A Toyoko Inn
Japanese no-frills hotel operator Toyoko Inn is expanding into the U.S.
market with a 640-room tower in Long Island City, Queens, the Wall
Street Journal reported. Toyoko is planning to charge just over $100
for rooms that are smaller than 200 square feet. By comparison, the
average size of a New York hotel room is 325 feet, and the average rate
for a room in the first half of the year was $209.42, according to
Smith Travel Research. Toyoko, which operates 225 economy hotels in
Japan, will open its New York Hotel on the other side of the East River
from Midtown, in 2012. Toyoko’s hotels are unlike the economy hotels
that most U.S. travelers frequent, since they favor urban locations
near public-transit sites. The few amenities offered are tailored to
business travelers rather than vacationers, with rooms consisting
containing only a bed, bathroom, desk and TV. [WSJ]