Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh cancels wedding guests’ reservations to accommodate asylum seekers relocated from New York City

By TONY AIELLO

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    NEWBURGH, New York (WCBS) — New York City’s move to relocate some asylum seekers to a suburban hotel is causing controversy, and a major inconvenience for one engaged couple.

They can no longer access hotel rooms that were reserved months ago for their wedding guests.

“What we feel right now is, we feel very cast aside,” said Sean Plunkett, the groom-to-be.

It’s not how Plunkett and his fiancée, Nicole Hoeffrle, of Maspeth, Queens wanted to spend the week before their wedding in Orange County.

Months ago, they reserved a block of 37 rooms, which were quickly snapped up by their guests, at the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh.

This week, the hotel suddenly canceled the deal in order to accommodate the asylum seekers Mayor Eric Adams relocated.

The couple is scrambling to find rooms for 60 guests and trying not to let the mess sour the pre-wedding mood.

“I don’t think that it’s really beneficial to myself or Nicole to take our anger out on New York City, or on Orange county, or on the hotel. At this point we really just want our wedding to be as wonderful a day as we’ve hoped,” said Plunkett.

Plunkett and Hoeffrle are not alone. We’ve learned of at least one other engaged couple, and several large groups, forced to look for new hotels now that asylum seekers are using this one.

An Orange County Christian ministry is being forced to move its Sunday services, since it no longer has access to the hotel.

The Crossroads Hotel is part of the Choice Hotels chain. Corporate said this wasn’t the company’s problem and directed us to management of the independently-owned Newburgh hotel, which ignored multiple requests for comment.

Plunkett and Hoeffrle never expected housing for asylum seekers would impact their wedding plans.

“This is a whole, big hot-button issue, but at this point we really just want what’s best for us and our friends and family,” said Plunkett.

Late Friday, DocGo, the company hired by New York to manage the asylum seekers’ stay, said it wanted to help the couple find room for their guests.

After our story aired, a spokesperson for Choice Hotels told CBS2 they had contacted the affected guests “and are ensuring they are assisted with their accommodations.”

Plunkett and Hoeffrle hope it gets resolved before they say “I do” on May 20.

Orange County officials are suing the hotel, alleging it’s being converted into a long-term residential facility. They’re seeking an injunction to stop the move and send the men already there back to New York City.

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