At the Community Board 8 Liquor License Committee meeting, representatives from the Mayflower Business Group revealed that the 186th St hotel would carry the Wyndham Garden brand. The Wyndham Hotel Group describes this brand as follows:

Wyndham Garden® an upper-midscale brand encompassing more than 100 hotels around the world in urban, suburban and airport locations. Each hotel provides a relaxing experience for guests traveling for business or leisure looking for thoughtful service and comfortable accommodations close to all the action.
…Hotels offer free Wi-Fi, convenient dining options, inviting lobbies and lounges, and flexible meeting spaces. With a strong and growing footprint around the world, including many hotels conveniently located near major airports, Wyndham Garden brings a carefree convenience and peace of mind to both business and leisure travelers.

Blossom Ho, self-identified as the hotel manager noted that St. John’s and Queens College were nearby. “There are a lot of people who come here to do the campus tours so we want to provide a really good environment for the parents.” she noted. That is not totally inconsistent to what Mayflower spokesmen once stated about hotel guests (see this post. Ho also explained, “We are also targeting companies that may want to move away from the City…(and) people who are willing to explore more about this area.”

Shengming Shi, applicant attorney, then spoke and stated that “The primary targeted guests are the tourists from two nearby airports: JFK and LaGuardia. …In the future, the hotel will provide a shuttle bus from the hotel to the airports. It will also be open to the public but they will have to pay a fee. Discounts will also be provided to people from the community.”

Ms. Ho noted that on her first day as manager, “I posted my recruiting information to the two colleges. I really want to recruit people from the neighborhood.” The FMTA would be happy to pass along job postings, but notes that to date the Mayflower Business Group management has refused to meet with any leaders in our extended community, including elected officials such as State Senator Tony Avella.

Of note, the original design drawings way back when for the 186th Street hotel featured the lower-tier, “midscale” Wingate By Wyndham branding. That branding would not have required a (cocktail) lounge, meeting rooms, or a restaurant. Or the shuttle bus that Mr. Shi stated would be available to the community.