Midtown hotel operating as a brothel — as city sues to shut it down

A two-star Midtown Manhattan hotel is facing allegations it has become a front for prostitution — and the city has sued to get the doors closed for good.

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.

“You see women dressed like they’re going to a club, walking in and out around midnight with other men,” one man, who declined to be identified, and who’s 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. “I figured they were just hosting parties. Now it feels a little more obvious.”

NoMad Suites is the subject of a newly filed lawsuit from the City of New York, which accuses the building’s owners and operators of allowing sex work to flourish unchecked inside guest rooms while marketing the property as a legitimate hotel. 

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’s ownership entity could not be reached for comment. No criminal charges have been filed in connection to the allegations.

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 inside the property. The shelter closed not long after.

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.

The Airbnb units in the building, with an alternate address of 1234 Broadway, advertises as “one of the very few fully legal Airbnbs in Manhattan.”

Authorities charge the hotel’s quiet return to commercial use has masked illicit activity promoted openly online and confirmed through undercover NYPD stings. 

“These advertisements included … explicit images and/or suggestive statements,” the complaint says.

The complaint also alleges that city officials found an online ad promising: “We are cute and sexy Asian girls,” and “hot body” at the premises.

According to the complaint, on Sept. 4, 2025, one officer entered Suite 142 of the building and was offered a massage and “manual stimulation” for $100. 

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 “30 minutes of massage therapy,” the filing says.

While the building presents a polished image online, with listings offering “non-smoking rooms” and a “24-hour front desk,” city officials claim the reality inside is far more dark. 

“Defendants 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,” the filing alleges.

A couple visiting from Greensboro, North Carolina, who booked an Airbnb unit inside the NoMad Suites, told The Post on Wednesday they hadn’t seen anything overtly suspicious — but did hear plenty. They declined to provide their names for privacy.

“There’s a lot of hooting and hollering, and drunk people at night,” they said. “But nothing that made us think this was going on. That is crazy.”

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

“We just thought it was a regular Airbnb,” one told The Post. “We just walk around the neighborhood. We don’t know anything.”

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.

“A 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,” the complaint said.

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

“I see so many people coming in and out, it’s hard to keep track,” he said. “A lot of people from out of the country come — they’re the main customers. But now I’m worried. If the city shuts that building, I have to close too.”

With dozens of guests and tenants flowing in and out, officials say the building became the perfect cover for illicit activity.

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. — well before the street gets rowdy.

“I haven’t seen anything,” he said, “but then again, I leave before dark. Maybe at night you see more.”