Los Angeles Influence <\/p>\n
Los Angeles, CA , Nov. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — An independent analysis by Los Angeles Influence\u00a0<\/a>of statutory law, audited filings, and the City of New York\u2019s enforcement records confirms that LuxUrban Hotels Inc. is compliant with all applicable New York State and City sales-tax requirements. \u201cThey Got It Wrong,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Los Angeles Influence\u00a0<\/a>. Under N.Y. Tax Law \u00a7\u00a7 1101(b)(8) and 1105(e), online travel agencies (OTAs) that process prepaid bookings are legally defined as \u201croom remarketers\u201d and are the parties responsible for collecting and remitting sales and occupancy taxes. \u00a0OTA filings, the City\u2019s 2024 settlement records, and LuxUrban\u2019s SEC Form 10-K show that those taxes were properly remitted, and LuxUrban\u2019s direct collections were filed and paid in the ordinary course.<\/p>\n The data indicate no unpaid New York tax liability and suggest possible over-remittance caused by overlapping OTA and direct payments. Source<\/p>\n Key Point<\/p>\n N.Y. Tax Law \u00a7 1105(e)<\/p>\n Imposes sales tax on \u201cthe rent for every occupancy of a room \u2026 in a hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n N.Y. Tax Law \u00a7 1101(b)(8)<\/p>\n Defines \u201croom remarketer\u201d (e.g., Expedia, Booking.com) as a hotel operator for tax purposes.<\/p>\n 20 NYCRR \u00a7 527.9<\/p>\n Implements sales-tax collection rules for hotel occupancies.<\/p>\n TSB-M-10(10)S (Aug 2010)<\/p>\n Clarifies that remarketers must collect tax on the full retail price charged to guests.<\/p>\n TB-ST-331 (May 2012 \/ July 2025 update)<\/p>\n Restates that OTAs are hotel operators and must collect and remit applicable sales taxes.<\/p>\n Expedia Inc. v. City of New York Dept. of Finance, 22 N.Y.3d 691 (2014)<\/p>\n Upholds New York\u2019s authority to require OTAs to remit taxes on full rental charges.<\/p>\n NYC Mayor\u2019s Office of Special Enforcement (OSE) Settlement, Mar 2024<\/p>\n Confirms $4.8 M pre-2022 short-term-rental revenue; taxes filed and paid; $1.2 M civil fine resolved zoning violations.<\/p>\n LuxUrban Hotels Inc. Form 10-K (2023)<\/p>\n States: \u201cThe majority of sales tax is collected from customers by our third-party sales channels and remitted \u2026 by these channels.\u201d<\/p>\n I. Background and Operational History<\/p>\n LuxUrban did not operate hotels before December 2021. From 2019 to 2021, its predecessor (CorpHousing Group \/ SoBeNY) leased apartments for short-term stays. OSE\u2019s audit found about $4.8 million in total revenue from those rentals and verified that all related sales and occupancy taxes were filed and paid (OSE Press Release, Mar 5 2024).<\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n In March 2024 LuxUrban entered a stipulated settlement with OSE: a $1.2 million civil fine for zoning violations and a complete release of all pre-2022 liabilities upon payment. No tax deficiency was alleged. Since 2010, New York\u2019s tax code has treated OTAs as hotel operators for transactions in which they set prices and collect payment. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Rate<\/p>\n Theoretical Max Tax<\/p>\n Status<\/p>\n 2019\u20132021<\/p>\n \u2248 $4.8 M<\/p>\n 100 %<\/p>\n \u2248 14 %<\/p>\n \u2248 $672 K<\/p>\n Filed & paid<\/p>\n 2022\u20132025<\/p>\n \u2248 $200 M<\/p>\n \u2248 28 % ($56 M)<\/p>\n \u2248 14 %<\/p>\n \u2248 $7.8 M<\/p>\n Paid via OTA \/ direct<\/p>\n Because OTAs remitted taxes on roughly 92 % of bookings, LuxUrban\u2019s direct exposure was\u00a0limited. The company\u2019s own filings and the OSE settlement together cover the rest, producing full compliance and likely over-payment. Pre-2022: OSE confirmed taxes on $4.8 M of revenue were filed and paid.<\/p>\n 2022 onward: OTAs collected and remitted \u2248 92 % of taxes.<\/p>\n Direct bookings: Filed and paid timely.<\/p>\n Aggregate: Evidence of duplication and over-remittance.<\/p>\n Large unpaid-tax narratives are unsupported by statute, audit data, or arithmetic. Even before hotel operations began, LuxUrban\u2019s entire New York rental base was \u2248 $4.8 million. At 14 %, tax owed would be \u2248 $672 thousand \u2014 an amount already paid. Claims of nine-figure liabilities ignore law and math alike. The LuxUrban case has become a touchstone for clarity in hospitality-tax compliance. It demonstrates that:<\/p>\n OTA-merchant structures are well-defined in law.<\/p>\n Misinterpretation of filings can damage reputations and markets.<\/p>\n Accurate, evidence-based reporting is critical to investor trust.<\/p>\n Ensuring that LuxUrban\u2019s record is represented truthfully\u2014in courtrooms and in public discourse\u2014protects not only one company but the integrity of factual reporting across the industry. Exhibit A \u2013 NYC OSE Stipulated Settlement Order (Mar 2024) N.Y. Tax Law \u00a7\u00a7 1101(b)(8), 1105(e); 20 NYCRR \u00a7 527.9<\/p>\n N.Y. Dept. of Taxation & Finance, TSB-M-10(10)S (Aug 2010)<\/p>\n N.Y. Dept. of Taxation & Finance, Tax Bulletin TB-ST-331 (May 2012 \/ July 2025 update)<\/p>\n Expedia Inc. v. City of New York Dept. of Finance, 22 N.Y.3d 691 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2014)<\/p>\n NYC Mayor\u2019s Office of Special Enforcement Press Release (Mar 5 2024) and Stipulation of Settlement (N.Y. Sup. Ct.)<\/p>\n LuxUrban Hotels Inc. Form 10-K (2023) (SEC Item 7 MD&A).<\/p>\n Public coverage from Gothamist (Mar 4 2024) and Hotel Dive (Mar 2024) for contextual reporting of settlement facts.<\/p>\n CONTACT: Marianaa Brodsky CEO Los Angeles Influence info at thelosangelesinfluence.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Influence Los Angeles, CA , Nov. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — An independent analysis by Los…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48745,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[31553,48,52,51,47,50,49,31549,4694,31551,31550,15919,31552,1694],"class_list":["post-48744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-hotel-operators","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-luxurban-hotels-inc","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-state","tag-ota","tag-sales-tax","tag-tax-law","tag-taxes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Between 2020 and 2025, LuxUrban generated about $200 million in total revenue across 11 U.S. cities, with only \u2248 $56 million (28 %) derived from New York City.<\/p>\n
Summary of Legal Authorities<\/p>\n
II. Legal Framework: OTA Responsibility Under New York Law<\/p>\n
TSB-M-10(10)S explains that \u201cweb-based travel companies\u201d must register, collect, and remit tax on the full amount charged to customers.
TB-ST-331 reiterates that \u201ca room remarketer \u2026 must collect sales tax on the charge to its customers.\u201d
Accordingly, when a guest prepays through Expedia or Booking.com, those entities\u2014not the hotel\u2014are the statutory collectors of New York sales and occupancy tax.
III. Quantitative Analysis<\/p>\n
Sales Tax Liability Analysis: It would be mathematically impossible for LuxUrban to have a sales tax liability even a fraction of the stated amounts.
IV. Findings and Legal Assessment<\/p>\n
V. Commentary \u2013 When Common Sense Must Prevail<\/p>\n
Too often, commentators repeat numbers without verification, creating self-perpetuating error. Factual diligence is a duty shared by analysts, journalists, and investors alike.
VI. Industry Implications and Path to Accountability<\/p>\n
VII. Exhibit References<\/p>\n
Exhibit B \u2013 N.Y. Tax Law \u00a7\u00a7 1101(b)(8), 1105(e); TSB-M-10(10)S; TB-ST-331
Exhibit C \u2013 LuxUrban Hotels Inc. Form 10-K (2023), Revenue Recognition Section
References & Authorities<\/p>\n