Ian Reisner

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Ian Reisner
Ian Reisner 2015.jpg
Born1968 (age 52–53)
New York, NY
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCornell University
OccupationEntrepreneur
Real estate developer
Years active1990–present
Partner(s)Mati Weiderpass (1993-2012)
Websiteparkviewdevelopers.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[]

  1. ^ “Gay and straight couples dance in Vienna for AIDS fundraiser,” Terra Daily, May 21, 2006.
  2. ^ JP Updates: "Jewish Republican Holds Reelection Fundraiser For Wisconsin Senator" by Suzanne Vega April 16, 2015
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Michael Cook, “The OUT NYC Interview With Owner Ian Reisner,” Get Out! Magazine, October 18, 2012.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b “Out & About: Ian Reisner ‘90,” Cornell Alumni Magazine, September / October 2014.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b “How Ian Reisner Got Into Real Estate Development,” AOL Real Estate. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  6. ^ “Coming Out in Business,” AOL Real Estates. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d “Real Estate Mogul Ian Reisner Dishes on the East End,” Dan's Papers, February 18, 2015.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b “Watches as Fashion: It's Later Than You Think,” New York Times, September 14, 1997.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c Beth Greenfield, “A Resort for Gays Rises in Manhattan,” New York Times, August 17, 2010.
  10. ^ “A Watch for Every Mood And Fashion,” New York Times, October 20, 1996.
  11. ^ Abby Ellin, “Some Time on Their Hands,” New York Times, June 25, 2000.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b “Sunglass Hut Doubles Watch Business With Acquisition,” New York Times, June 8, 2000.
  13. ^ Josh Barbanel, “Secret Gardens Grow in Hell’s Kitchen,” Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2010.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Luis D. Ortiz, “Luis Will Do What It Takes for Ian’s Trust,” bravotv.com, May 14, 2014.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Sarah Portlock, “Inside the home of Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass of Parkview Developers,” The Real Deal, June 2, 2009.
  18. ^ “Gay friendly, 105-room THE OUT NYC open for business in New York City,” Today, March 1, 2012.
  19. ^ Steven McElroy, “To Be a Hotel and Gay in New York,” New York Times, March 16, 2012.
  20. ^ Chadner Navarro, “6 hot resorts for adults only,” CNN, May 14, 2013.
  21. ^ David Kaufman, “Not Just Gay-Friendly: Here Come the Ultra-Gay Hotels,” Time, December 8, 2010.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b Tony Peregrin, “Chicago may get a gay boutique hotel,” RedEye, April 8, 2013.
  23. ^ “Hotel Awards 2012: Trendsetter,” Fodor's, 2012.
  24. ^ “World’s 10 Most Beautiful Hotel Gardens,” Fodor's, April 8, 2014.
  25. ^ Marc Malkin, “Ariana Grande Performs at Gay Club After Saturday Night Live: Yup, Boyfriend Big Was There!” E! Online, September 28, 2014.
  26. ^ Diana Cooper, “’This is Like Every Girl’s Dream Right Here’,” Life & Style, April 5, 2014.
  27. ^ Dan Avery, “Nick Jonas Shows Off Killer Abs At NYC Gay Nightclub,” NewNowNext, September 9, 2014.
  28. ^ “Chicago Boutique Boystown Hotel: City Could See ‘Straight-Friendly’ Hotel Geared Toward LGBT Clients,” Huffington Post, April 9, 2013.
  29. ^ Andy Ambrosius, “Boystown’s OUT Hotel not considering move despite upcoming vacancy,” ChicagoPride.com, April 30, 2014.
  30. ^ Ashley Southall, “Gay Mecca on Fire Island Sells for $10.1 Million at Auction,” New York Times, January 22, 2015.
  31. ^ David Vincent, “The Out NYC – New York’s new all singing, all dancing gay hotel,” The Guardian, March 15, 2012.
  32. ^ "Boys of Summer Regular Sean Verdi Found Dead". Philadelphia Magazine. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ Maggie Haberman, "Ted Cruz Is Guest of Two Gay Businessmen," New York Times, April 23, 2015.
  35. ^ " Broadway Bares Solo Strips Canceled," Archived 2015-04-24 at the Wayback Machine Broadway Cares, April 24, 2015.
  36. ^ Maggie Haberman, "Ted Cruz Event in New York Prompts Boycott Threats," New York Times, April 24, 2015.
  37. ^ Maggie Haberman, "Gay Businessman Who Hosted Ted Cruz Event Apologizes," New York Times, April 26, 2015.
  38. ^ Michelangelo Signorile , "Why the Boycott Against Ted Cruz's Gay Hosts Is a Watershed Moment," Huffington Post, May 4, 2015.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ J. Bryan Lowder, "The Reisner/Weiderpass Scandal Reaches New Depths," Slate, May 29, 2015.
  41. ^ Ryan Bonner, "Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison For Ross Reisner Murder in Setauket," Port Jefferson Patch, February 11, 2015.

External links[]

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