"Safe Hotels Act" would set up licensing system for NYC hotels. How it aims to protect workers, guests
NEW YORK – A move to set up a licensing system for New York City's hotels is being met with strong opposition from groups representing hotel owners.
Councilwoman Julie Menin has introduced the "Safe Hotels Act," which will require every New York City hotel to be licensed through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
Among the rules:
- Front desk and housekeeping must be employed by the hotel, but security and other departments can be subcontracted out,
- A prohibition on hourly rate hotels to curtain human trafficking,
- And panic buttons for employees.
NYC councilwoman says "Safe Hotels Act" will protect guests, communities
"This bill is incredibly important. It protects guests, it protects communities and it protects workers," Menin said.
Menin said while most of the city's nearly 800 hotels are safe, there are a small amount of bad actors that the city doesn't have enough authority to regulate.
Back in 2021, an infamous murder at the Umbrella Hotel in Kew Gardens, Queens followed hundreds of community complaints about crime. Menin said the city struggled to shut it down due to a lack of legal jurisdiction.
"The data shows that the crime rates are significantly up in and around hotels, and that is why the five district attorneys of New York, the New York Attorney General Tish James and the police union have all come out in favor of this bill," she said.
Menin said similar licensing already exists for hotels in Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Trade groups concerned bill will make it too easy to shut down hotels
Menin said amendments have been made to accommodate hotel owners, but trade groups say it's not enough.
"Hotels in New York City are already licensed. It's called a certificate of occupancy," said Vijay Dandapani, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City.
Dandapani said hotels are still struggling to recover from the pandemic and that they are among the safest hotels in the world. He's concerned the bill makes it too easy for hotels to be shut down.
"It's tied to all these so-called service disruptions, which are arbitrary and capricious. Take for instance if the noise level is too high, it doesn't say how high," he said.
"There are close to 20 permits that hotels must maintain to operate," said Kevin Carey, interim president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. "They should put this bill aside and start over."
The next step is to hold a hearing on the bill, but Menin remains willing to meet with hotel groups to make amendments as needed.
The Hotel Trades Council, which represents unionized hotel employees, said it supports the bill.