🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - New York City, NY
STR Rules Face Pressure Ahead of NYC World Cup
Business Leaders Urge NYC to Lift STR Restrictions for World Cup
Photo by Wikepedia
New York City business leaders are calling on Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin to suspend restrictions on short-term rentals during the FIFA World Cup and other major summer events, arguing the city doesn’t have enough hotel rooms to meet demand.
Groups including the Partnership for New York City and chambers of commerce from all five boroughs sent a letter urging a pause from June 1 to July 31. They warned that with hotel occupancy already near 97%, visitors will be priced out or pushed to New Jersey and the suburbs.
“Without additional capacity, hotel prices will surge beyond the reach of working families,” the letter stated. “New York will project to the world that it cannot manage the logistics of hospitality at the very moment it is hosting the planet’s biggest stage.”
The request comes as the region prepares for eight World Cup games at MetLife Stadium, Fleet Week, and celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary. About 1.2 million visitors are expected for the World Cup alone, with another 6 million for anniversary events.
DD.NYC® Admin
Local Law 18, enacted in 2023, decimated Airbnb’s market in New York City by requiring hosts to register, limiting stays under 30 days, and capping bookings at two guests. While home-sharing apps are not banned outright, the law requires owners to remain onsite, making most listings impractical.
Airbnb has spent millions lobbying against the rules, blaming the Hotel Association of New York City and its union allies. Business leaders argue a temporary reprieve would cost the city nothing while preventing “hundreds of millions of dollars” from leaking out. Jessica Walker of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce said, “We are recommending a narrowly tailored suspension … People see this as a reasonable request that is meant to be temporary and have guardrails.”
Social Listening 🎧: Podcast
Policy talk doesn’t just happen in the news cycle—it can also live in long-form audio. STRisker’s Podcast Signal turns hours of episodes into actionable insight, indexing transcripts so you can surface key mentions of STRs, ordinances, and local decision-makers in seconds.
But hotel industry leaders pushed back. Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, called the claims “an absolute falsity and a red herring.” He said FIFA has actually canceled room blocks due to lack of demand. “The letter is untethered to any facts and is a propaganda piece put out by Airbnb with the chambers carrying their water,” he told The Post.
The mayor’s office said it will meet with business leaders next week to hear concerns. Menin has not yet commented.
Other cities, including New Orleans, Kansas City, and several in Southern California, have loosened STR rules for major events. Whether New York follows suit will test the city’s balance between protecting housing affordability and maximizing tourism revenue.
Stay Updated with STRisker
STRisker offers tools and features to keep you updated with the Short-Term Rental movement across the globe.
👍 We’d love your feedback.
We're always looking for ways to improve Bulletins.
Was this one useful to you? Other topics you'd like to see get covered?
✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!
-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading this Bulletin? Feel free to forward this along. We want to make sure operators and stakeholders are aware of regulatory changes in their area.