New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed the bill to create safer hotels for both workers and visitors and to boost the city’s tourism industry.
The new bill, called the Safe Hotels Act, would set new, stricter standards regarding safety, staffing and cleanliness in city hotels, as well as licensing requirements to enforce worker and guest protections.
The legislation builds on the economic recovery of the tourism industry under the Adams administration, with New York City expected to host an estimated 64.5 million visitors in 2024 and the highest levels of tourism in the city’s history in 2025.
Last year, the tourism industry generated an economic impact of $74 billion for New York City, with more than $48 billion coming from direct spending, supporting over 380,000 jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector – about 9 percent of the city’s workforce – and thousands of small and minority-owned businesses.
The controversial legislation – condemned by national hotel owners’ associations, but applauded by local unions – requires hotels in New York to have a special license.
Also, the law, which was revised several times after it was proposed on July 18, requires New York hotels to have continuous coverage of their front desk and large hotels to have a security guard providing continuous coverage within the property. All hotels are also required to provide daily housekeeping unless the guest refuses the service.
The “core employees” of hotels, i.e. those working in the cleaning and reception area should be directly employed and not through subcontractors. However, hotels with fewer than 100 rooms will be exempted from the direct employment requirement.
Earlier this month, the city council narrowed the definition of ” core employees” by excluding the food and beverage, security and engineering sectors, following industry opposition.
The legislation requires that hotel managers must provide all key employees with panic buttons and provide them with training on recognizing human trafficking.
Those who violate the licensing conditions will be subject to civil penalties, according to the New York City Council.
