New York Mayor Eric Adams signs the Safe Hotels Act despite industry protests

New York Mayor Eric Adams is was met with a pointy response from the hotel and catering industry after signing the controversial Safe Hotels Act, reports.

The laws requires hotels in the city’s five boroughs to acquire business licenses. Also often called “Introduction. 0991”, the law opens up space for more stringent safety, staffing, cleansing and licensing standards to make sure the protection of employees and visitors.

“Our top priority from day one has been keeping people safe, and that includes protecting employees and tourists at our city’s hotels,” Adams said. “That’s why we’re expanding protections for the working-class New Yorkers who run our hotels and the guests who use them. The Safe Hotels Act ensures our hotels are safe, healthy and clean so the tourism industry can thrive and create jobs. This is a victory for working people, the tourism and hospitality industry, and all New Yorkers.”

The bill, sponsored by City Council member Julie Menin, was amended twice before it was passed and drew criticism from industry groups including the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and the American Hotel and Lodging Association. AAHOA President Miraj Patel says the recent law sheds light on issues that actually concern hoteliers.

“While we acknowledge the passage of the Safe Hotels Act and its attempt to accommodate smaller properties, this change still fails to address our broader concerns,” Patel said. “Hoteliers of all sizes deserve flexibility in managing their operations. The unintended consequences of the bill will disproportionately impact minority-owned businesses, stifling entrepreneurship and innovation in the hospitality industry.”

With nearly 800 hotels in municipalities, all will now should be licensed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), in accordance with . As crime increases in the city, hotels will likely be required to employ front desk and housekeeping staff over contract employees, in addition to have emergency buttons for workers in case of dangerous situations.

Under the DCWP, 45,000 businesses in New York are licensed, excluding hotels. Menin, a former DCWP commissioner, said it’s one among the few industries without regulation.

“There are many cases where hotel workers, mostly women, experience real sexual violence,” Menin said. “It also protects guests because ultimately we don’t want guests to come to our great city and have an experience in one of these crappy hotels… This is important because it’s a public safety issue. There have been 39 murders in hotels in recent years.”

Thirty-four of the council’s 51 members signed the bill, but the industry says the recent regulations will result in job losses and room rate increases, leading to an absence of tourists visiting the Big Apple.

“Hotels are now safe,” said New York Hotel Association President and CEO Vijay Dandapani. “New York has the best, cleanest and safest hotels in the country, if not the world. It’s an innovation center. We are the center of ideas. So to say that our hotels are not safe is a travesty.”

Over the past five years, the New York Police Department has filed greater than 14,000 complaints about crimes committed at hotels and motels.