New York Private members’ club, Maxime’s, will be “sensational”, says Reuben Brothers’ Principal

Continuing to take the US hospitality industry and investment market by storm is the private equity, property investment and development, and debt financing firm, Reuben Brothers.

Established by Simon and David Reuben in 2002, the company has built itself an impressive reputation for luxury real estate investment in London and overseas, but has more recently turned its attention to lucrative opportunities in the US.

The driving force behind picking the right overseas investments, particularly those in the US, seems to be 37-year-old member of the firm, Jamie Reuben, a British businessman and son of the firm’s founder, David Reuben.

Of Reuben Brothers’s recent US real estate transactions, several are located in New York – including the former Westbury Hotel on Madison Avenue between 69th and 70th streets. As reported by the New York Post, the space was purchased in 2021 from Vornado Realty and has since undergone significant renovations.

Preparing to reopen early 2025, Reuben Brothers is working closely with the English entrepreneur, Robin Birley, to deliver the private members’ dining club, Maxime’s. Set out over two storeys and with 12,000sq ft to play with (the interior is reportedly being designed by Basil Walter), Birely has signed a 20-year lease on the hospitality hotspot.

While this exclusive private members’ dining club will be Birley’s first venture in the US, the renovated hotel is not the first piece of US or even New York real estate snapped up by the firm, but still poses an exciting opportunity for Reuben Brothers.

In an interview published by Airmail, the firm’s principal, Jamie Reuben said: “It’s going to be sensational,” speaking of Maxime’s. “[Robin] put so much time and effort into this. He’s ingrained himself in the local community.” He pauses. “Sometimes international businesses come in without doing that.”

On top of Maxime’s, Reuben Brothers has also purchased another central New York location to add to their luxury hospitality portfolio. Based on 16 East 16th Street (in New York’s Flatiron District), the 39,000 square-foot building will open in the first quarter of 2025 as The Twenty Two, New York – a luxury hotel, restaurant, and private members’ club.

During the Airmail interview, Jamie Reuben also outlined his reasoning for focusing on New York real estate, citing his “deep love of America and New York.” He continued: “I was spending more time here, I opened an office, then Covid hit. I remember seeing an article saying New York is dead. So, I told my dad and uncle this is the time to invest, and they gave me the confidence to do so.”

According to Airmail, however, these two New York hospitality venues are by no means the limit of Reuben Brothers’ real estate investments in the US – the firm has reportedly invested $6 billion in the wider U.S. market “without third-party capital,” as per company documents.

In recent years, the firm has bought Miami’s W South Beach, Florida, for $425 million, as well as the Chesterfield hotel in Palm Beach which will reopen in 2025 as The Vineta hotel.