NEW YORK CITY, New York: Among the casualties of the Covid pandemic is a 26-story Manhattan hotel, whose modular rooms sit unassembled at a New York port.

Arriving at a dock in Brooklyn, original plans called for the modular construction to be completed by the end of 2020.

But Covid-19 caused construction to stop and more than a dozen contractors have since filed liens against the property over unpaid bills.

It is unknown what the future of the $80 million project is. However, the owners, who come from New York’s fashion industry, are attempting to raise additional money.

Yet their timing might be wrong, as those with capital are shying away from investing in city hotels, when it is uncertain how long the tourism industry will take to recover from the worldwide lockdown, as well as the slowdown in corporate travel.

Modular construction of hotels is a process that has existed for decades. However, interest in the systems has been renewed, in a bid to reduce the cost of construction and the time needed before the doors open for business.

However, a 32-story modular apartment building planned for Brooklyn was caught in the midst of construction problems for four years.

Those involved in the Manhattan project have said each room is about the size of a small passenger bus. The rooms arrived from Poland completely furnished with a couch, a bed and a television.

The first modules arrived in New York last summer by boat, followed by two more
shipments. A final shipment has yet to arrive.

In total, 168 modular rooms will arrive in Brooklyn, for transit to Manhattan.

842 Enterprises Inc., the family that owns the project, was begun by Kang Moon Chun and his wife Gil, who had imported and sold handbags from Asia.

They also own the 135-room Cambria hotel on
West 28th Street.

Earlier, a 19-story modular hotel opened in the Lower East Side.

Chun has affiliated his yet-to-be-built modular hotel with Marriott.