Under NYC rules, any advertisements or offers for a hotel stay in New York City or to a New York City resident, including from hotels and third-party travel websites, must clearly and conspicuously disclose the total price for the hotel stay, including all mandatory charges.

When reserving a hotel stay, you must be given a clear breakdown of all fees and charges, including optional services, before you agree to pay. Beginning January 2027, you must also be given a disclosure about the terms of any holds or deposits associated with the hotel stay, including the standard amount, before you agree to pay.

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

Within 24 hours of a known service disruption, hotels must notify guests and anyone with reservation about the disruption.

The notice must specify:

• What the disruption is
• How long the disruption will last

Hotel service disruptions include any of the following conditions if they are substantially likely to affect any guest’s use of a room or use of a hotel service:

• Construction
• Unavailable elevators, wheelchair lifts, ramps, or accessible bathrooms
• Strikes, protests, or picketing
• Bed bugs, lice, or other insects
• Rodents or other pests
• Out-of-order advertised amenities (pool, spa, shuttle service, internet access, or food or beverage service)
• Out-of-order advertised appliances or technology (in-room refrigerators, internet, or Wi-Fi)
• No water, gas, or electricity

Hotels cannot:

• Charge a fee if guests cancel a reservation due to a service disruption
• Keep any deposit for an unused portion of the canceled reservation

Hotels must honor your room reservation.

You can submit a complaint for issues at the hotel, including:

• Cancelation without notice
• Contract or billing dispute
• Refund, return, or exchange refused
• Overcharge

The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) does not accept reports of rude employees. Report this type of complaint to the business.

For reports of discrimination, go to the Discrimination page.

The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) can help you with complaints about businesses in New York City. For complaints about businesses elsewhere, contact the local consumer affairs office or the State Attorney General.

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Learn how to file a complaint about a business outside of NYC.

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