BY BILL PARRY
The Paper Factory, a boutique hotel in
an industrial section of Long Island City,
has been acquired by The Collective,
the British pioneer of the communal
living movement.
The Collective will transform the
building, located at 37-06 36th St., into a co-living
environment and cultural destination that integrates
the surrounding neighborhood at the southern end of
the Kaufman Arts District.
The Collective bases its unique living environment
on “A Theory of Human Motivation” by American
psychologist Abraham Maslow, which he published in
1943. In it, Maslow described the “hierarchy of needs,”
five different levels that when met allows a person
to “self-actualize” reaching their fullest potential as
a human being.
“We are profoundly excited for our arrival in Queens,”
The Collective Founder and CEO Reza Merchant said.
24 APRIL 2019 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
The Paper Factory hotel in Long Island City has been acquired by
“We love to join culturally vibrant neighborhoods who
are embarking on their own phase of change, and to
work alongside locals to understand their current needs.
Our vision for Paper Factory is to activate an inspiring
environment where the community of Long Island City
and our members can share unforgettable, enriching
experiences that have a lasting impact on their lives.”
The Collective’s members can take advantage
of flexible terms starting from a single night up to
a few weeks, with all amenities, utilities, Wi-Fi, linen
change and concierge services rolled into a single,
simplified cost.
The first phase of rejuvenation at Paper Factory will
its expansive ground and basement floors into a highly
varied series of spaces designed to host daily experi-ences,
ranging from cutting-edge music programming
to educational gatherings around the future of living to
mindfulness and wellbeing workshops. The program,
which will be open to members and to the public, will
strike a balance between intellectual growth, spiritual
inspiration and cultural discovery.
Courtesy of The Collective
a British company dedicated to short stay communal living.
“We are very focused not just how people feel in our
spaces, but what they may become there,” Merchant
said. “We take a huge amount of inspiration from
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and believe it is our duty
to cater to all needs of the pyramid, starting from es-sentials
like food and shelter. All the way to the top,
which is self-actualization. Seeing people grow and
achieve their full potential in life is what gets us out
of bed every morning.”
Next year, The Collective will turn its attention to
Paper Factory’s upper floors by adding more than 100
bedrooms to its current 125. The company already
owns two Brooklyn properties currently in development.
“Queens and Brooklyn are just the first steps on
our exciting U.S. journey,” Merchant said. “In today’s
increasingly global, mobile and access-driven society,
we are becoming citizens of the world rather than
citizens of a particular country. The network of loca-tions
that we’re building and activating will unlock
for people the freedom they crave to work, live and
explore on their terms.”
Community News
THE PAPER FACTORY HOTEL IN LIC TRANSFORMED
INTO ‘SHORT STAY’ COMMUNAL LIVING
/www.qns.com
/www.qns.com
