Allegria Pays City Taxes

As the Allegria emerges from bankruptcy the hotel plans to expand public access to its rooftop facilities.

The City of Long Beach said the seaside hotel, at 80 W. Broadway, recently paid its outstanding taxes that amounted to approximately $373,000.

“They came in a couple of weeks ago and they paid everything off,” Jeffrey Nogid, the city’s comptroller, told Patch after Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

In answer to a question at the meeting about the hotel’s tax obligations, City Manager Jack Schnirman said: “My understanding is that they have now paid all of their bills.”

According to the city’s tax department, the Allegria paid in full a $268,319 city real estate tax, a $30,041 state and county tax, and a $74,696 water and sewer tax.

“As far as the city, county and state, we are all paid up,” said Mike Witte, the Allegria’s general manager.

However, Jostyn Hernandez, a spokesperson for Nassau County’s comptroller officer, said that while the Allegria paid approximately $375,000 in property taxes to the city, county and state, the hotel still since the hotel opened in 2010.

“The actual hotel/motel tax that they owe us, they still have not repaid that,” Hernandez. “And the comptroller’s office is still trying to get that money.”

But Witte denied Hernandez’s claim. “All I can tell you right now is that with the city, county and state, we are all current,” he said. 

The Allegria’s repayments come after a bankruptcy judge recently approved a plan to reorganize the finances of the Long Beach hotel, nearly a year after the establishment filed for Chapter 11 protection, listing between $10 million and $50 million in liabilities owed mainly to contractors who helped build the hotel.

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Meanwhile, starting this week the hotel looks to further open its rooftop ballroom, pool and deck that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean to the public for a series of weekly music-oriented events. Each Monday is salsa, Tuesday is reggae and Wednesday is classic disco, all of which start at 8 p.m.

“We’ll be opening access a bit more this year as opposed to last year for events that are open to the public on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights,” Witte said. “We’re finding a balance between private and public events.”

This measure came at the request of unnamed city officials who believe the rooftop facility can become more of a public asset, according to Newsday [paid link]. But Witte said that this expansion has always been part of the hotel's plan. He said the hotel looks forward to becoming the "crown jewel" of the hotel industry on Long Island.

“We’re current, we’re here to stay and we’re open for business,” he said.