The Out Hotel in New York City, intended as luxury accommodations for LGBT travelers, has been sold and will no longer be branded as a gay hotel, according to the Advocate.
The hotel, which opened in 2012, was the focus of numerous boycotts in 2015 after its owners, developers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass, hosted a dinner for then-Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz. The pair also donated the maximum amount of money allowed to Cruz, who supported vehemently anti-LGBT policies during his campaign.
After numerous organizations cancelled events at the Out Hotel in response, Reisner stoked the flames even more, with an interview in New York magazine where he said the gay community was both "cheap" and "entitled." The hotel, located in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, was sold for $40 million to the Merchants Hospitality real estate group.
The Out Hotel developers pitched an idea for a similar, $30 million Chicago hotel in April 2013. Initially, plans called for a 100-112-room facility located above Minibar in Lake View, but community response to the original concepts sent the principals back to the drawing board. The concept ultimately was rejected by the now-defunct Belmont Harbor Neighbors association and Ald. Tom Tunney. Though Reisner said in early 2014 that he had a new plan in the works, a new concept never publicly materialized.
Advocate's article is at bit.ly/2ai9of3 .