The Safe Hotels Act is not so safe for hotels.

0:00 Speaker 1 Well, New York City is trying to hurt business more with us today is Kevin Carry. He is president of the American Hotel and Lodging Association thirty thousand members, and New York City is trying to pass the lot to city Council, the Safe Hotels Act. Well, it’s not so safe. Well, Kevin Carry, tell us about it. What is the Safe

0:31 Hotels Act?

0:35 Speaker 2 In a word, it’s something that would do damage to not only New York’s iconic hotel industry, but also the broader tourism economy, including small businesses, restaurants, retail establishments, but also New York City’s own fiscal health and that of the region. So this bill, which is ill conceived and abruptly introduced, would do grave damage. John, This is a New.

1:00 Speaker 1 York City Council trying to do it effective in New York City. And what does it do?

1:07 Speaker 2 So what it does is this bill would impose new operating costs mandates, requirements on staffing, It would limit the use of subcontractors. In effect, all of these mandates, which were advanced without any input or consultation with the industry, would impact not only this iconic industry which is so important to New York City’s economy, but have this broad

1:32 ripple effect across the broader tourism economy and do real damage to New York City and this hotel industry and the workers and guests that serves.

1:42 Speaker 1 What is it forshing the hotel owners to.

1:45 Speaker 2 Do so a number of things, And again I want to stress all of this is without the input or inviting the industry to be at the table. This bill was introduced in the initial proposal was to advance it through the City Council in the number of weeks without any input or meaningful dialogue with the industry. But advancing

2:10 these mandates, putting restrictions on the workforce and staffing, limiting the flexibility of the flexibility that the industry has to operate legitimately in the city. Are all these things that would have an accumulative effect, real impact, and would force hotel closures and obviously further reduce the number of rooms available to citizens and guests to visit the city.

2:34 Speaker 1 So bottom line is it’s trying to make it harder on hotel owners and harder on business.

2:44 Speaker 2 Correct it was discussed as being a licensing bill, and what this really represents is in effect a government takeover of the hotel industry without any input from the industry itself. And those are the areas that we’re concentrating on.

3:00 Speaker 1 Understood, what could the New Yorker that wants that, as pro business can do to help?

3:09 Speaker 2 Yeah, join the voice again, the focus on what this means for the hotel industry. Because of the interdependency and the connection that the hotel industry has to restaurants, to the tourism economy, to convention and events that come to New York City, this has implications beyond just the hotel industry.

3:32 So ensuring that the City Council and councilwoman men and hears directly from citizens and travelers, people who rely on a healthy hotel industry to serve guests really need to have a voice in this process. And our viue is that this bill should be withdrawn given the damage that it would do to the industry and the economy.

3:55 Speaker 1 By extension understood, well, Kevin, would you keep us, keep us informed about progress and let everybody it’s pro business and want to help in New York City because New York City is going in the wrong direction, keep us informed.

4:16 Speaker 2 We will certainly do that, and this is an industry that’s committed to safety and security for its employees and for its guests. And this industry has a long history and a current intensive focus on ensuring that the experiences that hotels create and the environment it creates with safety and security for its workers and its guests is paramount importance.

4:39 So we’ll continue to do that, and we hope others will join our voice and encouraging councilwoman men in the City Council to slow down, invite the industry to have a voice and withdraw this ill conceived legislation.

4:54 Speaker 1 Kevin Carrie, president of the American Hotel and a Lodgingpreciation, thank you so much for bringing all New Yorkers up to date, and we’ll and keep us informed that we’ll catch up with you again real soon.

5:07 Speaker 2 John, thank you so much