A hotel on Staten Island has abruptly announced it would close down.

This has sparked rumors in the neighborhood the building may soon become a shelter for migrants.

“All we have is hope right now, hope that we will keep our jobs and hope that this will remain a hotel,” said Monica Watson, operational supervisor at the Fairfield Inn on Wild Avenue.

 She says she’s concerned about her job after a letter was sent to guests Thursday. The letter said: “Effective Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, this property will no longer be operating as a hotel. Because of this change, it is required that all patrons vacate the building by noon Friday.” 

“In the last two weeks, the building has been sold. We had new owners, and I did meet the new owners. They were saying that the hotel was staying the Marriott and everything was going to be basically the same,” Watson said. “We know we’re told one thing and we see something different. And so I’m very concerned about my co-workers.” 

NY1 was at the location around 6 p.m. Friday.

Valentina Escobar and her family, who were in the city for a wedding, were waiting outside for an Uber to get to another hotel.

“We’ve been here one night. The next day they put a paper under the door telling us we had to be out the next day at noon because the hotel was closing. We had paid for 20 days,” she said in Spanish.

Residents in the neighborhood were outside Fairfield Inn after word of the closure got out. They’re concerned the site will be turned into a migrant shelter.

There are two former hotels next to the Fairfield Inn, which have been operating as migrant shelters for over a year.

Watson says, so far, management claims these are just rumors. 

“As of now, they’re telling me that the jobs the jobs are still the same and that the hotel won’t be a hotel that it will be going back to business or like it’s not going to be a shelter or anything else,” she said.

It’s unclear why guests were told to leave. According to the hotel’s website, you are unable to book a room because it’s closed.

Watson says she hopes management is telling the truth for the sake of herself and her coworkers. 

“It’s this time of the year is just it’s terrible, because it’s Christmas. How do you feel when someone tells you that you won’t have a job anymore or everybody has to leave at the hotel? You feel terrible? This is not right. And this is why I’m here,” she said. “It is not right and I will stand for the people at Fairfield.” 

NY1 has reached out to Marriott Hotels, the parent company of Fairfield, and the mayor’s office for comments.