Youth Hostels Could Soon Pop Up Around NYC

European-style hostels could be coming to the Big Apple.  

 

City Council Member Mark Weprin's introduced legislation that would license and regulate youth hostels in New York City. 

 

Weprin says youth hostels aren't new to the United States, or New York, for that matter.  But he says a law passed in 2010 to ban illegal hotels essentially eliminated hostels, because it contains language that prevents more than four unrelated people from living in the same place.  

 

Weprin says providing a cheap alternative for young tourists to stay in the city would boost the local economy.

 

"[Young tourists] don't really care where they stay, they want to be able to experience New York City and spend their money in local restaurants, maybe some local shows that they can see and some concerts; or things they see in local clubs that wouldn't be too expensive and break their wallets," Weprin says.

 

Weprin says if the bill passes, new hostels would only be allowed in commercial areas of the city, so primarily Manhattan as well as parts of Queens and Brooklyn.  He says they would also have to meet safety codes similar to regular hotels.