NYC closes migrant shelters as crisis eases, hotels prepare for next chapter

New York City is winding down its emergency shelter operations as migrant numbers drop, signaling a shift from crisis mode to a more structured humanitarian response. Hotel Merit in Hell’s Kitchen, once an emergency shelter, is now transitioning to its next phase. The rooms that were once home to migrants are being prepared for their new occupants.

“We’ve notified them that we’ll be closing the hotel in 30 days,” said Camille Joseph Varlack, Mayor Adams’ chief of staff, during an appearance on *Inside City Hall*. “One of the biggest manifestations of us moving this to the response level is the fact that we’re closing Randall’s Island,” she added. The closure of Hotel Merit follows the shutdown of the Quality Inn JFK Airport Rockaway Blvd and is a precursor to the expected closure of Randall’s Island migrant shelter by the end of February.

For locals like George Vamboukakis, who lives near Hotel Merit, the closure is understandable given the circumstances. “They want to get a better life,” he said. His neighbor, Cori McGuinley, echoed the sentiment, noting that “having opportunities for people to land and have a better life is important, and as a neighbor, I didn’t feel my neighborhood was impacted negatively at all.”

This easing of shelter demand is being felt across the state, with officials planning to close all 10 hotels housing migrants outside the city by year-end. “When some of this peters out, you’re going to see a drop in rates and occupancy. Some of these hotels need major work before they’re put back in inventory,” said Vijay Dandapani, president of the Hotel Association of New York City.

Though the hotel industry has not yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, Dandapani emphasized that hotel owners are prepared for the shift. “Everyone goes into the hotel business knowing it’s not like a long-term lease that you have,” he said.

Currently, the city is still providing care to approximately 58,000 migrants, down from a peak of 69,000 in January 2024. As the city’s shelter system adapts, the decline in migrant numbers marks a significant turning point in the city’s approach to the ongoing migrant crisis.