New York Consolidated Laws, General Business Law - GBS § 207. Sale of unclaimed articles and other property covered by his lien

Any keeper of a hotel, motel, apartment hotel, inn, boarding-house, rooming house or lodging-house, except an immigrant lodging-house, who shall have a lien for fare, lodging, accommodation or board upon any goods, baggage or other chattel property, or, who, for a period of six months, shall have in custody any unclaimed trunk, box, valise, package or parcel, or other chattel property, may, in the manner provided by this section, sell the same at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, and out of the proceeds of such sale may, in case of lien, retain the amount of such lien and the expense of advertisement and sale, and the expense of storage, advertisement and sale thereof.  Not less than fifteen days prior to the time of the sale, a notice of the time and place of holding the sale, and containing a brief description of the goods, baggage and articles to be sold, shall be published in a newspaper published in the city or town in which such hotel, motel, apartment hotel, inn, boarding-house, rooming-house or lodging-house is situated;  but if there be none, then in such newspaper published nearest such city or town;  if the name and address of said guest, boarder, roomer or owner of such chattel articles and property, appears upon the records of such keeper, such notice shall also be mailed to said guest, boarder, roomer or owner, addressed to such address;  such notice shall be mailed in the manner aforesaid at least fifteen days prior to the time of the sale.