{"id":101450,"date":"2026-01-15T19:21:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T19:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/101450\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T19:21:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T19:21:23","slug":"exclusive-nomad-suites-hotel-in-midtown-accused-of-operating-as-a-brothel-as-nyc-sues-to-shut-it-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/101450\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | NoMad Suites hotel in Midtown accused of operating as a brothel \u2014 as NYC sues to shut it down"},"content":{"rendered":"

A two-star Midtown Manhattan hotel is facing allegations it has become a front for prostitution \u2014 and the city has sued to get the doors closed for good.<\/p>\n

The glass double doors at 38 W. 31st St., known as the NoMad Suites, open to a narrow lobby where unsuspecting tourists wheel in their suitcases in and out. But at night, neighbors say, the tone shifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see women dressed like they\u2019re going to a club, walking in and out around midnight with other men,\u201d one man, who declined to be identified, and who\u2019s been living in a short-term Airbnb rental at the NoMad Suites for the past three months, told The Post in response to the lawsuit. \u201cI figured they were just hosting parties. Now it feels a little more obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a complaint filed on Monday and obtained by The Post, city attorneys allege the hotel is now a hotbed of illegal sex work, citing two undercover NYPD operations from late 2025. Mary Jacob <\/p>\n

NoMad Suites is the subject of a newly filed lawsuit from the City of New York, which accuses the building\u2019s owners and operators of allowing sex work to flourish unchecked inside guest rooms while marketing the property as a legitimate hotel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The complaint obtained by The Post, filed on Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court, calls for a full one-year closure and $1,000-a-day fines against landlord 1234 Broadway LLC and other named respondents. A representative for the building\u2019s ownership entity could not be reached for comment. No criminal charges have been filed in connection to the allegations.<\/p>\n

Unsuspecting guests are seen checking into the hotel. The Nomad Suites New York<\/p>\n

In 2021, the building briefly operated as a city-run homeless shelter for New Yorkers. That stint ended in tragedy when a 36-year-old man was stabbed to death<\/a> inside the property. The shelter closed not long after.<\/p>\n

Since then, the building has transitioned back into private use. But it now operates as a hybrid hotel\/Airbnb\/apartment mix, offering nightly bookings and longer stays. Online listings show roughly 13 short-term suites, with the additional rental units.<\/p>\n

The Airbnb units in the building, with an alternate address of 1234 Broadway, advertises as \u201cone of the very few fully legal Airbnbs in Manhattan.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the two undercover NYPD operations from late 2025, occupants offered sexual services in exchange for cash \u2014 $100 for manual stimulation in one case, and $150 for oral sex, the lawsuit alleges. The Nomad Suites New York<\/p>\n

Authorities charge the hotel\u2019s quiet return to commercial use has masked illicit activity promoted openly online and confirmed through undercover NYPD stings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese advertisements included \u2026 explicit images and\/or suggestive statements,\u201d the complaint says.<\/p>\n

The complaint also alleges that city officials found an online ad promising: \u201cWe are cute and sexy Asian girls,\u201d and \u201chot body\u201d at the premises.<\/p>\n

According to the complaint, on Sept. 4, 2025, one officer entered Suite 142 of the building and was offered a massage and \u201cmanual stimulation\u201d for $100.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A week later, another officer was directed to the suite where a woman allegedly agreed to provide oral sex for $150, in addition to $100 for a \u201c30 minutes of massage therapy,\u201d the filing says.<\/p>\n

Police are seen in front of 38 W. 31st St. on May 8, 2021 where a man was stabbed and later died. Robert Mecea<\/p>\n

While the building presents a polished image online, with listings offering \u201cnon-smoking rooms\u201d and a \u201c24-hour front desk,\u201d city officials claim the reality inside is far more dark.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDefendants have owned, leased, used, maintained or conducted the subject premises for the purpose of prostitution, and have permitted, promoted, condoned or acquiesced in the use of the subject premises for the illegal activity,\u201d the filing alleges.<\/p>\n

A couple visiting from Greensboro, North Carolina, who booked an Airbnb unit inside the NoMad Suites, told The Post on Wednesday they hadn\u2019t seen anything overtly suspicious \u2014 but did hear plenty. They declined to provide their names for privacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of hooting and hollering, and drunk people at night,\u201d they said. \u201cBut nothing that made us think this was going on. That is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint seeks to shut the property down for a full year and impose $1,000-a-day fines for maintaining a public nuisance. The Nomad Suites New York<\/p>\n

Four men sharing another Airbnb rental, who also did not share their names, said they had no idea the property was under city investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just thought it was a regular Airbnb,\u201d one told The Post. \u201cWe just walk around the neighborhood. We don\u2019t know anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while most guests from out of town were oblivious to the activity, the complaint highlights that some locals were very aware of what was going on. <\/p>\n

\u201cA review of the records of the New York City Police Department reflects that in July and August of 2025, multiple members of the public contacted the NYPD and alleged that prostitution was occurring at the subject premises,\u201d the complaint said. <\/p>\n

Investigators say online listings advertised \u201ccute and sexy Asian girls\u201d at the address, and that both the building\u2019s operators and owner, 1234 Broadway LLC, knew what was going on inside. Google Maps<\/p>\n

Next door to the building is MRA Fragrances, a perfume shop that leases space through the same landlord now being sued. The store\u2019s owner, who also declined to share his name, said he\u2019s concerned the city\u2019s case could put his business in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see so many people coming in and out, it\u2019s hard to keep track,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of people from out of the country come \u2014 they\u2019re the main customers. But now I\u2019m worried. If the city shuts that building, I have to close too.\u201d<\/p>\n

With dozens of guests and tenants flowing in and out, officials say the building became the perfect cover for illicit activity.<\/p>\n

Across the street, a shop manager of a jewelry store who also declined to share his name, said his store closes at 6 p.m. \u2014 well before the street gets rowdy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t seen anything,\u201d he said, \u201cbut then again, I leave before dark. Maybe at night you see more.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A two-star Midtown Manhattan hotel is facing allegations it has become a front for prostitution \u2014 and the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101451,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[13382,1489,68,810,2850,75,84,83,4327,57,360,9,24,63,103,5408,1491,3006,19980,58],"class_list":{"0":"post-101450","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manhattan","8":"tag-airbnb","9":"tag-commercial-real-estate","10":"tag-exclusive","11":"tag-hotels","12":"tag-lawsuits","13":"tag-manhattan","14":"tag-manhattan-headlines","15":"tag-manhattan-news","16":"tag-manhattan-supreme-court","17":"tag-metro","18":"tag-midtown","19":"tag-new-york","20":"tag-new-york-city","21":"tag-nyc","22":"tag-nypd","23":"tag-prostitution","24":"tag-real-estate","25":"tag-residential-real-estate","26":"tag-sex-workers","27":"tag-us-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101450\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}