Ian Reisner

Ian Simpson Reisner (born June 27, 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.

Ian Reisner
Born (1968-06-27) June 27, 1968
New York, NY
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCornell University
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur
Real estate developer
Years active1990–present
PartnerMati Weiderpass (1993-2012)
Websiteparkviewdevelopers.com

Early life and education

Reisner was born and raised in a Jewish family[2] in New York City.[3] He graduated from Cornell University in 1990,[4].

Career

Watch World

In 1994, while still working at Salomon Brothers,[5] Reisner, his partner Mati Weiderpass and Paul Dominguez founded Watch World International,[6][7] opening the first Watch World store in New York City's SoHo neighborhood that year.[8][9] By July 1997, they had opened nine New York locations.[6] By 2000, Watch World had become a national chain of 119 stores.[10] On June 8, 2000, Sunglass Hut International announced that it had purchased Watch World for $30 million in cash, stock and debt.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12]

Parkview Developers owns 20 units in the 230 Central Park South building in New York City.[13][14] Starting in the early 1990s, Reisner and Weiderpass bought roughly half of the apartment units in the 19-story building.[13] They combined, renovated and sold many of the units,[13] including a penthouse sold for $11.9 million in 2014.[15] Reisner lives in one of the penthouses in the building.[16] Parkview Developers formerly owned and operated the Carnegie Hotel in Manhattan, near Columbus Circle.[11]

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.[7]

The hotel opened on March 1, 2012.[17] 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.[7][18][19][20] The Out NYC was built after five years of planning.[21] It won a Trendsetter Hotel Award from Fodor's in 2012,[22] and in 2014 Fodor's named its garden one of the world's 10 most beautiful hotel gardens.[23] Past performers at The Out NYC and the XL/BPM Nightclub include Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper and Ariana Grande;[3][24] celebrity guests include Lady Gaga, Perez Hilton, James Franco and Nick Jonas.[4][25][26]

Reisner was sued by architect Paul Dominguez in 2013 for his failure to properly compensate Dominguez for work on the Out NYC.[27]

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.“Gay Mecca on Fire Island Sells for $10.1 Million at Auction,” New York Times, January 22, 2015.</ref>

Television and film

Reisner appeared on season 3 of Million Dollar Listing New York on Bravo.[14] His penthouse duplex at 230 Central Park South has appeared on 30 Rock and in the film Did You Hear About the Morgans?[15] The Out NYC was featured on the sitcom Happily Divorced.[28]

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. Sean had to be pulled out of the shower before Ian could get out. Only Ian knows what happened in the shower that night. [29][30]

On April 20, 2015, Reisner and Weiderpass hosted Republican US Senator Ted Cruz at Reisner's apartment.[31] 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.[32][33] 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."[34][35] Reisner raised further controversy when, as part of his response to the episode, he referred to his gay clientele as "frugal" and "entitled".[36][37]

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.[38]

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. Michael Cook, “The OUT NYC Interview With Owner Ian Reisner,” Get Out! Magazine, October 18, 2012.
  4. “Out & About: Ian Reisner ‘90,” Cornell Alumni Magazine, September / October 2014.
  5. “How Ian Reisner Got Into Real Estate Development,” AOL Real Estate. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  6. “Watches as Fashion: It's Later Than You Think,” New York Times, September 14, 1997.
  7. Beth Greenfield, “A Resort for Gays Rises in Manhattan,” New York Times, August 17, 2010.
  8. “A Watch for Every Mood And Fashion,” New York Times, October 20, 1996.
  9. Abby Ellin, “Some Time on Their Hands,” New York Times, June 25, 2000.
  10. “Sunglass Hut Doubles Watch Business With Acquisition,” New York Times, June 8, 2000.
  11. “Real Estate Mogul Ian Reisner Dishes on the East End,” Dan's Papers, February 18, 2015.
  12. Josh Barbanel, “Secret Gardens Grow in Hell’s Kitchen,” Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2010.
  13. Christopher Gray, “Central Park South, the View That Sneaked Up on the City,” New York Times, August 15, 2013.
  14. Luis D. Ortiz, “Luis Will Do What It Takes for Ian’s Trust,” bravotv.com, May 14, 2014.
  15. Chris Pomorski, “Home at Last? Developer Duo Drops Central Park Penthouse for $11.9M,” New York Observer, July 11, 2014.
  16. Sarah Portlock, “Inside the home of Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass of Parkview Developers,” The Real Deal, June 2, 2009.
  17. “Gay friendly, 105-room THE OUT NYC open for business in New York City,” Today, March 1, 2012.
  18. Steven McElroy, “To Be a Hotel and Gay in New York,” New York Times, March 16, 2012.
  19. Chadner Navarro, “6 hot resorts for adults only,” CNN, May 14, 2013.
  20. David Kaufman, “Not Just Gay-Friendly: Here Come the Ultra-Gay Hotels,” Time, December 8, 2010.
  21. Tony Peregrin, “Chicago may get a gay boutique hotel,” RedEye, April 8, 2013.
  22. “Hotel Awards 2012: Trendsetter,” Fodor's, 2012.
  23. “World’s 10 Most Beautiful Hotel Gardens,” Fodor's, April 8, 2014.
  24. Marc Malkin, “Ariana Grande Performs at Gay Club After Saturday Night Live: Yup, Boyfriend Big Was There!” E! Online, September 28, 2014.
  25. Diana Cooper, “’This is Like Every Girl’s Dream Right Here’,” Life & Style, April 5, 2014.
  26. Dan Avery, “Nick Jonas Shows Off Killer Abs At NYC Gay Nightclub,” NewNowNext, September 9, 2014.
  27. Paul Dominguez, "OUT hotel co-founder sues former business partner over ownership stake" "The Real Deal", May 31, 2013.
  28. David Vincent, “The Out NYC – New York’s new all singing, all dancing gay hotel,” The Guardian, March 15, 2012.
  29. "Boys of Summer Regular Sean Verdi Found Dead". Philadelphia Magazine. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  30. Celona, Larry; Sullivan, C. J.; Tacopino, Joe (30 October 2014). "Man found dead in bathtub with hotel mogul at home". New York Post. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  31. Maggie Haberman, "Ted Cruz Is Guest of Two Gay Businessmen," New York Times, April 23, 2015.
  32. " Broadway Bares Solo Strips Canceled," Archived 2015-04-24 at the Wayback Machine Broadway Cares, April 24, 2015.
  33. Maggie Haberman, "Ted Cruz Event in New York Prompts Boycott Threats," New York Times, April 24, 2015.
  34. Maggie Haberman, "Gay Businessman Who Hosted Ted Cruz Event Apologizes," New York Times, April 26, 2015.
  35. Michelangelo Signorile , "Why the Boycott Against Ted Cruz's Gay Hosts Is a Watershed Moment," Huffington Post, May 4, 2015.
  36. 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.
  37. J. Bryan Lowder, "The Reisner/Weiderpass Scandal Reaches New Depths," Slate, May 29, 2015.
  38. Ryan Bonner, "Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison For Ross Reisner Murder in Setauket," Port Jefferson Patch, February 11, 2015.
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