Paper Factory Hotel

"4* | 125 rooms, $99 to $399 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, PEACEFUL Not long ago, it would have been difficult to imagine a 100-year-old paper factory in Long Island City being reborn as an edgy boutique hotel. Located bang opposite the subway, two stops from Manhattan, it has a double advantage: rooms are flooded with light, especially for New York. Polished wood floors and furniture, hand-chosen by owner Gal Sela in Africa and Asia, invite a rest far from the hubbub of Manhattan. Unique hand-carved chess sets and cunning columns of kitsch paperbacks laze about the upcycled slats or repurposed old movie-theatre seats. Yellow taxicabs may not be whizzing by, but MoMA's PS1 is only two blocks away. The hotel endears with its air of calm, soaring spaces and friendliness."