Manhattan’s newest gay neighborhood, Hell’s Kitchen, is getting  gay hotel complex, The Out NYC, late in 2012.

 It’s New York City’s first gay hotel and, perhaps, the only gay urban resort in the country, according to developer Ian Reisner, managing partner of Parkview Developers.

The idea stemmed  from a gay-focused boutique hotel in Barcelona, AXEL,  where Reisner stayed a few years ago. He decided New York City needed a similar hotel and, in fact, an entire entertainment complex. – It was rumored that AXEL owned the hotel – they claim they do not – other sources say yes, they are involved, to some extent.

The actual planning started in 2008.
In 2009  a  49-year ground lease was secured for the property….a 26,000-square-foot block of real estate, in a gentrifying neighborhood. “It was perfect timing to get my hands on such a big property,” Ian  says. “The great recession had put a damper on real estate and you could lock in things you couldn’t lock in, in a normal functioning market.”

The nightlife venue, expected to draw locals as well as travelers, is scheduled to open in November 2011. The hotel’s official opening is planned for late winter/early spring 2012.

The hotel complex — an adapted 1950s-vintage, drive-in motor inn — is situated on 42nd St. between 10th and 11th Avenues. A major rehabilitation and redirected use of the existing motel will turn the property into a 105-room boutique hotel with a spa, wellness center, business center and conference rooms. The entertainment complex includes the 11,000-square-foot XL nightclub, lounge and cabaret as well as a 24/7 café and a restaurant called Kitchen.

Stay tuned!