Manhattan Club timeshare owners allege hotel is oversold

Ian Bruce Eichner and 200 West 56th Street
Ian Bruce Eichner and 200 West 56th Street

Developer Ian Bruce Eichner is facing a lawsuit from timeshare owners at the Manhattan Club resort who claim that a weekly room shortage has prevented them from booking rooms or selling their shares on the market.

In a New York State Supreme Court lawsuit, the owners alleged that more than 18,000 ownerships at 200 West 56th Street have been sold for 286 rooms, resulting in a minimum shortage of 69 rooms every week, the New York Post reported.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Lawyer Joel Weiss, who is representing Eichner, told the Post he expects the lawsuit to be dismissed because two previous suits met such a fate. In 2011, five timeshare owners claimed that Eichner did not grant them access to their timeshares, despite booking up to nine months in advance, and that he instead rented them out to the general public.

“The overwhelming number of the Manhattan Club’s purchasers have been exceedingly happy with their timeshare ownership and are obtaining the benefits they were promised,” Weiss told the Post. [NYP]Mark Maurer