New York City is set to close two prominent Midtown Manhattan hotels, the Roosevelt Hotel and the Stewart Hotel, which have served as migrant shelters. This decision will result in significant layoffs and marks a shift in the city’s approach to managing its migrant crisis.​

Roosevelt Hotel Closure and Layoffs

The Roosevelt Hotel, located at 45 East 45th Street, has announced plans to cease operations as a migrant shelter on June 22, 2025. This closure will lead to the termination of 96 out of 103 employees, as detailed in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed on March 21, 2025.

The Roosevelt Hotel was repurposed in May 2023 to accommodate the influx of asylum seekers arriving in New York City. At its peak, the hotel processed approximately 4,000 migrants weekly.

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Stewart Hotel Closure and Layoffs

Similarly, the Stewart Hotel at 371 7th Avenue has filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) with the New York State Department of Labor. The 28-story building, which has also been serving as a migrant shelter, is planned for conversion into a 625-unit residential complex. Sioni Group, which acquired the property in 2016, filed plans for this transformation with the city’s Department of Buildings in December 2024. ​

These closures are part of a broader initiative by the Adams administration to reduce the number of migrant shelters in the city. The decision reflects a significant decrease in migrant arrivals, which have fallen from a peak of around 4,000 per week to approximately 350 per week. The city plans to close over 50 shelters in the coming months.

The layoffs associated with these closures underscore the challenges faced by hotel employees who had adapted to roles within the shelter system. As these facilities revert to their original purposes or undergo redevelopment, the future employment prospects for these workers remain uncertain.