Here’s how New York’s migrant hotel compares to the new digs

Dozens of migrants are scrambling to trade their free digs at a three-star Manhattan hotel for shed-like living conditions in Brooklyn — and it’s no wonder.

The Watson Hotel on West 57th Street, where they were housed courtesy of the city, is a prime Manhattan location easily accessible to shopping and even jobs, the migrants said.

They said there were no more than two per room – sometimes taking advantage of all the space themselves, including a private bathroom and shower.

A two-ride MetroCard was also provided to them daily, one immigrant said.

But to ease the lack of space, the city is trying to move single men to Brooklyn’s Red Hook cruise terminal.

While the facility offers stunning views of the water, the refuge space, designed to accommodate 1,000 people, is not so glamorous.

The terminal’s huge open space is filled with hundreds of side-by-side beds, covered in a green blanket and featuring a single white pillow, according to video provided to The Post on Monday.

The bathrooms are clean but shared, each with eight toilets and four sinks. City hall sources said there were about 85 or 90 dressers in total.

Many migrants have complained about the lack of warmth and privacy at the settlement and its relative isolation from city life.

The cruise terminal is not served by the metro, but migrants benefit from a ferry fare.

And forget the private showers. Men must leave the main facility and enter moving trailers outside to find a shower stall, but only if they make a reservation first.

“The cruise ship terminal is better than the homeless shelter, where there were a lot of crazy Americans and drugged Americans,” said a 42-year-old migrant from Venezuela.

“But the cruise ship terminal is not as good as the hotel.”

City Hall Press Secretary Fabian Levy told The Post on Monday, “This weekend we began the process of transferring single adult males from the Watson Hotel to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, so that we are transforming the hotel to meet the large number of asylum-seeking families with children.”

“More than 43,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York since last spring, and we continue to exceed our moral obligations by providing asylum seekers with shelter, food, healthcare, education and a crowd. other departments.”

“The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal facilities will provide the same services as all other humanitarian aid centers in the city, and the planned moves to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal this weekend went according to plan. We still have a serious need for support from our state and federal governments.