NYC Hotels Launch Ad Campaign Highlighting Industry's Impact on Workers and the City

NEW YORK, NY (04/01/2026) (readMedia)-- Today, the Hotel Association of New York's (HANYC) launched an ad campaign and website educating decision makers about the state of the hotel industry and how critical it is to workers and New York. The ads will run across social media, streaming platforms, and the Web, with an initial $500,000 ad buy, making clear that the city's ability to capture the full economic benefits of the upcoming FIFA World Cup depends on its success in attracting visitors to stay in city hotels.

Slow revenue growth, high operating costs, tariffs and federal policies curbing tourism threaten the livelihoods of more than 40,000 hotel workers-most of whom are immigrants and unionized-and billions in economic activity. The Iran war has added an additional 10-15% drop in business, particularly from international guests who spend, on average, four times a domestic traveler. These pressures have already cost hotels 24% of its pre-pandemic workforce, and now put at risk the 388,000 tourism jobs hotels support, $79 billion in economic impact they generate, and $6.8 billion in annual tax revenue for city services.

The consequences of these headwinds leading up to the World Cup are already evident in declining demand for what could be an economic boon for hotels and the city. Recent data indicate that hotel bookings for the tournament period are currently lagging behind last year's levels, and FIFA is already starting to drop its hotel room blocks because of lower than expected demand.

Despite these headwinds, city hotels continue to offer the best industry wages in the country and precedent-setting benefits. For example, room attendants make close to $73,000 as a starting salary before tips, overtime, and other additional pay opportunities, and experienced room attendants make much more-well over $100,000 in wages, not including full benefits and pensions for workers. Servers in dining rooms and for room service often earn a gross salary of over $200,000 per year.

HANYC President and CEO Vijay Dandapani recently testified at the City Council Economic Development Committee hearing on the World Cup sounding the alarm, and penned an op-ed in the Daily News highlighting the same.

"If the City is to maximize the economic benefits of the upcoming World Cup, our hotels must be able to attract as many visitors as possible to fill rooms. Hotels are under enormous pressure and need relief to offset the many challenges facing our industry. Supporting hotels means supporting the tens of thousands of workers they employ and the wider tourism sector that drives New York City's economy," said Vijay Dandapani, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York.