NYC Hotel Licensing Law

The NYC Hotel Licensing Law, also known as the "Safe Hotels Act," requires hotels to obtain and display a license to operate in New York City. It also creates enforceable safety and cleanliness standards, and requires protections for hotel workers.

You can report a hotel for:

• Not having a license
• Not displaying their license and complaint sign
• No overnight front desk attendant
• No security guard
• Unclean room
• No clean towels, pillows, or sheets in new room
• No clean towels, pillows, or sheets on request
• Allowing bookings for less than four hours
• Not providing panic buttons to employees
• Not directly employing core employees
• Not providing human trafficking prevention training to staff
• Retaliating against an employee

File a complaint against a hotel.

Important: A hotel cannot retaliate against you for filing a complaint with DCWP. If you face retaliation, you can file a private lawsuit for lost wages, reinstatement, and other damages. For a low-cost or free consultation with an attorney, you can contact:

• The New York City Bar Legal Referral Service
  Visit nycbar.org OR
  Call 917-634-3609 (English) or 212-626-7374 (Spanish)

• The National Employment Lawyers Referral Service (NELARS)
  Email NELARS@NELANY.com OR
  Call 212-819-9450.

While DCWP does not have the authority to file a retaliation on your behalf, we want to be aware of hotel’s employer actions. If you decide to file a lawsuit against the hotel, please complete our Court Case or Arbitration Notification Form.