Ian Reisner

Ian Simpson Reisner (born June 27, 1968) 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 in New York City. He graduated from Cornell University in 1990.

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

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.

Parkview Developers owns 20 units in the 230 Central Park South building in New York City. Starting in the early 1990s, Reisner and Weiderpass bought roughly half of the apartment units in the 19-story building. Reisner lives in one of the penthouses in the building. Parkview Developers formerly owned and operated the Carnegie Hotel in Manhattan, near Columbus Circle. 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. The Out NYC was built after five years of planning. It won a Trendsetter Hotel Award from Fodor's in 2012, and in 2014 Fodor's named its garden one of the world's 10 most beautiful hotel gardens. Past performers at The Out NYC and the XL/BPM Nightclub include Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper and Ariana Grande; celebrity guests include Lady Gaga, Perez Hilton, James Franco and Nick Jonas.

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

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.

Television and film Reisner appeared on season 3 of Million Dollar Listing New York on Bravo.

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.

On April 20, 2015, Reisner and Weiderpass hosted a private discussion with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz at Reisner’s apartment. Cruz’s positions on LGBTQ+ rights prompted criticism from some in the LGBTQ+ community after news of the meeting became public. In response, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS canceled a planned fundraiser at XL Nightclub. Reisner later issued a statement on his Facebook page expressing regret, calling the decision to host the meeting “a terrible mistake” and acknowledging “poor judgment.” Some additional attention followed remarks he made in an interview, where he described parts of his clientele as “frugal” and “entitled.”

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.