City Council Passes Bill Requiring NYC Hotels To Obtain Licenses

NEW YORK CITY — The City Council have a passed a bill that would require New York City hotel to obtain licenses in order to operate within the five boroughs.

The "Safe Hotels Act" passed by a total of 45 to 4 votes on Wednesday.

The bill faced opposition from the city's hotel industry and was revised twice by City Council Member Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), the bill's sponsor.

"This legislation represents a significant step forward in ensuring public safety, protecting workers, and maintaining the high standards of service our city is known for in the hospitality industry," Menin said at a rally prior to the bill's passing.

“With this bill, we are going to be addressing public safety,” she added.

The bill would require hotel owners to pay a $350 application fee to obtain a two-year license.

In order to be licensed, hotel operators are required to have front desk coverage at all hours and have one security guard on duty monitoring the premises.

In addition, there is the requirement for hotels to provide panic buttons to housekeepers in case of any emergency and training on how to spot human trafficking, among others.

A provision that faced opposition was the requirement that workers in housekeeping and front desk operations be directly employed, rather than employed through a subcontractor.

Menin previously said this would address concerns about workplace exploitation and working conditions.

The requirement does not apply to hotels with fewer than 100 rooms.

The Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC) dropped its opposition after the changes were made, but others like the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) feel the bill will do "irreparable harm to the city’s hotel industry and tourism economy."

" From the start, this rushed and haphazard legislative process has been in service of one goal; to deliver a single special interest victory at the expense of small and minority-owned businesses. The updated version of the bill – while including some concessions thanks to the advocacy efforts of hundreds of hotels and hospitality professionals – still unfairly and arbitrarily targets hotels with 100 or more rooms with regulations that have nothing to do with the bill’s stated goal of increasing health and safety," Interim President & CEO Kevin Carey said in a statement to Patch.

"Instead, this bill will do material damage to the businesses and the tax revenue that hotels generate for the city’s economy and result in higher costs for travelers."