The Year in retrospect.
2024 was and remains the most eventful year for over a decade in terms of legislative issues that were/are inimical to the industry, starting with the initial version of the licensing bill that was rightly termed a nuclear bomb, to the ongoing bill seeking to gut Local Law 18 by allowing one and two family homes to rent transiently as de-facto hotels with almost none of the rigorous regulations and safety aspects of hotels. More on these two later in the letter. 
As in previous years, HANYC’s team staged a number of presentations, seminars and events that spanned the gamut of operations, marketing and of course, labor relations. HANYC’s exclusive partnership with Mastercard showcased at the Annual General Meeting and at a private roundtable with both providing invaluable geo-specific marketing data for hotels. Similarly, HANYC’s partnership with Expedia provided pointed insights into the NYC hotel market for members.
Other HANYC seminars and events included presentations by then Commissioner of DSNY and current NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, an SRO/Hotel Stabilization seminar, a talk by the Director of OSE on the new STR law’s status, Human trafficking training and Sustainability Committee Webinars on renewable energy, among others.
The 2024 Red Carpet Gala was a resounding success having honored an outstanding New Yorker, Richard Buery, CEO of Robin Hood, New York City’s most consequential charity and Susan Santiago, President, US and Canada at Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
HANYC was pleased to add 14 new Hotel members and 34 new Allied members in 2024.
Coalition of hotels to fight Int 0991 
HANYC’s President met with 26 of 51 City Council Members;
Spoke on multiple occasions in July through September with Majority Leader Amanda Farias who agreed to stay off the bill until the very end, when version C was adopted and signed off by HANYC. Also, held a virtual fund-raiser for her where we raised nearly $3K;
Personally coordinated a relief effort in Middle Village, Queens in the aftermath of a fire that destroyed 11 single family homes and arranged for cash relief to the affected families from the HANYC Foundation;
Engaged a grass roots advocacy platform CiviClick for an online campaign that reached over 10,000 residents in the five boroughs with nearly 5,500 advocates (those who called City Council Members on our behalf based on tracking data from CiviClick);
Pro-actively reached out and secured the support of major New York City organizations including the Partnership for New York City, REBNY, Grand Central Partnership and JLL;
It was HANYC’s efforts that ultimately resulted in “version C” of the bill that reduced the number of categories of employees that constitute “core employees” and eliminated the overhang from previous versions that would have prevented REITs and other owner groups from owning hotels in NYC owing to the necessity of a “single employer”. HANYC was exclusively responsible for negotiating an exemption for the core employee rule for hotels of 100 rooms or less.
Coalition to fight Int 1107
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and bill sponsor CM Farah Louis introduced Int 1107, a bill that carves out one and two-family homes from key provisions of Local Law 18, enabling these units to be rented transiently without the owner or operator’s presence. Apart from potentially opening over 700K units to STR platforms, it would result in demands by renters in condos and other multi-family units for similar exemptions.
HANYC reached out to a housing coalition that would be the most affected by the potential loss of housing stock that would ensue as a consequence of the law allowing open these building to transient rentals. In response HANYC renewed partnerships with true grass roots organizations such as TenantsPAC and affiliated organizations such as Churches United for Fair Housing to put together a campaign.
HANYC is a resource for information on issues beyond labor that affect NYC operations. Some of the guidance provided over the year included responses to inquiries regarding e-bike concerns, new containerization of waste rules, Local Law 97, FLSD certification, the upcoming ban on small plastic bottle amenities, and junk fee legislation, among others.
The HANYC Foundation’s contract with the city to facilitate hotels housing migrants was renewed and is expected to last through 2025. That effort is in keeping and continuation of the work HANYC and its Foundation did during the Covid crisis when it helped out the City. The Foundation does not profit from the activity, but any residual fees after paying for employees specific to this work is directed to noteworthy NYC charities including Citymeals on Wheels, Restore NYC, etc. besides providing for scholarships for children of exempt hotel employees.
HANYC is already looking forward to 2025 and ask that you mark your calendars for the following events, besides others we expect to announce as the year progresses:
- Red Carpet Hospitality Gala – April 7th 2025 at the JW Marriott Essex House
- Golf, Tennis & Pickleball Outing – June 9th 2025 at the Scarsdale Golf Club
- End of Summer Party – September 2025, date and venue TBD
- Annual General Meeting – November 2025, date and venue TBD
In closing, we at HANYC wish all our members a happy and healthy holiday season and warmest wishes for a wonderful 2025!
Niki Franzitta
Albert Fernandez
Tamta Beriashvili
Neil Tai
Rhea Randhawa
Alan Guan
December 24th 2024
