UWS illegal hotel gets busted

An illegal hotel operating out of the Upper West Side last week became the latest victim of a new state law that’s cracking down on these facilities, the New York Press reported. Located at 318 West 75th Street, the landmarked five-story, 11-unit building had four of its units used as hotel rooms.

The rooms were advertised online at Airbnb.com, a travel site where owners can rent out their rooms or homes for short-term stays at a lower price than general hotel rates. Dee Rieber, the president of the neighborhood block association, said the building’s owner, Ron Shoshany, who is also the president of Sirkin Realty, has been trying to rid his building of tenants in hopes of operating all units as hotel rooms. Shoshany did not return calls requesting comment.

The online ads are now gone, as are guests of the illegal hotel, said Rieber. The Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement has issued violations, though specifics of the penalties were not mentioned.

As The Real Deal previously reported, illegal hotel penalties have spiked in the past year following a 2011 legislation directed at curbing these operations. [New York Press]