City Sues Meyer and Joseph Chetrit Over Hotel Carter

Mayor Eric Adams’ administration says the Chetrit family’s “dirtiest” hotel is a public safety nuisance.

The city on Thursday filed a civil lawsuit against brothers Meyer and Joseph Chetrit, claiming they’ve failed to properly maintain the Hotel Carter in Times Square.

“The Chetrit family, headed by Defendants Meyer Chetrit and Joseph Chetrit, owns a large building portfolio nationwide and in the City of New York,” lawyers for the city wrote in a complaint filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. “Despite profitable careers in real estate, investing in and selling billions of dollars of real property around the globe, defendants have refused to maintain the buildings they already own, failing to comply with multiple laws meant to protect the public and keep buildings in New York City safe.”

The city alleges the Chetrits have racked up more than 155 violations at the 120-year-old property at 250 West 43rd Street, claiming the brothers have “abandoned this project” after defaulting on their $233 million mortgage earlier this year.

“We’ll be working with the city to resolve these violations,” a spokesperson for the family said.

The Chetrits paid $192 million in 2015 to buy the hotel, which TripAdvisor once named the dirtiest hotel in the city. The Observer wrote it was “undeniably, unequivocally, the worst hotel” in the Big Apple.

According to the city’s lawsuit, the Chetrits planned to renovate the property, but “have only intermittently held permits, and the building remains in disrepair.”

Some of the alleged violations include a first floor and cellar that were completely demolished without properly sealing off the interior to the public. Other conditions include “disconnected parapet panels in danger of falling; missing and detached panels; hanging wires; rotten plywood; out-of-plumb elements leaning toward parked cars; inoperable lights under the shed; inadequate signage; and visibility hazards, creating a risk that a car may strike the shed.”

In addition to Meyer and Joseph, the city names eight other members of the Chetrit family who hold ownership stakes in the property as defendants. The lawsuit says virtually all of the violations were issued while the Chetrits owned the building.

The suit seeks an injunction against the conditions and an order to fix them, as well as unspecified civil penalties.

The city alleges the Chetrits have abandoned the property. Last summer, lender Mack Real Estate Group sued Meyer and Joseph seeking to collect a $6.5 million personal guarantee on their mezzanine loan.