This is more of a review. The Ravel Hotel is a new “boutique” hotel in Long Island City, which is striving to make itself hip and trendy. It opened two or three years ago. Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to marrying a couple on the roof-deck this weekend, which the hotel is calling “Penthouse 808,” which I presume stands for their address.
Ravel has great “concrete jungle” views. To the West, you see the East River and Manhattan skyline, as well as the Queensborough bridge. To the East, the view is equally dramatic, but more representative of Robert Moses and his penchant for highways. (I am not a Moses fan.)
The roofdeck itself is nice, although the photos online make it look sexier. My couple invited eighty guests. I think fifty to sixty would be even a more comfortable number, but up to a hundred could definitely fit. I also liked that the hotel staff seemed relaxed, which means that eloping couples staying at the hotel could probably sneak up their, order drinks, and have a quick ceremony. On another hand, they really need to invest in a microphone stand. My couple really wanted me to have a mic, which was probably not necessary even with the highway (I’ve officiated at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, which is louder without a mic a few times). But it was windy and I had to try to manage holding a book and the microphone. If you plan to marry here, definitely ask for a mic stand.
Overall, I am not sure I’d recommend the location to non-locals unless they were urbanites themselves. It’s a ten to fifteen minute walk from the subway underneath a bridge; apart from the studio, not much else exists in the immediate vicinity for convenience. Still, it is cheaper than Manhattan hotels, which is a plus.
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