The New York City Council approved the Safe Hotels Act in a 45-to-4 vote on Wednesday.
The legislation has been under scrutiny and hotly debated by various hotel associations, advocacy groups and labor unions since it was first introduced in July. Groups that favor it say it will advance safety measures for hotel employees in New York City, while those opposed cite the hardship of mandatory staffing regulations and additional fees.
The local New York City bill calls for the following:
- All hotel operators in the city must hold a license to operate, with an application term of two years and a $350 fee.
- Operators of hotels with more than 100 rooms will be required to directly employ their core employees.
- These hotels will also be required to schedule staff that provide continuous coverage of the front desk. Large hotels will be required to schedule a security guard at all times while any room is occupied.
- All core hotel employees must have panic buttons.
- All core hotel employees must receive human trafficking recognition training.
- Hotels are required to maintain clean guestrooms, including daily housekeeping services unless the guest declines them.
- Hotels with less than 100 rooms are exempt from the direct employment requirement and may use contract labor.
The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council has exerted considerable political sway in legislative battles over the years, Politico reported in August. The union faced pushback over the last few months from hotel owners who pledged to spend millions fighting the measures. Some hotel owners and lobbyists pushed for negotiated terms, which resulted in the final bill exempting small hotels, among some other concessions.
Wednesday's vote was passed by a supermajority, meaning the mayor cannot veto it.
American Hotel & Lodging Association Interim President and CEO Kevin Carey said in a statement that the passage of the bill "will do irreparable harm to the city's hotel industry and tourism economy."
"From the start, this rushed and haphazard legislative process has been in service of one goal; to deliver a single special interest victory at the expense of small and minority-owned businesses," he said. "The updated version of the bill — while including some concessions thanks to the advocacy efforts of hundreds of hotels and hospitality professionals — still unfairly and arbitrarily targets hotels with 100 or more rooms with regulations that have nothing to do with the bill's stated goal of increasing health and safety."
Vijay Dandapani, president of the Hotel Association of New York City, previously opposed the bill but came around to supporting it, the New York Times reports.
"Because of changes we negotiated to this legislation that allow for fairer licensing rules and exempt small hotels from unworkable mandates, we now believe it will create practical standards that will protect our industry and its workers," he said.