Hotels are critical to NYC workers and our economy —
but higher costs are costing the city hotels and jobs
The unionized NYC hotel industry includes hundreds of hotels that provide tens-of-thousands of largely immigrant, union workers with the highest pay and best benefits of any hotel workers in the country. These hotels also support a tourism industry that provides $79 billion in economic activity and nearly $7B in tax revenue for the city to thrive.
But the industry now faces a crisis. The city has lost thousands of hotel workers and rooms because persistent inflation, tariffs, declining tourism, and rising operating costs threaten the livelihoods of the workers who help power New York’s economy.
What’s at stake?
The Best Hotel Jobs in the Country
The NYC hotel industry offers unrivaled pay and benefits for its workers—better than any other major city in the United States and the vast majority of other unionized NYC workers performing similar jobs. All workers receive a pension and they and their dependents pay nothing for going to the doctor, seeing a specialist, medical exams and dental care (including orthodonture). And the base salary for a room attendant is significantly higher than all other major U.S. cities.
NYC Hotels’ “contracts are the gold standard in the unionized industry with the highest wages, best benefits, and most robust rights and protections.”
– HTC President Rich Maroko, July 2024 message to workers
388,000
hospitality jobs supported by the hotel industry
Highest Pay
highest hotel worker wages in U.S.
67%
foreign-born
Top Benefits
free or very low-cost health, dental and pharmacy benefits
What’s at risk:
A Critical Economic Pillar for NYC
The industry is vital to the city’s economy, boosting jobs, generating tax revenue, and anchoring tourism, while also serving as social infrastructure for migrants, homeless New Yorkers and emergency efforts during health crises and after fires.
40,000+
Hotel Jobs
$79B
Total Economic Impact
$50B
Tourism Spending
$6.8B
Tax Revenue
The NYC Hotel Industry is Shrinking
This indispensable industry is facing serious challenges and showing signs of strain, losing thousands of workers and hotel rooms over the last six years since COVID due to significantly higher expenses, tariffs, unnecessary construction and operation regulations and a tax on tourists that drives spending to other destinations.
- 24% fewer workers post-Covid
- New development down by 50%
- 20,000 hotel rooms lost since 2019
- Profits lower than 2018
- 2.4 million fewer visitors than projected in 2025