THE NEW GOLDEN BOYS OF THE FIRE ISLAND PINES
by Tricia Manzanero
Their $21 million purchase of multiple
Fire Island Pines properties may be the largest in the
town's history, but Andrew Kirtzman, Matthew Blesso, and
Seth Weissman of FIP Ventures are far from greedy businessmen
just in it for a buck. Although successful in their own
careers, Kirtzman, 48, a journalist turned hotelier; Blesso,
36, a real estate investor, and Weissman, 26, an investment
banker, still chuckle when called "mister."
Yet besides their good sense of humor, the trio also shares
a true love for the Pines. In their current venture they
hope to simply revamp the popular summer gay enclave,
while still retaining its unique character. For instance,
they have kept the Pines' historic Hotel Ciel open for
its final summer fling before renovations start in the
fall. Read on to see what else these ambitious three have
in store.
So what inspired the purchase? What
about the particular properties attracted you?
This is really the heart and soul of the Pines.
I mean you're talking about the Pavilion, what might
be the most famous gay dance club in the world. It's
iconic. There's no place like it in the world. Fire
Islands is a place where people feel very passionately
about places like the Pavilion, and I could reel off
a half a dozen other iconic, beloved institutions that
we purchased. This is more than just a real estate investment.
This is really a kind of labor of love to both protect
the personality of the Pines and to improve the services
there.
Speaking of the Pavilion, what sorts
of improvements can partygoers expect?
There have been a lot of complaints about physical
problems at the Pavilion. We're going to make it a lot
easier to get around the club. We're also going to transform
this massive 9,000-square-foot pool deck behind the
hotel and turn it into a gorgeous glamour pool deck.
We're then going to open the Pavilion doors to that
deck so people can go outside after dancing and chill
out.
How are the residents themselves
reacting to the renovations?
People have really welcomed us with open arms;
it's been really nice. We spent a lot of time meeting
with various members of the community hosting dinners
of homeowners and renters, and meeting with the heads
of the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association.
We really listened to what everyone wanted so that as
we developed our plans we were listening to each one
of these constituencies. We've had a lot of input, and
those will be reflected in the plans that we're going
to be implementing.
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What are your plans for transforming
the historic Hotel Ciel into the "welcoming beacon"
for visitors to the Pines?
We're not really ready to release that yet because
we're still working on it, but if you ever come into
the Pines, [the Hotel Ciel] is the most prominent building
that you see from far away. And, it's a mess. That hotel
has been there for about fifty years, and we estimate
there's about 150,000 visits per years to the Pines.
On 7.5 million trips, people have been welcomed by that
hotel. We want what we create to be what people see
for the next 100 years. That's the way we view development.
It's not just about making a lot of money. We want to
do what's right and what we feel good about. I think
the people that spend time in the Pines deserve something
better than what they look at right now.
Can guests expect the same prices for accommodations?
Our philosophy for all of the properties is that
we're not interested in changing the character of the
town, and we're not interested in raising prices. Our
strategy is to fill the places that have been empty.
You don't have to raise prices to do that. You have
to give people a product that they want, and in fact,
one of the mistakes that's been made at the Hotel Ciel
is that they charge too much for what is a very basic
product. This summer, pre-renovation, we're actually
going to dramatically lower the rates at the Ciel. I
mean, not everyone who comes to the Pines is wealthy.
There are a lot of young gay kids who just want to experience
the Pines for the first time, and we're going to try
to make it possible to do that.
Going onto a more personal note,
after spending so much time in the Pines Mr. Kirtzman,
do you have any favorite memories?
I moved to the Pines when I was 20 and I've spent
almost every summer since then. I think the Pines is
probably the gayest community in the world. I think
that's why people love it so much, and I certainly love
it for that. As a matter of fact, a kind of life changing
moment for me came Labor Day weekend 1981 when I first
stepped foot on the dance floor of the Pavilion. I looked
around and I realized I was home.
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