NEW YORK — In New York City, you need a license to cut hair, work as a tour guide or run a dog daycare. But you don’t need such people to run a hotel.
The move comes after the city council passed a bill on Wednesday that would require hotels to obtain licenses and maintain them by following a set of new rules for daily operations, from how often rooms are cleaned to the staffing of front desk staff. The situation is likely to change. desk.
If signed by the mayor (whose office says he supports the bill), the bill would reduce crime, improve cleanliness and service levels, and improve labor standards at New York City’s approximately 700 hotels. Supporters argue that it is. Hotels range from luxurious five-star Manhattan hotels priced at $1,000 or more per night to affordable inns in the suburbs.
Most major U.S. cities, including Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles, have some form of hotel licensing, but in the Big Apple, hotels are regulated only by separate operating, sanitary, and building regulations. I am.
Councilwoman Julie Menin, a Manhattan Democrat and sponsor of the bill, told lawmakers before the vote, citing the example of a hotel that had received complaints but the city was unable to shut down, saying, “Regulation is desperately needed.” ” he said.
Under the proposed law, front desk staff, housekeepers and bellhops would have to be directly employed rather than subcontracted. They will be entitled to a panic button system that can alert security immediately if something goes wrong. Menin said the rules on subcontracting would make hotel owners more accountable “rather than shifting responsibility to a third party.”
The bill would establish a floor of service for guests, including continued service by security guards and front desk operators, linen changes upon request, and daily room cleaning unless guests ask not to be disturbed. I’m doing it. After the pandemic, many hotels across the U.S. cut costs by cleaning guest rooms less than once a day, or only upon guest request.
The New Yorker Hotel sign glows at dusk on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 in New York. Credit: AP/Mark Lenihan
When first proposed, the bill was supported by the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, the union for hotel workers in the city, but faced strong opposition from some hotel owners.
Correspondingly, broader regulations regarding the use of subcontractors were reduced.
The bill passed Wednesday would eliminate existing subcontracting, exempt hotels with fewer than 100 rooms from subcontracting rules, and require all hotels to hire parking attendants, food workers, specialized cleaning personnel such as window cleaners, etc. Allow secondary roles to continue to be subcontracted. Marble floor and aquarium.
The final version of the bill also watered down the consequences for violating the provisions, from immediate revocation of hotel licenses for serious violations to a 30-day grace period to correct deficiencies.
People check into the New Yorker Hotel on Sunday, February 18, 2024 in New York. Credit: AP/Ted Shaffrey
The bill passed by a vote of 45-4.
Kevin Carey, interim CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, called the bill “a victory for special interests at the expense of small businesses and minority-owned businesses.”
“Although the updated version of the bill includes some concessions thanks to the advocacy efforts of hundreds of hotels and hospitality professionals, it still unfairly and arbitrarily targets hotels with more than 100 rooms and is clearly written into the bill. “Regulations have been put in place that have nothing to do with the goal of increasing the number of guest rooms that are in place for health and safety,” Carey said in a prepared statement.
