This is what the Hells Angels building sold for

The sale of the former Hells Angels clubhouse hit public records yesterday.

According to the public documents, 77 E. Third St., the six-story building between First Avenue and Second Avenue, sold for $7.75 million (updated: other reports list the same as for $10 million)...



As first reported here in February, there was a Memorandum of Contract (the form preceding a contract of sale) dated this past Dec. 21 between Church of the Angels, Inc. (aka — The Church of Angels) and 77 East 3rd LLC. The document was signed by Bartley J. Dowling, president of the NYC Hells Angels chapter, and the purchaser, Nathan Blatter of Whitestone Realty Group. [Updated: The New York Times reported that Whitestone sold the building to Better Living Properties.]

According to the the Post in late March, the units in the building were expected to hit the market as rentals. To date, there aren't any permits on file with the Department of Buildings for any renovations at the address.

The Hells Angels had a presence in 77 E. Third St. since 1969. They eventually bought the building, which included their clubhouse and member residences (Realtor.com lists 14 units), from Birdie Ruderman in the Bronx for a reported $1,900.

In 1983, chapter president Sandy Alexander took over ownership of the building. The deed from that time states that Alexander, his wife Collette and their family could live on the premises rent free. In addition, in the event that the building was sold, she would stand to receive half of the proceeds.

This agreement was later the basis for a legal tussle in 2013 between the clubhouse and Alexander's family. (Sandy Alexander, who spent six years in prison for selling cocaine, died in 2007.) That deed was eventually reversed in April 2018, per public documents.



No word on where the Angels may have moved. A member named Tony told the Post in March that: "We're being harassed by the yuppies down here [who are] sitting on our bikes and pissing on the sidewalk ... [We want to] go somewhere we can live comfortably."

The last of the members moved out of No. 77 at the end of March.

Previously on EV Grieve:
After 50 years on the block, the Hells Angels appear to be selling their 3rd Street clubhouse

The Hells Angels have left the East Village

The Hells Angels have left the East Village

[Photo yesterday via EVG reader Erin S.]

The last of the members of the Hells Angels who lived in their clubhouse at 77 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue have moved out.

By yesterday, the Hells Angels logos had been removed from the building's exterior ... and the front door — featuring flaming skulls and a pitchfork-wielding, helmeted-winged demon — had been painted over.

Also gone: The plaque in memory of Big Vinny inscribed "When in doubt knock 'em out." (In 1978, according to published reports, Hells Angel Vincent "Big Vinny" Girolamo was arrested after throwing his girlfriend, Mary Ann Campbell, from the roof of No. 77 to her death. He reportedly died as the result of a knife fight the following year.)


[Image via Wikipedia Commons]

As first reported here in February, there's a Memorandum of Contract (the form preceding a contract of sale) dated this past Dec. 21 between Church of the Angels, Inc. (aka — The Church of Angels) and 77 East 3rd LLC ...



The document was signed by Bartley J. Dowling, president of the NYC Hells Angels chapter, and the purchaser, Nathan Blatter of Whitestone Realty Group.

In a cover story published Sunday at the Post, Blatter said that a deal hasn't been finalized yet. The units in the building are expected to hit the market as rentals.

The Hells Angels have had a presence in 77 E. Third St. since 1969. They eventually bought the six-floor building, which included their clubhouse and member residences (Realtor.com lists 14 units), from Birdie Ruderman in the Bronx for a reported $1,900. The deed on file with the city from November 1977 shows the then-dilapidated building changed hands for $10...



In 1983, chapter president Sandy Alexander took over ownership of the building. The deed from that time states that Alexander, his wife Collette and their family could live on the premises rent free. In addition, in the event that the building was sold, she would stand to receive half of the proceeds.

This agreement was later the basis for a legal tussle in 2013 between the clubhouse and Alexander's family. (Sandy Alexander, who spent six years in prison for dealing cocaine, died in 2007.) That deed was eventually reversed in April 2018, per public documents.



So why now for the Angels to move away? A member named Tony told the Post: "We're being harassed by the yuppies down here [who are] sitting on our bikes and pissing on the sidewalk."

And: "When the neighborhood was s–t, nobody minded us because we kept the place clean. It comes a point where it’s useless to be down here because of the harassment. [We want to] go somewhere we can live comfortably."

The yuppies have apparently been a problem dating to 1987, as this People magazine article from that year shows...



Some excerpts from the article, dated Sept. 7, 1987:

Across the street from the Angels’ clubhouse a banner touting co-ops for sale flaps in the fetid breeze. A partial rehab, featuring a fresh coat of tan paint over a soot-blackened facade, has transformed a sagging old apartment building into trendy housing for the affluent young. You might think that a beer can’s throw away from the lair of a notorious band of bikers would be a less-than-desirable homesite — and you would be right. That’s why a dark, airless, 400-square-foot, one-room apartment there can be had for only $68,000 (plus $388 a month maintenance), about half the going rate in the city’s tonier precincts.

The Angels ... view the neighborhood’s sudden ascension with mixed feelings. "We’ve moved up in social class without leaving the block," jokes chapter president Brendan Manning. But his smile can’t hide that tinge of resentment common to an area’s old families when the nouveaux riches arrive. As his biker buddy Butch Garcia notes, "We always kept this block clean when it was a ghetto, a slum. Now the rich people moved in and everybody’s trying to keep it clean."

Manning, 31, who lives in an apartment above the clubhouse, as do a number of Angels and their families, anticipates no trouble with the new upscale neighbors. "If they don’t bother us, we can deal with them," he says. "As long as they don’t complain and don’t call the cops and" — his barbarically handsome face grows stern — "don’t hit our motorcycles." He vows with a resolve as ineradicable as his tattoos that, even if the clubhouse becomes an island of sweaty denim in a sea of pin-striped wool, there will always be the Angels: "We were here first. We’re not gonna change. We don’t change for nobody. If they can’t handle it, they can move."

In 2009, the Angels started having issues with hostel guests from next door sitting on their bench. You may recall that episode here.

In recent years, there were other territorial issues involving parking spaces and their orange cones. In 2016, there was a reported shooting over a parking spot outside the clubhouse. And in late December, a deliveryman was allegedly sucker punched by a member when he parked his car in front of motorcycles outside the clubhouse.

No word yet on where the members may relocate. According to the Sunday Post: "The gang hopes to relocate to a neighborhood where they won’t be bothered by Starbucks traffic, pushy tourists and nosy cops." As Giovanni noted in the comments on Sunday: "I sincerely hope they enjoy their new home in Wyoming."

Noted

The Hells Angels get the tabloid treatment today over at the Post... giving the bikers the wood about their move away from Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

To the article:

“We’re being harassed by the yuppies down here [who are] sitting on our bikes and pissing on the sidewalk,” griped one burly biker outside the infamous motorcycle gang’s clubhouse at 77 E. Third St., which has been sold and mostly cleaned out.

“When the neighborhood was s–t, nobody minded us because we kept the place clean,” the biker, Tony, continued. “It comes a point where it’s useless to be down here because of the harassment. [We want to] go somewhere we can live comfortably.”

Tony, who once lived in the HQ and is now homeless, turned up at the all-but-abandoned bunker last week for a meeting with the building’s buyer, Nathan Blatter of Whitestone Realty.

Blatter told the tabloid that a deal hasn't been finalized yet.

And where will the members go? Per the Post: "The gang hopes to relocate to a neighborhood where they won’t be bothered by Starbucks traffic, pushy tourists and nosy cops."

The Hells Angels have had a presence on Third Street since 1969. They eventually bought the six-floor building, which includes their clubhouse and member residences, from Birdie Ruderman in the Bronx for $1,900, according to public records.

Previously (and exclusively) on EV Grieve:
After 50 years on the block, the Hells Angels appear to be selling their 3rd Street clubhouse

After 50 years on the block, the Hells Angels appear to be selling their 3rd Street clubhouse

[EVG file photo]

The word coming from Third Street is that the Hells Angels are selling their clubhouse (No. 77) here between First Avenue and Second Avenue with a springtime move planned.

According to public records, there's a Memorandum of Contract (the form preceding a contract of sale) dated this past Dec. 21 between Church of the Angels, Inc. (aka — The Church of Angels) and 77 East 3rd LLC ...



The document is signed by Bartley J. Dowling, president of the NYC Hells Angels chapter, and the purchaser, Nathan Blatter of Whitestone Realty Group.

Attorney Ron Kuby, who has represented the Angels in legal matters through the years, said that he was unaware of any sale. "I have heard nothing about it," he said on the phone yesterday. (He also said that he doesn't handle real-estate law.)

At this time, it's not known where the NYC clubhouse may be relocating or what the reasons are for doing so.

The Hells Angels have had a presence in 77 E. Third St. since 1969. They eventually bought the six-floor building, which includes their clubhouse and member residences (Realtor.com lists 14 units), from Birdie Ruderman in the Bronx for a reported $1,900. The deed on file with the city from November 1977 shows the then-dilapidated building changed hands for $10...



In 1983, chapter president Sandy Alexander took over ownership of the building. The deed from that time states that Alexander, his wife Collette and their family could live on the premises rent free. In addition, in the event that the building was sold, she would stand to receive half of the proceeds.

This agreement was later the basis for a legal tussle in 2013 between the clubhouse and Alexander's family. (Sandy Alexander, who spent six years in prison for dealing cocaine, died in 2007.)

According to the Post in 2013:

They are suing his second wife, Alison Glass Alexander, of Jamaica, Queens and his daughter from another marriage, Kimberly Alexander, of Needles, Calif. to prevent them from making a grab for the property.

A source told the Post that the members have no immediate plans to sell 77 E. 3rd St. — which is on the periphery of New York University’s $6 billion expansion plan and in a once-crime ridden neighborhood where one-bedrooms now rent for $3,500 a month — but they wanted to clear up the "cloudy deed."

That deed was eventually reversed in April 2018, per public documents, ...



The U.S. government unsuccessfully tried to seize the building starting with a drug bust in 1985. The feds charged that the clubhouse was used to make drug deals. However, a jury ruled against the forfeiture in February 1994, per The New York Times.

At another time we may note more of their legal run-ins here through the years. (Most recently, in late December, the Post reported that a deliveryman was allegedly sucker punched by a member when he parked his car in front of motorcycles outside the clubhouse.)

And here's a portion of the 1983 documentary "Hells Angels Forever" that highlights the Third Street clubhouse at the two-minute mark...

Report: Delivery guy sucker-punched after parking outside the Hells Angels HQ on 3rd Street

The Post reports that a deliveryman was punched early Monday when he parked his car in front of motorcycles outside the Hells Angels clubhouse on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

A stranger in his 60s approached the driver and told him he couldn’t park in front of the hogs, but the deliveryman continued with the drop-off, law enforcement sources said.

When he returned to his car, two other men approached. One held him by the neck while the other sucker-punched him in the face, the sources added.

The victim, who reportedly suffered minor facial injuries, refused medical treatment. No arrests were made, per the Daily News.

Both the Post and the News noted that in December 2016, a Long Island man survived a gunshot to the stomach during a late night/early morning altercation outside the clubhouse. Police said that the fight began after the victim exited his friend's Mercedez-Benz to move an orange parking cone so that the car could pass a livery driver stopped on the street.

The biker charged in the assault reportedly died of an aneurysm in September 2017.

[Updated] Police make arrest in shooting outside the Hells Angels HQ on 3rd Street

[Pic from Dec. 13 by Event Photos NYC]

Police have arrested a 52-year-old Bronx man for a shooting that occurred early on Dec. 11 outside the Hells Angels clubhouse, the Daily News reports.

The Post names the suspect in custody as Anthony Iovenitti. Police sources have alleged that he shot Valley Stream resident David Martinez, 25, in the stomach during a late night/early morning fight outside the clubhouse between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Police said that the fight began after Martinez exited his friend's Mercedez-Benz to move an orange parking cone so that the car could pass a livery driver stopped on the street. This prompted a confrontation that ended with the shooting.

According to a previous report in the News, police were looking for a suspect who wore a hat with the word "dad" on it. Both the Daily News and the Post reported that the members of the Hells Angels had not been cooperating with the NYPD's investigation.

In a fairly large operation last Tuesday, police, armed with an Environmental Control Board Summons, shut down the street and removed two Hells Angels-branded planters, a bench and a ramp from outside the HQ.

Updated 12/21


[Pool photography via the Daily Mail]

Iovenitti (pictured above) was arraigned on assault charges, according to published reports.

Per DNAinfo:

Iovenitti, who has seven prior arrests, was arrested on charges of attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. He was ultimately arraigned on the assault and criminal possession charges, according to a criminal complaint.

Iovenitti was also reportedly arrested in October for another fight over a parking spot.

According to the Daily Mail, "Martinez's colon was severed by the bullet, which became lodged in his spine."

And:

He has been recovering in the hospital but was reportedly too scared to speak to police amid fear of reprisals from Hells Angels.

Defense lawyer Ron Kuby said today during the arraignment that "Martinez as the aggressor."

From the Daily News:

“This was not the cone wars,” Kuby told Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Lyle Frank. “(Martinez) grabs a chain from the Mercedes. He starts swinging the chain.”

Kuby also criticized the cops for ripping open Christmas presents in Iovenitti’s upstate home in a search that “caused mayhem in the apartment.”

And from the Post:

Iovenitti is a “prospect” with the notorious motorcycle club, a step away from becoming a full-fledged member.

He was released on $25,000 bail and is due back in court Friday.

Developing: Large NYPD presence reported at the Hells Angels HQ

Several readers have reported police activity outside the Hells Angels clubhouse on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. The street is currently blocked off...

whoa big standoff in front of hells angels pic.twitter.com/o9c93ZnFpe

— Abe Stanway (@abestanway) December 13, 2016

A 25-year-old man was reportedly shot in the stomach early Sunday morning during a fight that involved moving an orange traffic cone outside the HQ.

Will update when more information becomes available.

Updated 1:50

NYPD raiding the Hells Angels clubhouse. Looks like they're taking some bikes away and chainsawing into the basement @evgrieve @mattlehrer pic.twitter.com/31L43u14cY

— Idan Cohen (@idancohen) December 13, 2016

Updated 3 p.m.

Event Photos NYC shared these images from the scene...



The NYPD removed the two HA planters that were outside the HQ on the street...









5:23 p.m.

The Daily News noted that police also removed a bench and a ramp from outside the HQ.

It appears that the NYPD did not enter the building: "Cops armed with an Environmental Control Board Summons carried out a visual inspection outside of the property."

A suspect has not been named. The Daily News notes that the members have not been cooperating with the investigation.

More details emerge about reported shooting outside the Hells Angels HQ

[ABC 7 and the NYPD on East 3rd Street yesterday. Photo by Steven]

A few more details are emerging about the shooting that took place outside the Hells Angels HQ on Third Street early Sunday morning.

Per previous reports, a 25-year-old man was shot in the gut after moving an orange traffic cone outside the HQ between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The victim, identified as David Martinez of Spring Valley, and his friends were in a Mercedes Benz on the block. Earlier reports stated that they tried to move a cone to park. However, published reports now say that they were stuck behind a livery cab, and tried to move the cone to pass. Someone from the clubhouse reportedly told Martinez not to touch the cone. A fight ensued, and Martinez sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his stomach.

According to a follow-up report in the Daily News, Martinez kicked the man who shot him, and investigators hope that DNA on his boot might help find the suspect, called a prospect of the club.

The fracas ... started when Martinez and four friends pulled up in a black Mercedes-Benz at about 1:20 a.m. and moved an orange cone in front of the building, sources said.

Martinez's friend, Joseph Gray, 25, was driving ... He didn't realize what the building was.

The prospect confronted Martinez and threw the first punch, sources said.

Martinez's male friends — Gray, Edmond Peters, 27, and Cecil Peters, also 27 — got out of the car, and more of the club's members spilled out of the building, sources said.

The two groups squared off and, at one point, Gray took a chain out of his trunk and started swinging, police sources said.

Martinez got the better of the prospect, punching and kicking him, and knocked him to the ground.

When Martinez moved in for another kick, the prospect sat up, gun in hand, and fired once.

According to the News, police are looking for a suspect who wore a hat with the word "dad" on it.

Meanwhile, the Post is all over the cone story. Yesterday morning, officers sitting in a police cruiser by the HQ noticed another orange cone outside the building.

And then!

[A]ll hell broke loose when a cop removed the orange cone and tossed it into a cruiser, prompting a roughneck lady Angel to burst into tears.

“I don’t know what to do! Why are they doing this?! I’m just trying to do the right thing!” the motorcycle mama sobbed.

The crybaby biker then hopped in a Chevy and nearly plowed into a Post photographer. Cops slapped her with three summonses, including failure to signal, failure to wear a seat belt and reckless driving, a police source said.

According to the Post, the members of the Hells Angels have not been cooperating with the NYPD's investigation.

Report: Man reportedly shot moving orange cones outside Hells Angels HQ on 3rd Street

[EVG file photo]

Update 12/13. We have a follow-up post with more details here.

According to a report in the Post, a 25-year-man was shot in the gut after moving orange traffic cones outside the Hells Angels HQ on Third Street early Sunday morning.

The victim, identified as David Martinez, and his friends were looking for a parking spot when they spotted the space between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

A biker came out of the club’s headquarters and told them to stop what they were doing, sparking an argument between him and Martinez, police sources said.

Their dispute then turned violent, and other bikers spilled out of the clubhouse.

One of those men ran up to Martinez and shot him in the gut, sources said.

The Daily News reported that Martinez's friends "loaded him into their Mercedes-Benz and drove him to Bellevue Hospital, where he’s expected to survive."

As for descriptions of the suspects. The Post noted: "Cops were looking for three suspects, described only as white men most likely riding motorcycles."

Report: Hells Angel arrested for waving gun, chasing man down 3rd Street with a baseball bat

[Image via Google Street View]

A member of the Hells Angels was arrested after allegedly waving a gun and chasing a man away from the club's East Third Street clubhouse, the Daily News reported.

The incident apparently took place last night around 10 outside the club between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Police arrested Jose Brito, 28, and charged him with criminal possession of a firearm and menacing. Officers on the scene recovered the bat but not the gun.

It was not clear what prompted the gun waving and chasing.

Report: Hells Angels in legal fight for rights to their East 3rd Street clubhouse

[EVG file photo]

Members of the Hells Angels are reportedly locked in a battle over the rights to their longtime NYC clubhouse on East Third Street, according to the New York Post.

The story dates back to 1983, when then-New York Chapter president Sandy Alexander changed the building's deed to name himself and his family as rent-free tenants. Members of the Hells Angels are now suing Alexander's remaining heirs to prevent them from possibly taking over the building. (Alexander died in 2007.)

Per The Post:

A source told The Post that the members have no immediate plans to sell 77 E. 3rd St. — which is on the periphery of New York University's $6 billion expansion plan and in a once-crime ridden neighborhood where one-bedrooms now rent for $3,500 a month — but they wanted to clear up the "cloudy deed."

The decades-old agreement, obtained by the Post, says that Sandy's heirs 'shall receive half of the proceeds" from the sale of the six-story building that has around 10 apartments on the top five floors.

The U.S. government unsuccessfully tried to seize the building starting with a drug bust in 1985. The feds charged that the clubhouse was used to make drug deals. However, a jury ruled against the forfeiture in February 1994, per The New York Times.

The Hells Angels have lived in this building since 1969.

Holiday spirit from the Hells Angels

Kinda missed the H.A. that they had up in previous years...

Italian investor buys 73-75 E. Third St. for $15.5 million

Back in late October 2009, we speculated about what home was for sale for nearly $16 million on East Third Street. (Read all about that right here.)

We eventually found the answer: 73-75 E. Third St., directly to the west of the Hells Angels HQ. According to the listing at the time, the 49 units in the buildings were going for $15.7 million...



Yesterday, Massey Knakal announced that the property had been sold "in an all cash transaction valued at $15,500,000."

Here are more details via the news release:

Combined, the two six-story buildings are approximately 22,092 total above grade square feet and have 50 feet of frontage along East 3rd Street. In total, there are 49 one-bedroom apartments, of which, 4 are rent controlled and the remaining 45 units are all free market. All 45 free market units have been renovated to include new hardwood floors, marble tiles in the bathrooms, granite countertops and new appliances including dishwashers in the kitchens and washer/dryer in the units. Most of the units also benefit from exposed brick.

“The purchaser was a foreign national from Italy who had sold a property and used the proceeds in a tax deferred 1031 exchange. New York City commercial real estate continues to be perceived by foreign investors as providing the best opportunity for capital appreciation and multifamily investments are the preferred sector today. It has historically been viewed as a safe haven for both foreign and local investor’s,” said Massey Knakal Vice Chairman and Partner John Ciraulo.

Anywho, no word about the fate of Sanctuary Guest Suites — Bed & Breakfast housed in 73 E. Third St. (There have been a few complaints from nearby residents who claim that this is an illegal hotel. You can read some of the complaints to the city here.)

And this was also the hotel with the guests who enjoyed relaxing on the bench in front of the Hells Angels HQ.

For further reading on EV Grieve:
The Hells Angels kindly request that hotel guests please refrain from sitting on their bench

Continuing to speculate about what 10-room, $15-million home is for sale on East Third Street

We now know what building is for sale for $15 million on East Third Street (hint: buy an alleged illegal hotel and live next to the Hells Angels!)

A red-tailed hawk atop the Big Red Machine HQ

Spotted at the Hells Angels HQ on East Third Street today... the hawk had the good sense not to sit on the bench out front...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

In time for your Thanksgiving, the Hells Angels

Anyway, in case that you haven't seen it yet, someone has extracted a portion of the 1983 documentary "Hells Angels Forever" ... only showing footage around the clubhouse on East Third Street...



Per the message from the person who uploaded the clip:

I edited this film down from the full length feature, "Hells Angels Forever," to include most of the footage that was filmed on 3rd St., NYC. To be clear, I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL FILMMAKER. I lived across the street from the clubhouse for 10 years, from mid-1970s to mid-1980s. These are the guys I used to see on the block everyday.

The first guy speaking is Howie Weisbrod, who's apartment was directly across the street from mine. Next guy is Big Vinny Girolamo, who later lost his life in a knife fight with an Oakland Hells Angel, back in 1979. There's a plaque in his memory posted over the renovated clubhouse door to this day.

Most of the East Third Street scenes start just after the 2-minute mark... and an entertaining scene involving the 9th Precinct and an angry neighbor starts around the 6:59 mark...

Hells Angels show what they thought of Hurricane Irene

They didn't even cover their bikes.

Report: City makes Hells Angels remove bench bar

From an "exclusive" in the Post today. The City forced the Hells Angels to remove the bar from its bench outside its East Third Street HQ. Per the Post:

The city cracked down on the club after The Post recently publicized its efforts to keep pedestrians off its pew, said the Angels' lawyer, Ron Kuby.

Only members had been given keys to unlock the bar so they could sit down.

Department of Transportation officials noted that the bench was on city property and the organization would now need a permit for it, Kuby said.

A DOT spokesman said the two sides are trying to work out a solution to keep the bench.

Previously

Rethinking the bench defense

The other day on East Third Street....

Previously....

Today in Hells Angels bench coverage

The Post has a follow-up on our Hells Angels bench story from yesterday (and they did credit EV Grieve in the story — thank you!).

Here's the article, in part:

Not even tourists are intimidated by the Hells Angels anymore.
The once-menacing motorcycle club has been unable to keep people from sitting on its beloved bench outside its East Village headquarters.
A sign stating "Private Property" failed to keep guests at neighboring hotels from taking a seat, so a few weeks ago, the club finally installed a yellow metal bar and lock across the bench that only members can open with a key, noted the Web blog EV Grieve.
The only hogs the club cares about more than their Harleys are the folks who lounge on their bench, said Mario Cornejo, manager of Sanctuary Guest Suites, one of two hotels neighboring the Angels' East Third Street den.
"They really care about their bench," he said.
The hotel urges guests not to use it, even posting its own signs in the lobby, he said.
Members of the club — apparently now as gentrified as the rest of the East Village — declined to comment.

No word yet if the Angels are planning their next rally at 1211 Avenue of the Americas.

The Hells Angels unveil new line of defense for their bench

Back in June 2009 we pointed out the sign on the bench outside the Hells Angels headquarters on Third Street ...



This was an effort to thwart clueless hotel guests from the Sanctuary Guest Suites next door for plopping down here ... However, this reporter still saw European thrillseekers taking a seat here...

So now! It's a little more difficult...

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Hells Angels kindly request that hotel guests please refrain from sitting on their bench