Ian Reisner
Ian Reisner | |
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Born | 1968 (age 52–53) New York, NY |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Cornell University |
Occupation | Entrepreneur Real estate developer |
Years active | 1990–present |
Partner(s) | Mati Weiderpass (1993-2012) |
Website | parkviewdevelopers.com |
Ian Simpson Reisner (born 1968)[1] is an American entrepreneur, and hotel and real estate developer. He is the founder of Parkview Developers, and co-founder of Watch World International and The Out NYC hotel & resort.
Early life and education[]
Reisner was born and raised in a Jewish family[2] in New York City.[3] After graduating from Cornell University in 1990,[4] he embarked on a 15-year career as a managing director at Salomon Brothers and then Bank of America.[5][6][7]
Career[]
Watch World[]
In 1994, while still working at Salomon Brothers,[5] Reisner, his partner Mati Weiderpass and Paul Dominguez founded Watch World International,[8][9] opening the first Watch World store in New York City's SoHo neighborhood that year.[10][11] By July 1997, they had opened nine New York locations.[8] By 2000, Watch World had become a national chain of 119 stores.[12] On June 8, 2000, Sunglass Hut International announced that it had purchased Watch World for $30 million in cash, stock and debt.[12]
Parkview Developers and The 505[]
Reisner is the founder, managing partner and president of Parkview Developers, a developer of residential and hotel properties, primarily in New York City, which he founded with Mati Weiderpass in 2000.[7]
In 2007, Reisner and Weiderpass launched a 109-unit luxury condominium constructed on the site originally built for the New York Central Railroad in the 1930s.[13]
Parkview Developers owns 20 units in the 230 Central Park South building in New York City.[14][15] Starting in the early 1990s, Reisner and Weiderpass bought roughly half of the apartment units in the 19-story building.[14] They combined, renovated and sold many of the units,[14] including a penthouse sold for $11.9 million in 2014.[16] Reisner lives in one of the penthouses in the building.[17] Parkview Developers formerly owned and operated the Carnegie Hotel in Manhattan, near Columbus Circle.[7]
The Out NYC[]
In 2007, after spending a few nights at the Axel Hotel Barcelona, part of a small chain of upscale hotels aimed at a gay clientele, Reisner decided to open a similar type of hotel in New York. He located a vacant space in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and secured a 49-year lease. The property was originally home to a Travelodge in the 1960s, and was later used as a Red Cross homeless shelter.[9]
The hotel opened on March 1, 2012.[18] The $30 million entertainment complex consists of a three-story, 70,000 square-foot hotel with 105 rooms, the 11,000 square-foot XL/BPM Nightclub, the Mediterranean-inspired KTCHN Restaurant, an art gallery, outdoor gardens, a spa and a bar.[9][19][20][21] The Out NYC was built after five years of planning.[22] It won a Trendsetter Hotel Award from Fodor's in 2012,[23] and in 2014 Fodor's named its garden one of the world's 10 most beautiful hotel gardens.[24] Past performers at The Out NYC and the XL/BPM Nightclub include Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper and Ariana Grande;[3][25] celebrity guests include Lady Gaga, Perez Hilton, James Franco and Nick Jonas.[4][26][27]
In April 2013, Reisner announced plans to open The Out Chicago, a 100-room hotel and resort in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood, modeled after The Out NYC, with a spa, gym, restaurant, lounge and courtyard.[22][28] In September 2013, the proposal was rejected by the city.[29]
Fire Island Pines[]
On January 22, 2015, Reisner and Sip-N-Twirl nightclub owner P.J. McAteer purchased a strip of commercial real estate along the harbor on Fire Island Pines, a gay destination on Long Island, New York, for $10.1 million at auction. The property includes a hotel, nightclub, restaurant, bar and retail spaces. Reisner stated that he plans on spending $4 million to renovate and rejuvenate the property in 2015 and 2016.[30] The property makes up 80% of the commercial real estate space on Fire Island Pines.[7]
Television and film[]
Reisner appeared on season 3 of Million Dollar Listing New York on Bravo.[15] His penthouse duplex at 230 Central Park South has appeared on 30 Rock and in the film Did You Hear About the Morgans?[16] The Out NYC was featured on the sitcom Happily Divorced.[31]
Controversy[]
On October 29, 2014, 23-year-old Sean Verdi died of an apparent drug overdose at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan after being found unconscious in a Manhattan apartment owned by Reisner.[32][33]
On April 20, 2015, Reisner and Weiderpass hosted Republican US Senator Ted Cruz at Reisner's apartment.[34] News of the chat led to controversy in the gay community and calls for boycotts of Reisner's businesses, with the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS canceling a scheduled fundraiser at XL Nightclub in protest.[35][36] On April 26, Reisner put out a statement on his Facebook page, apologizing for showing "poor judgment" in hosting the event, adding that he made "a terrible mistake."[37][38] Reisner raised further controversy when, as part of his response to the episode, he referred to his gay clientele as "frugal" and "entitled".[39][40]
Personal life[]
Reisner's brother, equestrian Ross Reisner, was murdered in September 2013 by Brett C. Knight. Knight was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the crime.[41] After the murder, Reisner took possession of his brother's Setauket home, evicting his late brother's life partner, of over 30 years. [1]
References[]
- ^ “Gay and straight couples dance in Vienna for AIDS fundraiser,” Terra Daily, May 21, 2006.
- ^ JP Updates: "Jewish Republican Holds Reelection Fundraiser For Wisconsin Senator" by Suzanne Vega April 16, 2015
- ^ Jump up to: a b Michael Cook, “The OUT NYC Interview With Owner Ian Reisner,” Get Out! Magazine, October 18, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b “Out & About: Ian Reisner ‘90,” Cornell Alumni Magazine, September / October 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b “How Ian Reisner Got Into Real Estate Development,” AOL Real Estate. Accessed March 18, 2015.
- ^ “Coming Out in Business,” AOL Real Estates. Accessed March 18, 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d “Real Estate Mogul Ian Reisner Dishes on the East End,” Dan's Papers, February 18, 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b “Watches as Fashion: It's Later Than You Think,” New York Times, September 14, 1997.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Beth Greenfield, “A Resort for Gays Rises in Manhattan,” New York Times, August 17, 2010.
- ^ “A Watch for Every Mood And Fashion,” New York Times, October 20, 1996.
- ^ Abby Ellin, “Some Time on Their Hands,” New York Times, June 25, 2000.
- ^ Jump up to: a b “Sunglass Hut Doubles Watch Business With Acquisition,” New York Times, June 8, 2000.
- ^ Josh Barbanel, “Secret Gardens Grow in Hell’s Kitchen,” Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Christopher Gray, “Central Park South, the View That Sneaked Up on the City,” New York Times, August 15, 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Luis D. Ortiz, “Luis Will Do What It Takes for Ian’s Trust,” bravotv.com, May 14, 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Chris Pomorski, “Home at Last? Developer Duo Drops Central Park Penthouse for $11.9M,” New York Observer, July 11, 2014.
- ^ Sarah Portlock, “Inside the home of Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass of Parkview Developers,” The Real Deal, June 2, 2009.
- ^ “Gay friendly, 105-room THE OUT NYC open for business in New York City,” Today, March 1, 2012.
- ^ Steven McElroy, “To Be a Hotel and Gay in New York,” New York Times, March 16, 2012.
- ^ Chadner Navarro, “6 hot resorts for adults only,” CNN, May 14, 2013.
- ^ David Kaufman, “Not Just Gay-Friendly: Here Come the Ultra-Gay Hotels,” Time, December 8, 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Tony Peregrin, “Chicago may get a gay boutique hotel,” RedEye, April 8, 2013.
- ^ “Hotel Awards 2012: Trendsetter,” Fodor's, 2012.
- ^ “World’s 10 Most Beautiful Hotel Gardens,” Fodor's, April 8, 2014.
- ^ Marc Malkin, “Ariana Grande Performs at Gay Club After Saturday Night Live: Yup, Boyfriend Big Was There!” E! Online, September 28, 2014.
- ^ Diana Cooper, “’This is Like Every Girl’s Dream Right Here’,” Life & Style, April 5, 2014.
- ^ Dan Avery, “Nick Jonas Shows Off Killer Abs At NYC Gay Nightclub,” NewNowNext, September 9, 2014.
- ^ “Chicago Boutique Boystown Hotel: City Could See ‘Straight-Friendly’ Hotel Geared Toward LGBT Clients,” Huffington Post, April 9, 2013.
- ^ Andy Ambrosius, “Boystown’s OUT Hotel not considering move despite upcoming vacancy,” ChicagoPride.com, April 30, 2014.
- ^ Ashley Southall, “Gay Mecca on Fire Island Sells for $10.1 Million at Auction,” New York Times, January 22, 2015.
- ^ David Vincent, “The Out NYC – New York’s new all singing, all dancing gay hotel,” The Guardian, March 15, 2012.
- ^ "Boys of Summer Regular Sean Verdi Found Dead". Philadelphia Magazine. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ Celona, Larry; Sullivan, C. J.; Tacopino, Joe (30 October 2014). "Man found dead in bathtub at hotel mogul's home". New York Post. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ Maggie Haberman, "Ted Cruz Is Guest of Two Gay Businessmen," New York Times, April 23, 2015.
- ^ " Broadway Bares Solo Strips Canceled," Archived 2015-04-24 at the Wayback Machine Broadway Cares, April 24, 2015.
- ^ Maggie Haberman, "Ted Cruz Event in New York Prompts Boycott Threats," New York Times, April 24, 2015.
- ^ Maggie Haberman, "Gay Businessman Who Hosted Ted Cruz Event Apologizes," New York Times, April 26, 2015.
- ^ Michelangelo Signorile , "Why the Boycott Against Ted Cruz's Gay Hosts Is a Watershed Moment," Huffington Post, May 4, 2015.
- ^ Carl Swanson, "The Owners of the Out Hotel on Why They Hosted Ted Cruz and the Backlash From the Gay Community," New York, May 1, 2015.
- ^ J. Bryan Lowder, "The Reisner/Weiderpass Scandal Reaches New Depths," Slate, May 29, 2015.
- ^ Ryan Bonner, "Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison For Ross Reisner Murder in Setauket," Port Jefferson Patch, February 11, 2015.
External links[]
- Living people
- 1968 births
- Cornell University alumni
- Businesspeople from New York City
- American real estate businesspeople
- American Jews
- Real estate and property developers
- Hotel founders
- New York (state) Republicans