AHLA Criticizes New York Metropolis Council’s Approval of Protected Accommodations Act

The American Resort & Lodging Affiliation (AHLA) has voiced its opposition to the latest passage of the Protected Accommodations Act (Int. 991) by the New York Metropolis Council. AHLA Interim President and CEO Kevin Carey condemned the act, arguing that it could considerably hurt town’s lodge and tourism sectors.

Carey acknowledged that the legislative course of was rushed and primarily served to profit a single particular curiosity group on the expense of small and minority-owned companies. Regardless of some concessions within the up to date model of the invoice, he criticized its concentrate on resorts with 100 or extra rooms, arguing that it could result in elevated prices for vacationers and harm town’s financial system.

Carey careworn the unity of the lodge trade in opposition to the invoice, citing the involvement of lodge homeowners, operators, manufacturers, staff, and subcontractors.

The Protected Accommodations Act mandates a lodge licensing program, requiring resorts to resume their license each two years and display compliance with well being, security, and labor mandates. The Act additionally prohibits the usage of subcontractors for housekeeping and entrance desk employees in resorts with over 100 rooms and necessitates human trafficking coaching. Nevertheless, resorts with a collective bargaining settlement that meets these necessities are exempt from this course of.

The AHLA and different trade stakeholders have been actively opposing Int. 991 since its introduction in July. Their efforts led to a number of amendments to the invoice, together with eradicating necessities for lodge homeowners to make use of all staff immediately, eliminating language creating joint-employment standing between homeowners who use third-party administration methods, and decreasing staffing mandates. The revised invoice additionally eliminated subjective components of the lodge licensing course of and the potential for revoking a license as a consequence of service disruptions.