Jeff Klein (born April 24, 1970) is an American hotelier, restaurateur and founder of the JK Hotel Group.[1]

Jeff Klein
Born (1970-04-24) April 24, 1970 (age 54)
Alma materTulane University
SpouseJohn Goldwyn

Early life edit

Born in New York City, Klein spent his childhood in the city's Upper East Side neighborhood. He completed his education at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School before pursuing higher studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. During his time at Tulane, he also studied abroad in Paris, France. In 1993, Klein graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature.[2]

Career edit

After graduating from Tulane University Klein returned to New York City and got his first job in hospitality, as a bellman at the Gotham Hospitality Group’s The Franklin Hotel. He went on to fill various positions within the hotels, including sales manager, housekeeping manager, front desk manager and eventually, general manager of The Mansfield Hotel in 1998. He spent five years working with the Gotham Hospitality Group and its founder, Bernard Goldberg, and CEO, Stephen Brighenti, who later became mentors to Klein.[3]

 
Sunset Tower Hotel

In 1998 Goldberg sold the Gotham Hospitality Group and embarked on a project with Klein to convert a midtown office building into the City Club Hotel.[4]

In 2004 Klein purchased the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood.[5] Designed in 1929 by Leland A. Bryant, the building was a landmark from its debut[citation needed]. In 2005 Klein opened the Tower Bar and Restaurant, housed in Bugsy Siegel’s old apartment on the property.[6] He recruited Dimitri Dimitrov[7] as the Tower Bar maître d’ following an introduction from mutual friend Tom Ford.[8] Under Klein’s ownership, the hotel hosted the annual Vanity Fair Oscar Party[9] from 2009 to 2013, as a multiple Condé Nast Traveler Gold List recipient, a Condé Nast Traveller Hot List winner, and many more.[10]

In 2009 Klein and former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, became partners in the Monkey Bar, a New York City bar and restaurant eatery with a history dating to 1936. Both men sold their interest in the property in 2020.[11]

In 2013, Klein purchased the San Vicente Inn[12] in West Hollywood and rebranded the property as San Vicente Bungalows, a private membership club. That same year he purchased No. 850, a boutique hotel. Both opened in late 2018.[13]

Personal life edit

Klein lives in Beverly Hills with his husband, John Goldwyn.[14][15]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Q10 With Jeff Klein". Huffington Post. June 6, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  2. ^ McKinley, Jesse (July 29, 2001). "Can the Life of the Party Succeed as a City Innkeeper?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  3. ^ "French Travel Fund Established by Alum in honor of Professor Elizabeth Poe". Tulane University (School of Liberal arts). Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  4. ^ Hudson, Kris (June 27, 2011). "City Club Hotel Looks To Double Room Count". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  5. ^ "Want a Table at Hollywood's Hottest Power Spot? Inside Sunset Tower's Maitre D' Handoff". Hollywood Reporter. October 4, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  6. ^ "Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood Targets $100M Sale". LA Business magazine. March 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  7. ^ Barnes, Brooks (August 15, 2018). "From Masthead to Maître D': Gabé Doppelt at Tower Bar". New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  8. ^ "One Last Night with Dimitri Dimitrov, Sunset Tower's Unforgettable Maître D'". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  9. ^ "Hollywood's Celebrity-Soaked Tower Bar Turns 10: A Dishy THR Oral History". Hollywood Reporter. February 25, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  10. ^ "Sunset Tower Hotel". Conde Nast. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  11. ^ Flickensher, Lisa (July 29, 2020). "Graydon Carter giving up helm at posh Monkey Bar after 12 years". New York Post. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  12. ^ "Jeff Klein Gets Intimate With No. 850 and San Vicente Bungalows". WWD. October 16, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  13. ^ Trebay, Guy (February 23, 2019). "The San Vicente Bungalows: Hollywood's New Clubhouse". New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  14. ^ "MESSRS JOHN GOLDWYN AND JEFF KLEIN". Mr. Porter. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  15. ^ "Producer John Goldwyn to List Hollywood Regency Above Sunset Strip (EXCLUSIVE)". Yahoo. Retrieved March 13, 2019.