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What a welcome to NYC: Hampton Inn guests scramble as neighboring tower goes wobbly
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jul 8, 2026
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Photo by Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jul 8, 2026
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Brazilian tourist Davi Fonseca and his parents were jolted awake by their hotel intercom system around 9 a.m. Tuesday.
As if watching their team lose to Norway in Sunday’s World Cup match wasn’t bad enough, they were now being told to evacuate their room at the Hampton Inn Grand Central — without any explanation.
“They don't speak English,” Fonseca said on Wednesday morning, pointing to his parents, who were clutching suitcases on a Second Avenue sidewalk. “I speak a little bit, so I was not understand[ing] everything. We just put the clothes that [we have on now] and go downstairs running,” he said.
The family soon found out that their hotel sat in the shadow of 235 East 42nd St., the hulking former Pfizer building that was in the process of being converted into apartments when construction workers at the site noticed buckling beams early Tuesday morning. The massive emergency response that followed included the evacuation of the surrounding blocks, including all 148 guests of the hotel, said Pedro Ortiz, the hotel’s chief engineer for maintenance.
By Wednesday morning, officials in the city’s Department of Buildings said they had stabilized the upper floors in question, but the city opted to keep a number of precautions in place including the closure of the Hampton Inn at 231 East 43rd St.
East 43rd Street also remained closed Wednesday to most car and pedestrian traffic, but hotel staff escorted groups of beleaguered tourists and travelers to grab remaining belongings. Many said they had been sent to spend Tuesday night at the Voco Hotel in Times Square with nothing more than the shirts on their backs.
“The kids left in sandals. They weren't ready,” said Wilson Figueroa, who was just joining his wife and teenage children to eat the free breakfast when he said the intercom blared, “‘This is not a drill. This is a real emergency.’”
They spent the rest of the day scrambling to figure out how to get back home to Florida after spending the July 4 weekend in the city.
“ We were supposed to fly out yesterday, but we couldn't get our stuff out.” he said. “ We ended up going to the airport to see if they could do anything. American Airlines was nice enough, 'cause they saw it on the news.”
For Wing Wu and her group of 16 students from Chongqing, China, the evacuation and ensuing excitement was a “special experience” — she said it didn’t dampen their time in the Big Apple.
For Alvaro Diaz, who was visiting from Spain to participate in a political forum at the nearby United Nations, it was yet another example of the intensity and unpredictability of New York City.
“The whole city, with these huge buildings, so I can imagine something like this is going to happen at a certain point or another,” he said, luggage in hand. “It's not exactly comfortable, but you have to deal with it, I guess.”
The city’s aging infrastructure and transit meltdowns have been under increased scrutiny this summer, as World Cup fans join the throngs of regular tourists to pound the hot pavement.
But at least some of these visitors took all the commotion in stride.
“It's been very fun besides all this happening,” Fonseca said, adding that it’s his second time in the Big Apple. “[There’s been] a little bit more chaos this time because of that, but I'm very glad that everything’s doing well.”
The family was next heading to Miami — a trip they had initially planned to watch the Brazil team play again. But with Brazil eliminated, Fonseca said, they'll instead be heading to Disney World.
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Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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