Only a limited number of official visitors are placed in hotels, and for limited stays.

States other than New York have also placed welfare families in hotels.

Then the postal service allowed "Cutler mail chutes" to be placed in hotels taller than five stories.

Ninety-five percent of families receiving emergency shelter from the state are placed in hotels or motels at a cost of $1,500 a month per family.

City officials would have the authority to determine the number and location of detectors to be placed in hotels and schools.

These are often placed in gymnasiums, schools, arenas, community centres, hotels, and anywhere else that can support a field hospital set-up.

The schools placed students in hotels, boarding houses, unused police barracks and mobile homes.

The newcomers will stay either with family members or be placed in hotels by resettlement agencies.

"We're not at all happy about placing families in hotels, believe me," Ms. Wackstein said.

They said the city should make better use of existing permanent housing rather than placing homeless people in hotels and motels.