Hundreds of tourists were left stranded Thursday night after the city closed down the youth hostel in Harlem where they were staying.

The Department of Buildings has received dozens of complaints about the L-Hostel, alleging rooms are packed with too many people.

City Councilwoman Gale Brewer represents the Upper West Side and says illegal hostels have been a problem for a while.

"Young people come from all over the world and they are desperate to get an inexpensive room in New York and unfortunately if you go to the website under L-Hostel, which I did this morning, you don't know that it's not legal," Brewer says.

The city says the building was overcrowded, lacked a proper certificate of occupancy, and its only fire exit was obstructed. According to a buildings department database, there were several complaints that L-Hostel was overcrowded.

Gal Sela, the owner of the hostel, says once he understands what he did wrong, he'll work to fix any problems. He says L-Hostel is a safe place to stay and adds that it attracts European tourists who are good for the neighborhood.

"We do tours for them here and they coming, they spending money in the neighborhood, they go to all the restaurants, all the cafes, all the shops, everything around here," Sela says.

According to a front desk worker at L-Hostel, rooms run from $22 a night for a dorm-style room shared with 13 others to $150 a night for a private room.