How to Protect Hotel Employees and Visitors in New York City

Many people dream of seeing New York, and every year tourists come to the capital of the world, to the city of the Big Apple. And, naturally, people think about where to spend these unforgettable days: someone rents an apartment, and many stay in hotels.
Manhattan City Councilwoman Julia Menin wants to license 800 hotels in New York City, arguing that the industry needs stricter regulations to protect workers and guests. She is backed by a union representing 40,000 hotel workers.
“While the vast majority of hotels are safe and positive for the city’s economy, we do have some bad hotels, which is why there have been 39 murders in hotels in recent years and over 14,500 complaints to the NYPD,” she told NY1.
The Safe Hotels Act would establish a licensing system for hotels under the Department of Consumer and Labor Protection, require security measures on the premises of large hotels, require employees to use emergency buttons, and require that front desk staff and housekeepers be employees of the hotel rather than subcontractors.
New York City’s hotel licensing bill is facing stiff opposition. After intense pushback from several groups representing hotel owners, Menin canceled a recent City Council hearing on the Safe Hotels Act. But she then rallied with supporters on the steps of City Hall, vowing to move forward and signaling her willingness to amend the bill.
But in the free democratic city of New York, unions can make demands. 1,500 hotel professionals and executives gathered on the steps of City Hall on Sept. 12 to urge the City Council to repeal legislation requiring hotels to obtain a license to operate in the city, which they say will destroy jobs.
AHLA Protect NYC Tourism Coalition Interim President and CEO Kevin Carey denounced the proposed Safe Hotels Act while speaking on the steps of New York City Hall.
In an August 15 post on the social media platform, Menin suggests the Safe Hotels Act could prevent human trafficking, which is “necessary for public safety.”
The coalition says the law will put tens of thousands of jobs at risk and cost billions of dollars in lost revenue. It will significantly increase hotel costs and strain the city's tourism industry, the coalition says.
If passed, New York City hotels would also be required to maintain continuous surveillance at their front desks, and larger hotels would be required to have at least one security guard on duty at all times, according to a statement from the New York City Council. They would also be required to “hire their essential employees directly,” the statement said. It would prohibit hotels from using subcontractors for functions like housekeeping, check-in, and security, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association said in a press release.
After the proposal was introduced, numerous hotel associations denounced the bill. Similar rallies could lead to the bill's repeal. Participants in the rally carried signs that read, "Provision 991 is killing tourism in New York City" and "Save our jobs."
Last year, New York's tourism industry brought in $74 billion for the city and the United States.
Meanwhile, the Hotel and Gaming Workers Union of New York/New Jersey supports the bill, with HTC President Rich Maroko saying, “The hotel industry felt they could intimidate and bully our union and elected officials into backing down on this bill.”
The union says the act will protect some of the health and safety measures of hotel workers who struck across the country over the Labor Day weekend to demand workplace protections and higher wages. The union also says the act will “reduce the use of exploitative subcontracting agencies at most hotels.”
Marina Lagunova