Real estate braces for Mamdani
As Zohran Mamdani rallies against luxury condos, the workers at the Surrey Hotel are not in a good place.
The crowd on East 76th Street crushed against Zohran Mamdani’s podium, set up across from the Reuben Brothers’ Surrey Hotel for a rally. “The owners of the Surrey have said ‘we’re in a good place,'” Mamdani stumped, alluding to a quote Jamie Reuben gave the New York Post last year about the building’s luxury condo sales. “And sure, maybe the celebrities who can afford the Surrey, the tourists who can pay $1,300 a night, maybe they are in a good place. I hear the stories of workers who are not in a good place, workers who have been denied the right to unionize, workers who are struggling to make ends meet in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city,” Mamdani continued.
Mamdani, a candidate for New York's 36th Assembly District, has been a vocal critic of luxury development and its impact on working class neighborhoods. His latest target is the Surrey Hotel, owned by billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben, which recently underwent a $60 million renovation and is now selling luxury condos starting at $4.5 million.
As Mamdani and his supporters rallied outside the Surrey, they were met with opposition from hotel employees who were told not to speak to the media. One employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Real Deal, "We're not allowed to talk about the condo sales or the renovations. We were told to just do our jobs and stay quiet."
Mamdani's campaign has been gaining traction in the neighborhood, with many residents and workers voicing their concerns about displacement and gentrification. "The Surrey Hotel is just another example of the wealthy developers and politicians