Urban gay resort to open in NYC

By Celeste Lavin, 365gay.com 08.17.2010 11:00am EDT

New York’s first gay urban resort complex is scheduled to be open in Fall 2011. The Out NYC will include 90,000 square feet of hotel, restaurant, retail and nightclub space on W 42nd street.

“We are going to be a hetero-friendly urban resort, which means we are going to turn Ian Schrager’s concept upside down. His hotels 20 years ago were more 80 percent straight and 20 percent gay-friendly,” said Ian Reisner of Parkview Developers. “Here we hope to be more of a true hetero-friendly complex — a gay environment where straight friends and family are welcome to come and enjoy our fun too.”

Run by Axel Hotels, Out NYC is set to have 127 rooms, that will run for less than $300 a night including several “SLA, shared luxury accommodations” that will cost $99 for younger visitors.

The hotel will house a spa, pool club, and gym with membership open to the community and a 2,500 square foot catering facility. It will also include a 24-hour café and a restaurant.

“In this nightlife venue we are going to have a day bar that will stay open until late in the night. We’re also going to have a 5,000 square foot nightclub for enough room for 650 people to dance,” Reisner said.

The hotel will occupy the space that was once a homeless shelter, but has been abandoned for several years since.

While the hotel is not scheduled to open until 2011, the club will be ready sooner.