John Hotel

It's a Chinese-owned hotel close to central Flushing. We didn't have many complaints, and we were able to park on a nearby street overnight. Breakfast could be better, since most of it seemed microwaved, but they do have porridge.

The big drawback for me was the heating in winter. There's central heat only, so even if you set the AC to cool, it blows hot air. You might try setting the heat to a temperature and switching it off when you need to cool down. When I was there in December, the room naturally got down to 65. There can be traffic noise, even on the seventh floor at 11am. Still, John hotel is a good option for a few days in Flushing if you've got places to visit in Manhattan. I rate it 3.5 out of 5, with some nuance. The location is phenomenal, the room solid and clean enough, aside from maybe some spots around the tub, and security is good. Main Street is two blocks away, with private guards and NYPD at every bank, and police are five minutes from the hotel. The 7 train is two blocks away, Tangram mall and its movie theater are next door, and Target is two or three blocks away. The LaGuardia Q90 bus is across the street, past the avenue and between Target and another restaurant. Skyview, where Target is, Tangram, and several other malls are within walking distance. There are so many food choices it was hard to pick a café, restaurant, or diner. By the train station, there's a 24-hour Chinese diner and a halal cart serving until 5am. Several spas offer foot, head, and back massages, usually $45 to $60 an hour. Cheap halal dinner is about $10 for a large portion, while a sit-down diner costs $15 to $20. Nearby options also include hot pot, Korean BBQ for $50, and higher-end sushi for $100. There's a laundromat 15 minutes away, with a bus going there. By train, Manhattan takes 40 minutes, the Empire State Building about 50 minutes, and Battery Park around an hour if you're going to see the Statue of Liberty. Morning rush hour is 7am to 9:30am, and afternoon rush is about 3:30 to 6:30pm. By car, there's just one road in, with an underground garage and the Skyview mall lot near Target.

We booked two rooms for the weekend of a popular concert, when lots of hotels and Vrbos were sold out. I felt we paid a bit too much for what we got, though the rooms were decent. Each had two beds, decent queen beds, a TV, mini-fridge, and microwave, all working fine. The bathrooms were nice, but the water pressure was weak. One room stayed humid, and opening the window or adjusting the AC didn't help. We asked about switching rooms, but they were fully booked. The view from the eighth floor was great, though the window was dirty. The front desk staff were kind and helpful, and almost always had answers to our questions. Parking and the airport shuttle were surprisingly cheap, and the location was good for local food and activities. We spent most of our time in Manhattan, and transit was manageable, about a 10 to 15 minute walk away. You get what you pay for comes to mind, but the room was decent.

Our airline booked us into the John Hotel after flight delays, and it was tolerable for a four-hour stay between flights. The hotel shuttle was jerky, loud, crowded, and stuffy. The driver had the air off for the 25-minute ride. There were unpleasant smells on our floor, and both the room and bathroom smelled strongly of cannabis. The shower needed a thorough cleaning. Not a particularly pleasant stay.