RichaRd BoRn iRa dRuckieR co-founders , Bd Hotels , new York citY
Richard Born ( left ) and Ira Druckier
Business partners for 25 years , Richard Born and Ira Druckier quietly and very successfully continue to buy , redevelop and operate some of the best hotels in New York City . BD Hotels , with some 25 hotels and 5,000 rooms in New York City , plans to grow its Pod brand in major U . S . gateways and perhaps even Europe and South America .
While the chic Greenwich and Mercer hotels gain the most attention , it is the techy , intelligent Pod concept that captures Born ’ s imagination . “ I said , ‘ Can I deliver a comfortable environment and sell that room for US $ 200 a night ?’” he explains . “ And the answer is , ‘ I can do it in 125 square feet ( 12 sq m ) instead of 250 square feet ( 23 sq m ).’” Do the math . david BuRden founder and ceo , timBers resorts , carBondale , colorado
Luxury mixed-use developer / manager Timbers Resorts has realized critical acclaim for its most recent hotel-residence projects , The Sebastian – Vail in Colorado and Castello di Casole in Tuscany , Italy .
Burden and his team have developed some 13 properties since 1999 . Today , some properties sit with different owners under the Timbers Collection while the group manages five .
Burden wants to grow Timbers ’ hotel-residence business ( fractional and whole ownership ) that has been averaging up to US $ 100 million in annual sales , and he has multiple sources of institutional capital . He is also asset-managing some of the properties in the Collection and developing 14 more residences at Castello di Casole .
Burden says he is close to acquiring a luxury property in Florida as well as considering others in the Caribbean and Europe . “ We prefer specialty , high-end resort properties that can stand on their own without leaning on a brand ,” Burden adds . www . hotelsmag . com June 2014 HOTELS 25