The Adelaide Hotel Toronto, Canada The St. Regis Toronto
First, in 2012, it was called the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto, in name only, and by lease. Then it became The Adelaide Hotel Toronto for a few years, and now, finally, it’s The St. Regis Toronto. Sometimes, the “Trump bump” that comes with having his name emblazoned atop high rise buildings is not an added value. This is exactly what happened in Toronto. The real estate deal he wrangled to build The Adelaide condo complex was already contentious with Canadians.
All of the investors in the residential tower lost money, except Trump. So, when he became President of the United States, protests increased. When he discriminatorily banned traveling to the U.S., he crossed a line and, in 2017, the letters of his name were gradually extricated from the tower. They started with the “M”.
More About Bedminster
Located on the heart of New Jersey’s farm country, it’s a beautiful destination. Ivanka Trump held hers and Jared Kushner’s wedding there. Events at the Grand Ballroom, with exquisite floor to ceiling sprawling windows offering never-ending views, or at the classy main clubhouse, a restructured 1930’s Georgian Manor, are nothing short of stunning. The magnificent Manor offers several indoor and outdoor areas for family dining, après golf, or any occasion; accommodating up to 300 guests.
Trump National Bedminster is a world-class golf course, rated among the top 100 golf courses in the world. Designed and built by the legendary golf course architect Tom Fazio, it features two 18-hole Heathlands style courses, the newest opened in 2008. It is scheduled to host the 2022 PGA Championship and costs $350,000 to join. It’s a drop in the bucket for some of the celebrities and political elites who often attend, Rudy Giuliani, President Bill Clinton, and former Yankees manager Joe Torre, to name a few. Membership includes use of the Heli-pad, in case the 45-minute drive from N.Y.C. is too long.
The Bachelor Pad
Just imagine Donald J. Trump in the ‘70s. His silver chauffeured Cadillac with custom plates is pulling up to the Phoenix apartment building on the Upper East Side. He’s worth more than $200 million. Tall, blonde and 30, he’s taking in panoramic views, punctuated by the Empire State Building, as he heads out to meet the driver. On the elevator descent from his Manhattan penthouse apartment, he’s thinking about real deals he’ll land that day. He exits the building and makes his way to the car, climbs in and reaches to make the call on one of the world’s first car phones. When his driver returns him at the end of the business day, he prepares to chill at only the ritziest clubs and date only the slinkiest fashion models.
He’s on the cusp of national distinction, becoming a media darling with a flamboyant and brash personality to match. And it all started in his luxury apartment at the top of The Phoenix Building, an architectural gem designed by the celebrated Every Roth firm.
Ivanka Trump’s Trump Park Avenue Home
In 2009 Jared and Ivanka joined their lives at Trump National Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey. No cost was spared. Her gorgeous gown rang up to $50,000 itself, with an added expense of $220,000 to adorn with jeweled accessories. They would then move into their starter home, a 4,200-square-foot, four-bedroom spread at Trump Park Avenue tower on the Upper East Side in 2011. With a darling nursery in one of the rooms, they set off on building a family.
The penthouse was theirs for about $10.2 million. The stylish digs, designed by Manhattan decorator Kelly Behun, were featured in Elle Decor, but by now they’ve relocated the family to D.C., obviously.
The Hotel St. Moritz Investment
Trump bought the St. Moritz, another Emery Roth design, in 1982 for $72 million and sold it for $180 million in 1985. With major real estate investors vying for the Hotel St. Moritz building and property, it seemed like a huge loss for Trump when he had to sell it. Although he really wanted to develop the property next to Central Park with classier digs and the modern mirrored-glass and stainless façade and was reportedly livid when it was sold from under him, in essence, he flipped the property and more than doubled his investment when he sold it to Australian yachtsman and brewery magnate, Alan Bond, for $100 million more than he got it.
In 1997 he hoped to get a piece of the renovation project once more, but it was sold from under the investors to another investment group who partnered with the Ritz. The building was gutted and remodeled in 2002, transforming it into The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park with the top eleven floors available as sprawling penthouse apartments.