No, this is not a set from "The Darjeeling Limited." It's Sean and Eric's new hotel!
As we all know The Hotel Riverview has been undergoing renovations to transform the place from old-timey mariners' boarding house to a sleek new boutique hotel from hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode.
And last we heard the hotel was going to be a sort of Japanese-style love hotel for New York. Which turns out to be somewhat true.
Here are the exclusive inside pics of what will be called The Jane Hotel, where 50-sq.ft. rooms will start at the unheard-of-for-NYC budget price of $99.
Ask and you shall receive. In a story the other week about the possible cold war thaw between feuding hoteliers Gregory Peck and Matt Moss (actually, that was just wishful thinking. The frenemy war rages on still), we asked for a copy of the Page Six magazine featuring some of NYC's hottest hoteliers.
And a kind soul sent us a copy!
In it, you see Jason Pomeranc (with ever-present arm candy/fashion publicist/girlfriend Ali Wise), Matt Moss and Greg Peck (totally did not pose together), scary Sean MacPherson and partner Eric Goode, the ever-dapper Andre Balazs, grunge hotelier Alex Calderwood of the Ace Hotel brand and chefs/restauaranteurs Todd English and Ken Friedman.
We haven't heard much since our last post on this hotel so look at this snapshot not for what it is, but for what it will be--probably a groovy but kind of scary boutique hotel. Have you seen Sean Mac's picture? And if you've been to the Magic Castle, you will know what we are talking about.
The Surf Lodge had its opening weekend this past Memorial Day and Gridskipper, fresh from Nick Denton's fireplace ashes and now in a new home on the Curbed mantle, has the full reveal of the hotel.
The place looks very surf-inspired, beachy and laid-back, judging from the Gskip snaps. However, is any place in the Hamptons truly laid back? The opening weekend for the Surf Lodge saw a serious showing of New York's celebrity and hospitality elite.
For example, spotted in the crowd were model Karolina Kurkova, actors Jesse L. Martin and Aida Turturro, fashion designers Cynthia Rowley and Rogan Gregory (side note: was anyone wearing his Target bathing suits?) and a big surprise to us: hotelier Sean MacPherson, nightclub owner Serge Becker and Ben Pundole who runs the nightlife for Morgans Hotel Group.
Ok considering that Surf Lodge co-owner Jamie Mulholland is also the man behind the Cain nightclubs, maybe that last group isn't so surprising. And let's not forget Sean Mac's surfing obsession for which he obtained Mexican citizenship.
Also, it pays to own a hotel. Julian Marley was the music headliner for the opening and sang "Happy Birthday" to Mulholland. The Surf Lodge is sold out this weekend but try your luck for the next.
Last week, we posted this snapshot of the Hotel Riverview and talked about our excitement for the place to open. Afterall, we loved Eric Goode and Sean Macpherson's last hotel redo, The Bowery.
But after this email from a trusted tipster, we've decided to keep our enthusiasm in check.
It will be a 200+ room, cheap love hotel. Small, small rooms. No suites.
Work is going ahead. Nothing stops these guys.
A cheap love hotel? That's just a waste of a building then. Why even go about renovating the place and kicking out tenants if you are just going to have small cheap rooms. Maybe if the place had a Hello Kitty room, we could get excited about it again. Otherwise, boooo.
We snapped this shot of the Hotel Riverview from the West Side Highway yesterday during a beautiful, humid-free, warm but not sticky hot day in Manhattan.
We have no idea what's going on with the renovations/kicking out the tenants. Last we heard there was a stop work order but the hotel was still going ahead with rewiring plans. Still, we're getting a little excited for this hotel from hoteliers Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson to open, if it ever does.
Why? It's got prime real estate on the West Side Highway with river views (heh) and is just a short walk for guests who want to stroll outside like we did on a happy late spring day.
A few weeks ago, a very reliable tipster (we heard from them about the Hotel Riverview before anyone else) put forth the possibility that hotelier Sean MacPherson was going to operate the Magic Castle Hotel sans partner Eric Goode.
Well, said tipster returns with some new info:
i have it from two very reliable sources that the magic castle is in the hands of sean macpherson. he is also the new owner of the famous japanese restaurant on the same hill.
That Japanese restaurant our tipster refers to is the Yamashiro which was built in 1914.
Previously Sean MacPherson's rep was not aware of any new project the last time we checked but this sounds pretty definite now. So what will Eric Goode be doing? We say Eric, now's the time to open your Ojai fantasy hotel!
Hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode go together like peanut butter and jelly and the duo are behind three popular hotels in NYC--Maritime, Bowery, Lafayette--and are working on another, the Riverview.
But they might be splitting ways for their next project. A very reliable tipster writes into us:
has sean macpherson bought the magic castle in los angeles? and if he did why is he doing it without eric goode but with serge becker of the box fame?
For those of you who don't know the Magic Castle is a mecca for magicians and magic-lovers located on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. Usually, it's a members-only club although there are some engagements that allow outsiders. The place also has the Magic Castle Hotel attached to it which we've never been in but has always looked a little sketch to us.
Not sure if MacPherson is buying the Magic Castle club, or just the hotel or both. If you know of anything more, hit us up on the tipline.
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by juliana
