59 Rooms Two Subway Stops from Grand Central
Feather Factory Hotel sits on Skillman Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, a 59-room independent hotel that puts Grand Central Terminal two stops away on the 7 train. For anyone visiting New York on a budget, the math is the headline: rooms here run roughly half what you'd pay for a comparable spot in Midtown Manhattan, and the same train that connects you to Grand Central runs 24/7 with services every 2-5 minutes during peak.
The property was built in 2007 and operated as a Motel 6 before rebranding in 2019. Rooms have been updated since: modern furnishings, high ceilings, flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, and free WiFi as standard. It's not luxury, and it doesn't pretend to be. What it delivers is a clean, well-run base with a 24-hour front desk, a lobby convenience store that saves late-night trips, and a rooftop breakfast buffet where you eat scrambled eggs with a view of the Manhattan skyline.
Court Square 5-7 Min Walk · Grand Central in 10 Min · Times Square in 15
Location is the second headline. Court Square station, served by the 7, E, G and M lines, is a flat 5-7 minute walk from the door. Queensboro Plaza (N/W/7) is 7-10 minutes, 21st Street (G) is 8 minutes, and Queens Plaza (E/M/R) is 10 minutes. The 7 train hits Grand Central in ~10 minutes (just two stops), Times Square in ~15 minutes, and the E reaches Penn Station in ~10 minutes and the World Trade Center in ~20.
For airports, LaGuardia (LGA) is 4.3 miles, about $25-35 by taxi or 15-25 minutes; JFK is 14.5 miles via AirTrain + subway, or $55-75 by taxi; Newark (EWR) is 16 miles via NJ Transit + subway, or $70-90 by taxi. OMNY tip: tap a contactless card or phone at the turnstile, after 12 rides in a week the rest are free (cap ~$34). Skip the MetroCard hassle.
Photo: Tdorante10, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rooftop Breakfast With Manhattan Views, and a 24-Hour Lobby Store
The rooftop breakfast buffet runs daily 7:30-9:30 AM on the top floor, with scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, turkey bacon, coffee, tea and juice for around $7.86 per person (kids under 12 eat free). A paid breakfast that punches above its price for the views alone. The lobby convenience store is open 24 hours for snacks, drinks and toiletries; complimentary coffee and tea sit in the lobby around the clock.
The 24-hour front desk handles luggage storage, wake-up calls, fax/copy services and safe-deposit boxes. Daily housekeeping is the norm; a small number of reviews report missed servicing, not the rule but worth flagging. Staff are the property's standout: the warmest-reviewed part of the stay, with named team members regularly mentioned in guest write-ups.
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Interesting Points About Feather Factory Hotel
- Operated as a Motel 6 from its 2007 construction until the 2019 rebrand to Feather Factory Hotel under independent operation; the post-rebrand refurbishment is why guest feedback has stayed consistently warm while the franchise-era reputational drag has been replaced by the Travellers' Choice badge.
- Two subway stops from Grand Central Terminal on the 7 train and a 5-7 minute walk to Court Square Station (E/M/G/7 interchange); a Queens-side single-line position into central Manhattan that materially shifts the practical accessibility of a budget NYC stay versus equivalent Manhattan-priced alternatives.
- Rooftop breakfast buffet with Manhattan skyline views, structurally rare for a 59-room Queens budget independent and the editorial detail returning guests cite for choosing the property over comparable Long Island City peers without rooftop access.
- Built in 2007 with high ceilings retained from the original construction (most Long Island City independents from this era either ship low-ceilinged or have had ceilings dropped for HVAC retrofits); the modern-furnished plus high-ceiling format is the visible refurbishment signature.
Rooms & Accommodation at Feather Factory Hotel
Standard Double Room
Sleeps 2 · ~160-180 ft² · 1 full bed · The entry-level rate
The entry-level rate and the rate to book if you only need somewhere clean and functional to sleep before another day in Manhattan. A 160-180 ft² room with a full-size bed and the same core amenity set as every room in the building, flat-screen TV with cable, mini-fridge, in-room safe, work desk, free WiFi and a private bathroom with free toiletries. High ceilings give the room more visual space than the square footage suggests. Typically the lowest-priced option.
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Queen Room
Sleeps 2 · ~170-185 ft² · 1 queen bed · Most-popular pick
The most-popular pick, solo travellers and couples book this configuration most often. A 170-185 ft² room with a queen bed, flat-screen TV, mini-fridge, in-room safe, work desk and a private bathroom with free toiletries. High ceilings make it feel larger than the footprint suggests. The standard amenity set runs across every room type, so the upgrade from the Standard Double is purely the bigger bed and a touch more breathing space.
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King Room
Sleeps 2 · ~185-205 ft² · 1 king bed · The space upgrade
More space, bigger bed. The King Room is the premium standard room, same amenity set as every other room (free WiFi, A/C, flat-screen TV, mini-fridge, in-room safe, work desk, private bathroom) with extra room to stretch. A solid choice for stays of more than one night, or just for guests who'd rather not feel cramped after a long day in Manhattan.
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Queen Room with Two Queen Beds
Sleeps 4+1 · 205 ft² · 2 queen beds · The family option
The family option and the room budget travellers searching “hotel near Manhattan NYC” book most often. Two queen beds in 205 confirmed square feet, sleeping up to four adults and a child. Same amenities as every other room, free WiFi, A/C, flat-screen TV, mini-fridge, in-room safe, work desk and a private bathroom, with the bed configuration that families and groups of friends actually need.
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Family Room
Sleeps 3-4 · 183 ft² · 1 full + 1 queen bed
A mixed-bed configuration for small families: the full bed suits a child, the queen bed suits the adults. At 183 ft² it's compact, but the high ceilings prevent it from feeling cramped. Same amenity set as every room (free WiFi, A/C, flat-screen TV, mini-fridge, in-room safe, work desk, private bathroom). The Queen Room with Two Queen Beds is roomier if four adults are sharing.
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Standard Room with Disability Access
Sleeps 2 · Wheelchair-accessible features · ADA-compliant bathroom
An ADA-compliant standard room with wheelchair-accessible bathroom features, designed for guests who need step-free access and grab bars. Same amenity set as the standard rooms, free WiFi, A/C, flat-screen TV, mini-fridge, in-room safe, work desk, with the room itself laid out for accessibility. The hotel's elevator and common areas are also fully wheelchair-accessible.
Check PricesIs Feather Factory Hotel Right for You?
Best Suited For
- Budget-conscious tourists who want Manhattan access without Manhattan prices, roughly half what a comparable Midtown room costs
- International visitors: multilingual front desk (English and Spanish) with strong repeat-guest patterns
- Families and groups of friends: the Queen Room with Two Queen Beds (205 ft²) sleeps 4 adults plus a child
- Travellers heading straight to Manhattan: Court Square 7-train station is 5-7 min walk, Grand Central in 10 minutes
- Solo travellers and couples on a city break: the Queen Room is the most-booked configuration for two
- Guests arriving on late flights: 24-hour front desk plus a 24-hour lobby convenience store for snacks and toiletries
- Wheelchair users: a dedicated Standard Room with Disability Access is in inventory; common areas are step-free
Worth Considering Alternatives If
- You're a light sleeper: the hotel is adjacent to LIRR / subway tracks, request a higher floor away from the tracks
- You expect a luxury build: rooms are clean and modern but compact (160-205 ft²) and the property is firmly mid-budget
- You want on-site parking: none available; metered street parking is ~$12 for 12 hours, the front desk can direct you to nearby yard parking
- You're under 21: minimum check-in age is 21, photo ID required
- You're travelling with a pet: pets aren't permitted (service animals with prior ADA notice only)
- You expect free breakfast included: the rooftop buffet is paid (~$7.86 per person, kids under 12 free)
- You can't put down a deposit: $100 refundable security deposit + $150 pre-authorisation are taken at check-in by credit card
Amenities & Facilities
Food & Drink
- Rooftop breakfast buffet, daily 7:30-9:30 AM (~$7.86/person, kids under 12 eat free)
- Buffet menu: scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, turkey bacon, coffee, tea, juice
- Lobby convenience store, open 24 hours for snacks, drinks, toiletries
- Complimentary coffee and tea station in the lobby, 24/7
- Not available: On-site restaurant or bar
Room Amenities
- Free WiFi in every room, a repeated plus in guest write-ups
- Air conditioning
- Flat-screen TV with cable
- Mini-fridge in every room
- In-room safe
- Work desk
- Private bathroom with free toiletries
- High ceilings (an unusual feature for a budget hotel)
- Not available: Cribs or extra beds
Property-wide
- 24-hour front desk with multilingual staff (English, Spanish)
- Rooftop terrace with Manhattan skyline views (doubles as breakfast area)
- Elevator
- Wheelchair access to common areas
- Luggage storage (early arrival / late departure)
- Wake-up service, fax/copying, safe-deposit boxes
- Complimentary long-distance calls
- On-site laundry facilities
- ATM on site
- Vending machines
- Daily housekeeping
- Non-smoking property-wide
- Not available: Pool, gym or spa
Parking & Transport
- Court Square station, 5-7 min walk · 7, E, G, M lines
- Queensboro Plaza, 7-10 min walk · N, W, 7 lines
- Grand Central Terminal, ~10 min on the 7 train (just 2 stops)
- Times Square, ~15 min on the 7 train
- LaGuardia (LGA), 4.3 mi · taxi $25-35, 15-25 min
- JFK International, ~14.5 mi · AirTrain + subway, or taxi $55-75
- Newark (EWR), ~16 mi · NJ Transit + subway, or taxi $70-90
- Metered street parking (~$12 for 12 hours, 7 AM - 7 PM)
- Not available: On-site parking
- Not available: Airport shuttle
Policies
- Credit card + photo ID required at check-in
- $100 refundable security deposit at check-in (returned within 14 days)
- $150 pre-authorisation on the credit card at check-in
- Minimum check-in age 21
- Check-in window 15:00 - 23:59 · check-out by 11:00
- 100% smoke-free property
- Children of all ages welcome (no cribs or extra beds available)
- Not available: Pets
Long Island City, Manhattan-Adjacent, on the 7 Train
Feather Factory Hotel sits at 26-32 Skillman Avenue in Long Island City (LIC), the western Queens neighbourhood that has gone from gritty industrial district to cultural powerhouse without losing its character. The hotel is just over the East River from Midtown Manhattan, close enough that Grand Central is 10 minutes away on the 7 train (just two stops), but far enough out that rooms cost roughly half what Midtown asks.
From the door it is roughly 5-7 min walk to Court Square station (7/E/G/M lines), 8 min to 21st Street (G), 10 min to Queens Plaza (E/M/R), 12 min walk to MoMA PS1, 8 min to SculptureCenter, 15 min walk to Gantry Plaza State Park (the best skyline-view park in NYC), and 20 min to Hunters Point South Park. Silvercup Studios, Sopranos / Sex and the City / 30 Rock, is a 10-minute walk; the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria is 10 minutes by subway.
For airports, LaGuardia (LGA) is 4.3 miles away (the closest of New York's three major airports, taxi $25-35, 15-25 min), JFK is 14.5 miles via AirTrain + subway or $55-75 by taxi, and Newark (EWR) is 16 miles via NJ Transit + subway or $70-90 by taxi.
- Court Square station (7/E/G/M): 5-7 min walk · The hotel's gateway station; the 7 train runs 24/7 with peak-hour services every 2-5 minutes, hitting Grand Central in 10 minutes.
- Court Square & Courthouse: 5 min walk · Restored 1872 Queens County Courthouse, the architectural anchor of LIC's civic core.
- SculptureCenter: 8 min walk · Contemporary sculpture gallery in a converted trolley repair shop, redesigned by Maya Lin.
- MoMA PS1: 12 min walk · MoMA's contemporary-art outpost in the former Public School 1 building, Warm Up summer parties draw international crowds.
- Silvercup Studios: 10 min walk · The TV / film studios behind The Sopranos, Sex and the City, 30 Rock and Mad Men, recognisable rooftop sign visible from the LIC skyline.
- Gantry Plaza State Park: 15 min walk · The best Manhattan skyline view in New York, frame-perfect across the East River with the iconic Pepsi-Cola sign in the foreground.
- Hunters Point South Park: 20 min walk · A 30-acre waterfront park with kayak launches, a fishing pier and uninterrupted Midtown views.
- Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria): ~10 min by subway · One of the world's leading museums of film, television and digital media, Jim Henson collection, vintage arcade games.
- Grand Central Terminal: ~10 min · 7 train, just 2 stops · The Beaux-Arts heart of Midtown Manhattan.
- Times Square: ~15 min · 7 train · Broadway, the TKTS booth and the brightest 24/7 billboards on Earth.
- LaGuardia Airport (LGA): 4.3 mi · Taxi $25-35, 15-25 min · Closest of New York's three major airports.
Getting to Key Locations
How to Get to Feather Factory Hotel From LaGuardia Airport
- Pick a taxi from the LGA taxi line: LaGuardia is the closest of the three major NYC airports, 4.3 miles away. The taxi line is signposted at all four terminals (A, B, C, Marine Air Terminal). Fare is roughly $25-35 to Long Island City, journey 15-25 minutes depending on traffic on the Grand Central Parkway / BQE.
- Or take the M60 SBS bus to Astoria, then subway: If you want to skip the taxi, the M60 Select Bus runs from all LGA terminals to Astoria Boulevard subway station (~25-30 min). Transfer to the N or W train, ride two stops south to Queensboro Plaza, then either walk 7-10 minutes south-east or change to the 7 train one stop to Court Square. Total journey ~50-60 minutes including transfers.
- Check in at Skillman Avenue: The hotel is at 26-32 Skillman Avenue. Reception is staffed 24/7, bring a credit card and photo ID for the deposit ($100 refundable + $150 pre-authorisation). Minimum check-in age is 21. Luggage storage is available if you arrive before 15:00.
- Returning from Manhattan via the 7 train: Coming back from Midtown, the 7 train (Flushing-bound) at Grand Central, 5th Avenue or Times Square gets you to Court Square in ~10-15 minutes. From Court Square station, walk along Jackson Avenue and turn onto Skillman, the hotel is on the right. Total walk: 5-7 minutes.
Long Island City and the LIC Cultural Mile
Long Island City is what happens when an industrial waterfront meets the New York art world. The neighbourhood was zoned for manufacturing through the 20th century, feather factories, sugar refineries, taxi-cab repair shops, and that industrial bone structure is still visible in converted lofts and warehouse-style apartment buildings. MoMA PS1 opened in the old Public School 1 in 1971 and stayed; the SculptureCenter, Noguchi Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park and Fisher Landau Center for Art followed, turning a stretch of formerly empty Queens streets into a contemporary-art corridor.
The food scene caught up. Within a 10-minute walk of Feather Factory you can eat at Casa Enrique (Michelin-starred Mexican), HUPO (Michelin Bib Gourmand Sichuan), Levante (Italian and Neapolitan pizza), John Brown Smokehouse (Kansas City BBQ), and Court Square Diner (24-hour American classic, used as a location in dozens of NYC films). Dutch Kills Bar on 29th Street is one of New York's best-rated cocktail speakeasies.
Best time to visit is September through early November, pleasant weather, fall foliage, and lower hotel rates than peak summer. Mid-July through August brings high heat and humidity but the cheapest Manhattan flights; December-March is cold but with pre- and post-Christmas hotel deals. Spring (April-May) is unpredictable but green.
What Guests Say About Feather Factory Hotel
Scores and review counts are aggregated from verified guest bookings on major travel platforms.
Very Good
Feather Factory Hotel earns consistently warm verified guest feedback, with the staff the clear standout and team members regularly mentioned by name in write-ups. The repeated praise: rooms cost roughly half what a comparable Midtown room would, the value-vs-Manhattan calculation that drives the bookings, alongside cleaner-than-expected rooms, a fast 24/7 7-train connection, and a 24-hour lobby convenience store at fair prices. Where it loses points: the hotel sits adjacent to LIRR and subway tracks, so train noise is the #1 complaint (light sleepers should request a higher floor away from the tracks); rooms are compact at 160-205 ft²; and the $100 deposit + $150 pre-authorisation taken at check-in catches some guests off guard. Book with the train-noise reality understood and the value-per-night maths on your side.
Good to Know Before You Book
Train noise is real, request a higher floor
The hotel sits next to LIRR and subway tracks. Most guests cope fine, but light sleepers should ask for a room facing away from the tracks (or on a higher floor) at check-in, or pack earplugs. This is the #1 recurring complaint in guest reviews, flag it on the reservation notes and the front desk will accommodate where they can.
Bring a credit card, deposits are taken at check-in
A $100 refundable security deposit (returned within 14 days) plus a $150 pre-authorisation are taken on a credit card at check-in. Minimum check-in age is 21, photo ID required. Cash isn't accepted as the deposit method, only credit card.
No on-site parking, but the subway is faster anyway
There is no on-site parking. Metered street parking on Skillman and the surrounding streets runs about $12 for 12 hours (7 AM-7 PM). The front desk can point you to nearby yard parking. The nearest known free parking is at 46-6 27th Street, but the 7 train gets you to Manhattan in 10 minutes, so most guests skip the car altogether.
Breakfast is paid, but $7.86 buys you a Manhattan-skyline view
The rooftop buffet runs daily 7:30-9:30 AM at roughly $7.86 per person, kids under 12 eat free. It isn't included in the room rate. The view from the top floor, scrambled eggs and the Manhattan skyline, is the value-add. Or use the 24-hour lobby store and the Sweetleaf Coffee Roasters that's a 5-minute walk away.
Photos of Feather Factory Hotel
Photo: Tdorante10, CC BY-SA 4.0
View All PhotosFrequently Asked Questions
Check-in is from 3:00 PM until 11:59 PM. Check-out is by 11:00 AM. The minimum check-in age is 21 years, you'll need a valid photo ID and a credit card. A $100 refundable security deposit and a $150 pre-authorisation are placed on your card at check-in.
Manhattan is about 2.7 miles away. The hotel is a 5-7 minute walk from Court Square station (7, E, G, M lines). The 7 train reaches Grand Central Terminal in about 10 minutes, that's just 2 stops, and Times Square in around 15 minutes. The E train reaches Penn Station in ~10 minutes and the World Trade Center in ~20.
No on-site parking. The front desk can direct you to street parking and nearby yard parking. Metered street parking costs approximately $12 for 12 hours (7 AM - 7 PM). The nearest known free parking is at 46-6 27th Street, but the 7 train is faster than driving into Manhattan.
Yes, a paid buffet breakfast is served daily 7:30-9:30 AM on the rooftop with Manhattan skyline views. It costs about $7.86 per person, and children aged 12 and under eat free. The buffet is not included in the standard room rate; the lobby has complimentary coffee and tea 24/7 if you'd rather skip it.
No, pets are not allowed. Only service animals that comply with ADA Title III regulations are permitted, and they require prior notice to the hotel.
The hotel sits adjacent to LIRR and subway tracks, so rooms facing the tracks can experience train noise, particularly at night. Light sleepers should request a room on a higher floor or facing away from the tracks, and bring earplugs as a backup. It's the most common complaint in guest reviews.
There are 59 rooms across six categories. The configurations are the Standard Double Room, Queen Room, King Room, Queen Room with Two Queen Beds (sleeps 4+1), Family Room (sleeps 3-4), and a Standard Room with Disability Access. Every room includes free WiFi, air conditioning, flat-screen TV with cable, mini-fridge, in-room safe, work desk and a private bathroom.
Yes, the hotel has an elevator, and common areas including the lobby, rooftop terrace and convenience store are wheelchair-accessible. A dedicated Standard Room with Disability Access is in inventory, with an ADA-compliant bathroom; book this room type specifically if step-free access and grab bars are required.
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