Ms. Walls, in New York for a two-night stay to see “The Outsiders” on Broadway, said they were trying to get their reservation switched to another Hampton Inn. One hotel had already turned them down.
“We just need a place to stay,” Ms. Walls said.
Paul Maurizio, the front desk manager at the nearby Little Charlie Hotel, on Second Avenue near East 45th Street, said no officials had told them to evacuate their building but said that the hotel had gotten phone calls from stranded travelers and had offered at least one a room.
Amir Karamuja and his family were sleeping in the Westin hotel when they were awakened early in the morning by “constant sirens” that felt like more than normal New York City noise, Mr. Karamuja said. They were evacuated from the hotel around 11 a.m.
The family spent the day wandering around the city. Mr Karamuja said that after 4 p.m. hotel staff couldn’t confirm whether the hotel would be open for the night. Because they were traveling from Slovenia with young children, Mr. Karamuja said the family couldn’t wait any longer. They rebooked a five-night stay elsewhere, and were allowed back into the Westin to quickly grab their bags.