Bavaria Ends Hotel Funding for Refugees, Over 1,100 Relocated in Munich

Authorities in Bavaria have halted funding for refugee accommodation in hotels, prompting the urgent relocation of over 1,100 asylum seekers from Munich within days.

As of May 1, all affected individuals were required to vacate hotel rooms after the Bavarian government discontinued reimbursements for this form of housing. The Munich city administration managed to relocate all evacuees to decentralized municipal shelters, avoiding temporary street stays or emergency shelters.

City officials had hoped to extend hotel housing at least until the end of 2025. Concerns now focus on the upcoming closure of another hotel facility in June, which could impact around 300 additional people. On March 28, Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) appealed to the Bavarian state government for support but received no response.

The Bavarian Interior Ministry cited high costs as the reason for ending the program: hotel accommodation ranged from €1,000 to €1,700 per person per month—two to three times more expensive than standard collective housing. These rates included meals and services. Approximately 900 hotel contracts will not be renewed for the remainder of the year.

Charitable organizations sharply criticized the decision, citing a lack of consideration for the families affected—many of them Ukrainian. Roughly 200 children were among those displaced, with some forced to leave kindergartens and schools they had just begun to adapt to. Elderly individuals and those requiring care were also impacted.

Most of those relocated were placed in newly built modular housing units. According to current laws, Bavaria is responsible for funding asylum accommodation, but hotels were always considered a temporary exception.

The Interior Ministry did not provide updated figures on refugees still housed in hotels elsewhere in Bavaria but confirmed that no contract extensions were signed in other municipalities.