With rumors flying that developer David Edelstein has purchased the iconic Hotel Chelsea on West 23rd Street, the Wall Street Journal confirms with the building's broker that the Chelsea is in contract for over $80 million." The buyer, however, isn't named, which gives the paper an excuse to list most of the rumored bidders, including a couple of names we hadn't heard before. To spice things up, we added two fake bidders to the following list. Try to spot 'em!
Ian Schrager
André Balazs
Marc "Mr. J. Lo" Anthony
Stanley Bard (former Chelsea manager) & family
Pope Benedict XVI
Aby Rosen
Corey Feldman
Richard Born (of BD Hotels)
Google
Stumped? The phonies are an '80s heartthrob and a Holy See, but given the level of interest in the grand old gal ("We even had people bidding through a surrogate like it was a high-end art auction," the broker says) we wouldn't be surprised if that pair did put in a joint bid. Guess the 100 rent-stabilized tenants will have to wait a bit longer before there's any official word about their new overlord. Please please let it be J. Lo.
· Bold-Face Hotel Buyer Has No Face [WSJ]
· Hotel Chelsea Sweepstakes May Have a Winner [Curbed]
UPDATE: Boutique hotel megagenius Ian Schrager would rather not be categorized with Marc Anthony. He sent along this statement through a rep: "Contrary to speculation and printed reports, I am not bidding on the Hotel Chelsea. I toured the property many months ago and decided not to bid, but I wish good luck to whomever wins."
Loading comments...