Angry placard-wielding neighbors vigorously protested the hotel’s sprawling three-level food-and-beverage program (total capacity: 588) before management finally agreed to a long list of conditions, including some rather early closing times for the outdoor eating and drinking areas. The second-floor terrace’s 8 p.m. shuttering will send summertime revelers inside before sunset.
The squabbling continued internally, as well; the hotel’s developers, Matt Moss and Gregory Peck, two former high-school friends from Long Island, had a falling-out. While both retain an ownership stake, Mr. Peck is no longer involved in the Cooper Square’s operation, instead focusing on other projects in California and elsewhere around the country.
“I’m happy for the hotel to open,” Mr. Peck said over the phone from Los Angeles last week. “I think it will be well received. Otherwise, I’m developing a hotel in San Francisco and hunting for others.”
Happily stepping up as the public face of the project—amid all the controversy—was Mr. Ortlieb, a German-born former executive vice president at Ian Schrager Hotels, who has otherwise toiled in the shadows of bigger-name hoteliers over a 25-year career in hospitality, ranging from Claridge’s in London to the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas to the Hotel on Rivington on the Lower East Side.
“I went through it with André Balazs and Campion Platt when they broke up,” said Mr. Ortlieb, referring to the original partners at the Mercer. “I still opened the hotel.”
Mr. Ortlieb now oversees the entire operation under the auspices of MK Hotels, a fledgling management firm formed in partnership with Mr. Moss, himself a rookie hotel operator.
Talk about hitting the ground running: At least two prominent Manhattan hoteliers are rumored to be closely watching the upstart management company’s progress, with an eye toward possibly acquiring the Cooper Square, should it become distressed.
“I have tremendous confidence in Klaus’ ability to manage the hotel,” Mr. Moss, the developer, said, further dismissing any talk a sale. “Our intention is to own this hotel for years to come.”
