Meanwhile, at the Hotel Chelsea

Hoteliers Ira Drukier & Richard Born (Mercer, Bowery, Greenwich, etc.) on their brief time at the Chelsea and why tenants hated them: "Mr. Drukier: They liked [former manager] Stanley Bard. I like Stanley Bard, too. I had nothing to do with Stanley Bard staying or going. Mr. Born: Frankly, I think the operating income of the hotel was up by 150 percent in the first year of our operations, with no capital investment, just tweaking operations. We think we did a great job for the owners. They just had their own way of wanting to do it. There was no fight about us staying or leaving. When they said, 'We want to do it our way,' we said, 'Fine, here are the keys.' The only dispute is about money. Can anyone manage that unruly property? Mr. Drukier: Stanley Bard [laughing]." [NYO]