Stay 2000 nights in a luxury hotel without ever paying a dime? This American did it

June 2018. Mickey Barreto walks through the doors of the New Yorker hotel in New York. He books one night, 200 dollars and 57 cents, and never leaves room 2565, where he settles in with his partner, until 2023. He doesn't pay for another night.

It's the media outlet Korii, referring to the daily The New York Times, that reveals the behind-the-scenes of the affair. Mickey Barreto, “a believer in conspiracy theories had just taken advantage of a legal loophole opened by an ancient New York law regarding rentals”. What does this famous law say? A hotel guest is permitted to become a permanent resident by requesting a lease at a reduced rate. The room then becomes, in broad terms, “a subsidised rental apartment in a hotel.”

An illegal eviction

The day after his move-in, the man expressed his wish to obtain a six-month lease at reception. The request wasn't accepted by the hotel management. Seeing that Mickey and his partner didn't leave their room, the bellboys took it upon themselves to evacuate their belongings. This resulted in a lawsuit, Mickey Barreto filed a complaint against the hotel with the New York City housing court, reports Korii. He cites, in a three-page handwritten affidavit, the “state laws, local codes and a previous court case to argue that his lease request made him a ‘permanent resident of the hotel’”. According to him, the removal of his belongings by the hotel staff amounted to an illegal eviction. Surprising as it may be, the judge agreed with him.

Always more... And then disaster strikes

Following his reinstatement in the hotel, Mickey Barreto examined the judgment and found that it didn't mention any lease, rent, or time limit. The document even granted the client a “final judgment of possession”. Convinced he had become the owner of the room, Mickey “attempted to have himself recognised, backed by the judgment, as such by the New York City finance department.” After numerous attempts, he was considered the owner of the entire hotel (the establishment being “indivisible”). The New York finance department, overwhelmed with files, had been lax. And Mickey Barreto took advantage of the opportunity, claiming 15 million dollars (nearly 13.9 million euros) on the hotel's profits. Moreover, he demanded that the 38th floor be vacated of its clients so he could study the building with his architect and start work and redirected all the hotel's mail to his room as well as all the establishment’s bank accounts in his name… In the end, always wanting more, he got caught.

Indeed, a judge, sufficiently attentive to the case, took hold of the file and immediately noted the fraudulent nature of his “deed of ownership”. After being expelled from the hotel in 2023, Mickey Barreto is now under indictment. The man is “facing twenty-four charges (including fourteen for fraud) for his attempt to take over the New Yorker hotel.” He is currently awaiting trial. Playtime is over.

(MH with Olivia Stasse - Source: Korii - Illustration: ©Unsplash)