The Trump International Hotel has agreed to let the Charlie Sheen “Torpedo of Truth” speed through during the 20-city tour’s New York and Connecticut legs. According to the Post, the tiger-blooded, former “Two and a Half Men” star and his posse checked into 12 rooms at the hotel yesterday and plan to stay four nights. It’s a #winning moment for Sheen, considering he had been barred from several top hotels in the city after trashing his room at the Plaza last year and causing $7,000 in damages. For that reason, Sheen had been rumored to be eyeing private residences for his return to town, but sources now say that was never true. Rooms at the Trump International can cost around $850 per night. [Post]

It is sometimes challenging for Ivanka Trump to balance her role as vice president of development and acquisitions at Trump International, as well as being the co-founder of Trump Hotel Collection. But, the 29-year-old entrepreneur, who just launched her own shoe line, is taking it all in the stride. “I’ve seen some people really crater under the pressure and long shadow — either trying to distance themselves from the parent so much that instead of using the advantages at their disposal, they just become unproductive, or they get totally paralyzed and do nothing because of fear of failure,” she told the Financial Times. As the daughter of The Donald, Ivanka shares her father’s passions. “My father wanted to stop developing property and start acquiring, and we thought: How can we grow?” she said. “Hotels seemed a logical opportunity… We saw room to be a strong operator that had a background as an owner and builder.” There are now five hotels in the portfolio, with two openings in Panama and Toronto set for next year. Still, “my focus is not to grow my personal brand, but the Trump Organization,” she added. [Financial Times]

[more]

Trump atop his tower

Donald Trump was honored
by the Gray Line Bus company, with a sightseeing bus “with an image bearing his

likeness,” the Wall Street Journal reported. David Chien, marketing
director for Gray Line, bestowed the honor by saying that Trump was like a New York landmark, comparing him to the

Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Chien was joined by
Miss USA Rima Fakin and a multitude of tourists, as Trump “looked on
with regal disinterest,” according to the Journal. He then informed
the crowd that he was “going to take a very short ride, and then I
have some other stuff to do.” The billboard, later unveiled on the
front of the bus, featured the NYC skyline with several of the
honoree’s prominent buildings: Trump Tower, Trump World and Trump
International. [WSJ]

[more]

Trump atop his tower

Donald Trump was honored
by the Gray Line Bus company, with a sightseeing bus “with an image bearing his

likeness,” the Wall Street Journal reported. David Chien, marketing
director for Gray Line, bestowed the honor by saying that Trump was like a New York landmark, comparing him to the

Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Chien was joined by
Miss USA Rima Fakin and a multitude of tourists, as Trump “looked on
with regal disinterest,” according to the Journal. He then informed
the crowd that he was “going to take a very short ride, and then I
have some other stuff to do.” The billboard, later unveiled on the
front of the bus, featured the NYC skyline with several of the
honoree’s prominent buildings: Trump Tower, Trump World and Trump
International. [WSJ]

[more]

Turns out Robert Ziff’s $10 million purchase at the Trump International Hotel and Tower at 1 Central Park West wasn’t the only big New Year’s deal. Two other deals filed this week cracked that $10 million mark, one at 25 Central Park West and another at 1133 Fifth Avenue. The first, a penthouse unit listed by Stribling & Associates’ Cathy Taub, closed at $10.05 million, about $1.5 million under the asking price, the Observer reported. The second, sold by Eva Weinstein, ex-wife of movie studio chairman Harvey Weinstein, was bought by Tom Bernstein, president of Chelsea Piers, for about $3 million less than the original asking price.

Steven Kamali, owner of Steven Kamali Hospitality, announced today that his business is expanding, citing a rising demand in hospitality consulting as the driving factor. The company, which offers real estate, development and branding consultancy to hotels, restaurants and other businesses, has worked with the Smyth Tribeca hotel, Trump International, Cipriani USA, W Hotels, the Carlton Hotel, and others. The firm plans to hire nine new employees and move into a new 3,000-square-foot office in the Meatpacking District.TRD

Bruce Willis was recently spotted scoping out units at Trump International’s 1 Central Park West as well as 15 Central Park West. All the apartments that Willis and new wife Emma Heming saw were reportedly three-bedrooms or larger and had starting prices of around $8 million. Willis was spotted browsing apartments in the storied Apthorp condominium earlier this month. Wendy Maitland of Brown Harris Stevens was seen with the couple.

Celebrities interested in the Apthorp

The celebrity buzz around the Apthorp continues. Bruce Willis and his new bride, 31-year-old model and actress Emma Heming, checked out apartments in the iconic Upper West Side condominium conversion yesterday, sources confirmed. Willis, 54, and Heming, who wed in March in Turks and Caicos, looked at the 101-year-old building’s interior garden courtyard and units, the sources said.
Comments

Available units in high profile buildings are lingering on the resale market,
and few people are stepping up to buy them. At Trump International last
week, 19 apartments were listed for sale, including the $28 million
penthouse owned by Italian film producer Vittorio Cecchi Gori. At 15
Central Park West, 16 apartments are for sale, and the Plaza has 33
listings, including a six-bedroom apartment that includes what was once
the Frank Lloyd Wright suite. Adam Modlin, a principal of the Modlin
Group, said buyers are looking to purchase homes at “what they think
prices will be in six months,” and are waiting for prices to drop
further. Louise Sunshine, founder of the Sunshine Group, is not advising sellers to cut prices. “I would
advise anybody who lives in a quality building to raise their prices
and have patience, because nothing is going to move until people have
confidence,” Sunshine said. [more]