Nassau lawmakers OK limits on hotel and motel hourly stays in push against sex trafficking

Renting out a hotel or motel room by the hour anywhere on Long Island will be against the law now that Nassau County legislators on Monday approved a bill similar to one in Suffolk County aimed at fighting sex and drug trafficking. 

The bill passed unanimously, 17-0, with two legislators absent for the vote. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman will sign the bill into law, his spokesman Chris Boyle said. The county's Department of Consumer Affairs and police department would be tasked with enforcement.

Operators of these accommodations in Nassau would face fines between $500 and $5,000 if they offer rooms for fewer than eight hours at a time, and are required to have hotel and motel staff keep the names, addresses and photo IDs of people who book rooms for five years and security footage for at least 90 days to help potential crime investigations.

"Criminals count on the low cost and quick turnover to conduct their illegal businesses with no oversight," said Legis. Michael Giangregorio (R-Merrick), the bill's lead sponsor. "Too many places are located in residential neighborhoods, some in very close proximity to schools. This is not good for families and not good for our communities." 

The legislation is similar to one passed by lawmakers  in Suffolk and signed into law by County Executive Edward P. Romaine in December. Suffolk County spokesman Michael Martino told Newsday there have been no violations or fines since the law was enacted there.   

A 2025 Newsday investigation found there were nearly 60 hotel and motels across Long Island where police made arrests for sex trafficking, or prostitution, including one case involving a girl as young as 11. Law enforcement have said hotels and motels — which often costs less per hour than those in New York City — serve as hubs for sex trafficking with ads sending clients to various establishments, both large international chains and motor inns. At least 17% of the hotel cases involved child victims, Newsday's review showed. 

Representatives of the hotel and motel industry, however, say there are also many legitimate reasons travelers would book rooms for fewer than eight hours. Those include hosting birthday parties at hotel pools, spa outings, as well as flight crews and truckers looking for respite, said Dorothy Roberts, president of the Long Island Hospitality Association.

Roberts also said most large hotel corporations already train their staff to identify illicit activity and smaller operators are required by state law to train their staff, too.

"The hotel industry is already highly regulated already and this would add more procedure and policies to each individual hotel," Roberts said. "There are items in the legislation that the industry is not opposed to but there were some hotels who expressed concern over holding on to records for five years." 

She also said hotels and motels should get a warning before they are fined.

Laura Ahearn, executive director of the Nassau County Crime Victims  Center, said the legislation strengthens the enforcement tools and will help hold traffickers accountable. She praised an amendment in the Nassau bill that would require a guest to register the name, age and relationship to any child entering a hotel.

"We fully support this local law," Ahearn said.