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NYC's Gay Hotel Is Turning Into A Playboy Club

The Playboy Supper Club promises fine dining, incredible service and, yes, Bunnies.

New York's Out NYC hotel is getting a makeover, courtesy of Hugh Hefner: DNAInfo reports that the LGBT-friendly hotel, which was acquired by Merchants Hospitality Group earlier this year, will be revamped and rebooted as part of the Playboy empire.

PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 19: Actor Rock Hudson signs the cuff of a Playboy Bunny at a dinner for the Motion Picture Pioneers Association at the Playboy Club on November 19, 1962 in New York, New York. (Photo by PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

The 105-room property, located on 42nd Street in Hell's Kitchen, opened in 2013 as a gay hotel with adjoining restaurant and XL nightclub.

The hotel has been purchased by the Cachet boutique hotel chain, and the nightclub is being rebranded and renamed the Playboy Supper Club—harkening back to the 1960s, when Hefner operated a popular nightspot on East 59th Street.

Keystone Features/Getty Images

Exterior of Hugh Hefner's 'Playboy Club' in midtown Manhattan, New York. (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images)

That infamous venue closed in the mid-80s, but instead of the T&A feel associated with the Playboy brand, the Supper Club will aim for an upscale dining and entertainment experience—complete with roasted guinea fowl breast and the “Hef Burger.” (The latter dish will set you back $45.)

“Part of the brilliance of Playboy is that their brand is really special,” said Meredith Gelacek, who will manage the space through Cachet. “We will have [Playboy] Bunnies, but the reality is we are going to have a world-class restaurant, and we are going to serve incredible food, [and] it’s going to be incredible service.”

Richard Corkery/NY Daily News

UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 03: Donald Trump is flanked by Playmates at a party celebrating Playboy magazine's 45th anniversary at the Life Club., (Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

Playboy, which stopped featuring nude models in its pages last year, is working to reposition itself as a more respectable lifestyle brand.

According to the New York Post, the Out suffered from New York's inclusive atmosphere: “As more gays feel welcome at other hotels, the hotel has experienced declining occupancy and revenues.”

That’s only part of the story, though: In 2015, it faced protests and boycotts after co-owner Mati Weiderpass hosted a cocktail fundraiser for homophobic Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who was then running for president. In response, Broadway Bares, New York Gay Men’s Chorus, AIDS Walk and other groups pulled planned events from the hotel.

Co-owner Ian Reisner blamed the hotel's failure on its gay clientele, whom he called "cheap."

"This has not been a profitable venture. Gays are cheap. They’re frugal," he declared. "Let me rephrase that—gays are entitled... Do you know how challenging it is to make a penny off a gay person? 'I’m gay, I don’t pay cover. I’m gay, where’s my comp drink?'"

Merchants purchased the venue for $40 million and is expected to spend another $6 million to give it that Playboy feel, whatever that entails.

They've also promised to address noise and smoking issues neighbors raised about the previous tenants.

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