Grab some continental breakfast and wake the Germans in the next bunk: the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement has begun cracking down on a law that went into effect on May 1 that bars apartment rentals for less than 30 days and prevents building owners from renting a single unit for temporary use. more ›

Looks like Williamsburg isn't the only neighborhood where the illegal hotel business is booming. Times Square is starting to get its own cropping of shady lodgings, and the city is having a hard time shutting them down. more ›

Williamsburg's Hotel Toshi has been making headlines recently, and today the half hotel/half residential building is back in print, with word that residents are tired of sharing the space with guests who have a penchant for late-night partying. more ›

Last night, the Department of Buildings shut down the L Hostel in Harlem, forcing guests—many of them stranded in NYC due to the volcanic ash situation— out on the streets. The Post says "order to vacate" was issued because the building apparently only has one staircase while NY1 reports the DOB says it's an illegal conversion. However, the owner says everything is on the up and up. more ›

With lots of loft space and a young population, Williamsburg seems like it would be a perfect place for a youth hostel, and has enjoyed a boom of hostel development in the past few years. (Much to NY Shitty's chagrin.) However, an investigation last week showed nearly a dozen hostels in the area that were operating without a certificate of occupancy. One raid exposed two hostels located in a N. Sixth Street building, closing "Loftstel" but letting Zip112 remain open after the owner argued that a ladder served as a fire exit, according to the Brooklyn Paper. more ›

New York Loft Hostel is open for business and invites you and yours to "live like a hipster king"! The 1912 "original loft type building" offers up a pool, jacuzzi, 2000-sq-ft garden, bunk beds galore and wifi. But what's a hipster king without a hipster queen? The building is separated into male and female quarters; Curbed notes that "there's a 14-bed female dorm, 20-bed male dorm and a 22-bed mixed dorm." The loft is located at 249 Varet Street, and it'll cost you around $20-something per night -- upon a quick reservation booking test, to stay for all of August it would cost $838.57. That's some cheap rent right there! more ›