Defend NYC Tourism Coalition Rallies Towards Metropolis Council’s Catastrophic Lodge Invoice

Yesterday, over one thousand lodge house owners, employees, and small enterprise house owners, as a part of the newly shaped Defend NYC Tourism Coalition, rallied on the steps of Metropolis Corridor to combat towards the Metropolis Council’s so-called “Secure Motels” invoice. The Coalition is asking the Metropolis Council to reject the invoice, Int.991, because it threatens the sustainability of New York Metropolis’s lodge and tourism companies and places the livelihoods of hundreds of devoted employees in danger.

The Coalition contains members of the American Lodge & Lodging Affiliation (AHLA), Lodge Affiliation of New York Metropolis (HANYC), the Actual Property Board of New York (REBNY), Asian American Lodge Homeowners Affiliation (AAHOA), the Coalition for Lodge Subcontractors, the NYC Minority Lodge Affiliation, the Nationwide Affiliation of Black Lodge Homeowners, Operators and Builders (NABHOOD) and quite a few different teams and stakeholders that help New York Metropolis’s tourism trade.

“This laws will trigger irrevocable injury and damage hundreds of company, lodge house owners, employees, and small enterprise house owners who help New York Metropolis’s lodge and tourism trade,” mentioned American Lodge & Lodging Affiliation Interim President & CEO Kevin Carey. “The financial toll of this invoice will reverberate for years, forcing inns to put off hard-working workers, increase charges, and even completely shut. This isn’t a licensing or security invoice. It’s a authorities takeover of New York Metropolis inns, and we is not going to cease combating till it’s defeated.”

“The Nationwide Affiliation of Black Lodge Homeowners, Operators & Builders stands with New York Metropolis’s lodge house owners, employees, and small companies in opposing Int. 991,” mentioned Andy Ingraham, President, CEO and Founding father of NABHOOD. “This invoice would disproportionately impression minority-owned inns and builders, who’ve labored tirelessly to contribute to town’s tourism trade and create jobs inside their communities. The operational prices and regulatory burdens of this laws threaten to undo a long time of progress in creating inclusive alternatives for Black and minority lodge house owners. We urge the Metropolis Council to rethink this invoice and work with us to search out options that help financial progress and job creation – not stifle them.”

“Int. 991 is an answer in quest of an issue. It imposes staffing mandates that almost all inns can not afford, forcing closures, and disrupting lodge lending and transactions,” mentioned Vijay Dandapani, President & CEO of the Lodge Affiliation of NYC. “This invoice harms the monetary well being of inns and threatens the sustainability of New York’s tourism trade. The Metropolis Council ought to be working with us, not towards us, to help job creation and financial restoration.”

“The Secure Motels Act can have devastating results on our inns and the hospitality trade,” mentioned Rahul Patel, Treasurer of the Asian American Lodge Homeowners Affiliation. “This invoice would require our small inns to cease partnering with different small companies and drive them to let go of their workers. Our inns supply private service, usually with a small group of workers. If we may rent extra workers, we might, however it’s a disgrace that this invoice is making an attempt to drive us to work outdoors our present functioning enterprise mannequin. It’s patently unfair for the Metropolis Council to impose a one-size-fits-all enterprise mannequin on all inns. This invoice will destroy our livelihoods.”

“This laws is a dagger to the center of our Metropolis’s lodge, tourism, and leisure industries,” mentioned Jim Whelan, REBNY President. “It’ll damage the Metropolis’s financial restoration, reduce jobs and slash tax income. If enacted, it’s yet one more deterrent to investing in New York.”

“The hospitality trade couldn’t operate with out family-owned companies, first- and second-generation immigrant entrepreneurs, and small enterprise house owners who present housekeeping and upkeep providers, in addition to different wants particular to the hospitality trade, and right this moment we made it clear we’re a robust, unified coalition coming collectively to combat for our livelihoods,” mentioned Camilo Torres, Chief Working Officer of Lumina HR, a hospitality staffing options firm situated in Manhattan. “We hope this rally sends a message to the Metropolis Council that they need to rethink this laws and convey us to the desk to debate the problems we face and the way we will work collectively to unravel them.”

First launched by Councilwoman Julie Menin over the summer time, Int. 991 has been positioned as a “easy licensing invoice” by its supporters, however in actuality, it will impose harsh and expensive operational mandates that will drive many inns out of enterprise and eradicate jobs. It jeopardizes New York Metropolis’s 42,000 lodge jobs, the almost 260,000 jobs New York Metropolis inns help, and billions of {dollars} in income for New York Metropolis. Final yr, New York Metropolis’s tourism trade generated $74 billion in financial impression with greater than $48 billion coming from direct spending.

The Coalition additionally made clear the necessary security protocols already in place at member inns, and the trade’s long-standing dedication to finish human trafficking. Int. 991 is just not a lodge security and human trafficking prevention invoice. New York inns are already required to coach all workers on human trafficking consciousness and coaching – due to a regulation the lodge trade labored to move in 2022.