Surveillance video shows the man lunging at the 33-year-old victim with a knife.
It happened at 6:15 a.m. Sunday inside the La Quinta Inn on Queens Boulevard in Long Island City.
The man had been loitering inside the hotel lobby.
The worker was handing the man a bottle of water when he attacked, slashing the victim across his hands and ear before walking off.
The victim was taken to New York Health + Hospitals Elmhurst in stable condition.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
ALSO READ: Brooklyn teen shot in apartment building hallway
----------
* More Queens news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube