Scott Rechler was negotiating a deal to build Airbnb rentals in a Manhattan office tower when the real estate developer had an epiphany. Tree houses and other unconventional lodgings were popular on the home-sharing site. Why not a ship?
Rechler, chief executive officer of RXR Realty, had a vessel in mind. For decades, cruise operators and real estate people have been trying to revive a mothballed ocean liner called the SS United States. Encouraged by his conversations with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, Rechler decided to take the plunge.
Last year, Rechler struck a deal with the ship’s nonprofit owner and started commissioning designs. Now RXR is shopping its plan to New York, San Francisco and a half-dozen other U.S. cities, seeking a site for a roughly $500 million project that would include hotel rooms, restaurants and a museum celebrating the vessel’s history. If local governments respond well to a formal request for interest, work could begin at a shipyard later this year.
“The idea is to build a great public space that can become a destination for people to spend the day and be a part of history,” Rechler said in an interview.
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