Why New York’s new mayor is Airbnb’s worst nightmare – as Zohran Mamdani says he will make the city ‘better for tourists’
It’s one of the world’s most successful vacation rental companies, but Airbnb looks set to remain in New York’s shadow for at least another four years after the election of new mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist defeated former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa on Tuesday in a race with more than 50 percent of the vote to become the Big Apple’s youngest and first Muslim mayor.
While California-based Airbnb has become the global choice of many tourists for everything from city breaks to sunshine getaways, the brand has become increasingly frustrated by the Big Apple’s strict rules on short-term vacation rentals.
The news that Mayor Mamdani is now on his way to City Hall almost certainly means that the vast majority of Airbnbs will be wiped off the map for visitors for the foreseeable future.
The new mayor has been vocal throughout his campaign, blaming the tourism brand for prioritizing cheaper housing for New Yorkers Increasing rent prices for those living in the city.
The average price of a hotel room in New York was around £318 per night in 2024, and self-catering accommodation, especially for large family groups, has traditionally been a way to keep costs down.
But visitors currently planning to visit the home of iconic attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and Central Park will find that vacation rentals to some of New York’s most famous tourist areas are currently virtually unavailable on Airbnb.
The coming into force of Local Law LL18 on 18 2023 has already made it extremely difficult for homeowners to rent their homes for less than 30 days.
Zohran Mamdani cruised to victory in New York City on Tuesday night, electing the city’s new mayor with more than 50 percent of voters — but Airbnb wasn’t celebrating…the democratic socialist is a longtime critic of the travel brand
Rentals must be registered with the council and property platforms cannot legally process payment for a property that is not registered. Hosts must be present, and even then, only two guests are allowed in rentals where the host lives on the property.
Are there roads around it? Visitors can head to nearby New Jersey, where regulations are looser… but they can also expect a long walk on the train to the bright lights of Times Square.
The city remains the most visited city in America, with 65 million visitors contributing nearly £60 billion to both the city and the New York State economy in 2024.
In September, Airbnb spent £765,000 on a campaign criticizing all three mayoral candidates for their stances; Mamdani, however, was the holiday accommodation platform’s strongest critic.
Michael Blaustein, a spokesman for the committee behind the campaign known as the Super Pac, said at the time: ‘These candidates continue to promote a false narrative that blames homeowners for the housing crisis, despite evidence to the contrary.’
The Big Apple is the world’s favorite US city, attracting 65 million visitors in 2024, but Airbnb stays are largely off the map after strict regulations, officially Local Law 18, made it extremely difficult for owners to rent short-term stay properties in 2023.
Do you want to go to Jersey? Laws are more flexible in New Jersey, but visitors won’t feel like they’re stuck in the middle of the Big Apple action
Elsewhere in the city, Mamdani, who moved to New York from her native Uganda when she was just seven years old; The son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, he has pledged to reinvest in New York City’s tourism office.
The new mayor has also vowed to appoint a ‘World Cup czar’ ahead of next summer’s tournament in North America, with the first match kicking off on June 11, 2026.
On the campaign trail earlier this month, he said: ‘Hotels are reporting empty rooms and even landmarks like the Empire State Building sometimes have no queues at all.
‘The World Cup offers the perfect opportunity to change this situation.’
11 US cities, as well as destinations in Mexico and Canada – Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles will host the matches.
With less than eight months until the football tournament kicks off, Trump said he would ensure San Francisco and Seattle were ‘safe’ to host matches in the US next year, adding that the cities were ‘run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing’.
Lumen Field in Seattle will host six games in next summer’s tournament, and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, an hour from San Francisco, will host the same amount of games.
Trump once again threatened to send federal troops to Chicago, as he did in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. He promised that the city would be made ‘safe’ for the World Cup, despite not currently hosting any games.
