A hip hotel in New York City’s Broadway District has been converted into a temporary migrant shelter as the Big Apple continues to grapple with an influx of migrants traveling to the city after crossing the U.S. southern border.
The Square Hotel, a boutique hotel located across from the Broadway theater currently playing the musical “Wicked,” has been silently housing migrants after announcing it would be closing its doors without explanation, the New York Post reported.
“To our valued guests: it is with great sadness that we announce the Square Hotel will be closed for the foreseeable future. We appreciate your patronage and hope to welcome you back someday soon,” the hotel wrote on its Facebook page.
The hotel, which once touted its Japanese restaurant, lobby bar and “sophisticated” decor, hardly resembles its previous self. It now reportedly has a National Guard soldier stationed at the entrance of the lobby who reportedly turns away tourists seeking a room for the night, according to the Post.
A sign in the lobby says that motor bikes chained in front of the hotel would be cut and removed. Many migrants use mopeds to make deliveries for food app companies since they cannot find other jobs without work permits.
The 141-room hotel sits three blocks from the famed Radio City Music Hall and is a five-minute walk to Times Square. A reservations agent for the hotel told Fox News Digital that bookings were suspended through July and will likely persist beyond that.
