What's happening
This bill requires hotels in New York to rent rooms for at least six hours.
Why it matters
Affects all lodging facilities statewide. including hotels, motels, inns, and similar businesses—potentially changing how short stays are offered to travelers, locals, and businesses across New York.
Limits flexibility for both guests and hotel operators. by prohibiting room rentals in blocks of less than six hours, which could impact people seeking short daytime stays (e.g., travelers with layovers, people needing rest during daytime hours, or those seeking privacy for a few hours).
Represents a significant change in business practice. for the hospitality industry, requiring operational adjustments and possibly affecting revenue models for establishments that currently offer hourly rates under six hours, with potential downstream effects on pricing and availability.
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Who cares
Hotel and Lodging Industry
Hotel owners, managers, and staff will need to adjust their booking practices and potentially lose revenue from short-term (less than six hours) rentals.
Consumers/Travelers
Individuals who seek short-term stays, such as travelers needing a few hours of rest or people with layovers, will be affected by the inability to book rooms for less than six hours.
- Likely support
Local Law Enforcement and Community Groups
Stakeholders interested in reducing illicit activities (such as human trafficking or illegal drug use) that sometimes occur in hourly-rate hotel rooms may support the legislation.
Advocacy and Tourism Groups
Organizations advocating for tourism or for the rights and safety of travelers may have concerns about the impact on travel flexibility or, conversely, may support increased safety and community standards.
Headline styles
Limit Hourly Hotel Stays
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to consumer protection
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10357
IN SENATE
May 15, 2026
Introduced by Sen. RHOADS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring hotels set a minimum hour requirement
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 209-h to read as follows:
§ 209-h. Minimum hour requirements. 1. For the purposes of this section, "lodging facility" shall mean any inn, hotel, motel, motor court or other establishment that provides lodging to transient guests.
2. No lodging facility shall offer hourly rate options of less than six hours in duration for rooms with sleeping accommodations.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14569-01-6
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring hotels set a minimum hour requirement
Purpose
Prohibits certain lodging facilities from offering hourly rate options.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 209-h to read as follows: § 209-h Minium hour requirements. 1. For the purposes of this section, "lodging facility" as defined in the bill.
2. No lodging facility shall offer hourly rate options of less than six hours in duration for rooms with sleeping accommodations.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Justification
According to the Hofstra Law Review, sex trafficking in New York State hotels is highly prevalent, with up to 44% of sexually exploited youth in NYC exploited in hotels and 79% of trafficking victims nationwide reporting hotel-based exploitation. It occurs across all hotel types, from budget motels to high-end brands. This includes sexual exploitation and trafficking of minors.Sex trafficking can "masquerade" as other offenses and take many forms such as prostitution, pornography, strip- ping, escort services, and erotic massages.
While New York State has enacted numerous laws aimed at stopping these vile criminal acts, hotels and motels continue to be easy access points due to their relative privacy, availability for short stays and tran- sient nature. This legislation would prohibit "lodging facilities" with- in the State of New York, defined as any inn, hotel, motel, motor court or other establishment which provides lodging to transient guests from offering an hourly rate option for less than six hours in duration for rooms with sleeping accommodations. By requiring payment for a minimum six-hour stay, it is hoped this bill would increase the cost of, and lessen the opportunity to, utilize lodging facilities for criminal activity.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.