A Brooklyn Life: Hotelier Superstar Ben Pundole
From 2006 to 2010 I was the VP of Entertainment for Morgans Hotel Group. I oversaw events, nightlife, entertainment in 12 hotels from the Delano in Miami to St. Martin’s Lane in London, opening Bungalow 8 with Amy Sacco in 2007, followed by The Florida Room, a club in the basement of Delano designed by Lenny Kravitz and his team.
My dream, my goal and my future was reached in 2010 when, with my friend and designer, Robert McKinley, we started King and Grove Hotels, (he grew up on King Street in New York and I on Grove Road in London), opening Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk, a 20-room “summer camp for adults” with the guys from the Fat Radish partnering with us on all the food and beverage. There were feasts under the stars, yoga on the lawn, surf lessons, badminton, ping-pong, and, of course, the Electric Eel, where it wasn’t uncommon to see a neon tambourine being waved to the music of various DJs who had to strictly adhere to our music policy of no top 40, no (new) hip-hop and no dance—which lent itself well to the summer camp feeling, a real 1950s/80s, old-school vibe…
The next hotel was in Williamsburg: we found a great site in development, 64 rooms, rooftop bar, a pool… It was a dream, but then my financial partner and I parted ways—sadly, it happens. They kept the hotel, I got a fantastic job working with Ian Schrager/Marriott on a new hotel brand called EDITION as VP of Brand Experience. The next hotel opens in London this summer, followed by Miami next year and New York shortly after—all very exciting.
I live in Brooklyn, I love Brooklyn, it is my dream and intention to open a hotel in Brooklyn in the not-so-distant future.