, i paid $250. no jacuzzi, and i think i paid $8 for a half-pint of beer, but i will stay downtown if its only 10% more.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 3:17 PM

the horrible part is they're not cheap! gowanus holiday inn wants $200 a night!

Posted by: stacy at April 19, 2007 3:18 PM

stacy, what hotel in NYC or Brooklyn is "cheap?"

Have you looked at prices lately?

Go ahead and see what Marriott's chargin' these days.
http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycbk-new-york-marriott-at-the-brooklyn-bridge/

Hint: it ain't anything near as cheap as what Anon 3:17p stayed there for, even if you search all the way into 2008.

Honestly, can anyone find anything under $200 these days that isn't utterly disgusting?

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 4:10 PM

Well, 4:10p...

The Brooklyn Motor Inn (isolated in the most industrial and sketchy part of Red Hook, overlooking all the trucks and traffic entering the gaping mouth of the Battery Tunnel) is only $102-$120 + tax per night...
http://www.brooklynmotorinn.com

But perhaps that goes to your point. (heh)

Posted by: webster at April 19, 2007 5:01 PM

What ever happened to good ol' fashioned flop-houses that charge by the hour? I miss the good old days!

Posted by: GHB at April 19, 2007 5:12 PM

Bid on Priceline, I've got Exchange Hotel on Wall Street for $83, Marriott east side on Lex for $120. This is when there websites were saying $300+ for a room, priceline, priceline, priceline

Posted by: CheapHotel at April 19, 2007 6:07 PM

For real?

Holy Shat.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 19, 2007 6:57 PM

The Exchange Hotel is a dump (as it was when it was the Seaport Suites before it).

Posted by: EJ at April 20, 2007 7:24 AM

Maybe.....and I say maybe... (not a fact) they will use some of the rooms in the Comfort Inn to house homeless familes from the shelter system on a temp. basis. I know of a few hotel/motels in the Bronx and Queens that already do that. And the city pays a good sum of money per night.

Posted by: None at April 20, 2007 2:15 PM

I just booked this Comfort Inn on Priceline for $65....at that price, unless I get mugged between there and the subway, it's money well spent. Brand new bed, includes breakfast, I'm only gonna be there for shag & shuteye, and then off to the city for some tourism.

Posted by: Jen Nitalia at July 19, 2007 5:07 PM

I stayed here through Priceline, paid $68 and its actually a pretty nice property although the rooms are really small. Standard rates are about $140 and during periods of high occupancy, I've seen $300 rates on the Comfort Inn site. Its not the Marriott, but then its also not $400. The target market? Folks like me who can't stomach the thought of paying $350 and up for a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express in Manhattan....something like you Brownstoners who can't stomach paying $1MM for a 2 Br apartment in the Village. Parking runs about $30. Several guests were from the UK as evidenced by their baggage, filled to bursting with goods bought with cheap $$, departing for JFK. The bagels stink here, formerly-frozen from Sysco.

Posted by: guest at October 2, 2007 7:40 AM

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