Trailblazer, Visionary, Preservationist
By Charles Baran
A trailblazer is someone who can see into the future and take the necessary steps to make his or her vision a reality. However, to be a trailblazer, one also needs a solid understanding of the history that has come before. Tech entrepreneur Tristan Schukraft, founder of ID90.com and MISTR, easily fulfills those requirements. His latest trailblazing ventures are in the field of LGBTQ hospitality. In 2023 he purchased the renowned Abbey nightclub in Los Angeles—Liz Taylor’s favorite hangout BTW—ensuring its fabulousness is preserved for generations of queer folk to come. This September, in gay-friendly Puerto Vallarta, he is opening the first of several luxury boutique Tryst Hotels. Puerto Rico and Fire Island Pines will soon follow. I caught up with Tristan and discovered more about his vision for reimagining and preserving iconic LGBTQ destinations.
Charles Baran: Hello Tristan! Thank you for sitting down with OutClique and filling us in on the exciting things going on in your world. Give us a little bit of background on your business ventures over the years.
Tristan Schukraft: The first company I founded was ID90, which was an e-ticketing platform for airline personnel. After 14 years, I stepped down as CEO and made various investments, including Frontiers, one of the leading local LGBT publications of its day. MISTR wasn’t something I was planning to launch; it came about as I was trying to get my friends on PrEP and well, as we know, it really took off. For the first time, we can eliminate HIV transmission. We have all the medicine and tools we need to do it. I saw all the barriers in providing access to PrEP and tried to eliminate as many of them as possible: cost, in-person visits, labs, discretion and I used technology to eliminate them. We started at Palm Springs Pride in 2018. My goal was to sign up 300 people by the new year. We enrolled 375! Today, we can sign up as many as 600 people a day. We now serve 350,000 patients across the United States in all 50 states, D.C., and my home Puerto Rico. I’m proud of what we’ve done with MISTR, but my motivation has always been to end new HIV infections and we haven’t done that yet.
Charles Baran: You’ve now become a major player in the LGBTQ+ hospitality and nightlife world. How did that come about?
Tristan Schukraft: Tryst Hotels, The Abbey, MISTR, The Blue Whale, The Pavilion, Circo, they are all kind of connected in an interesting way. Our LGBT forefathers who built these great businesses and queer communities are in their 60s and 70s and looking to retire. The LGBT-owned businesses that defined our neighborhoods are turning over. If another generation of LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs don’t buy them, our queer villages will disappear. Making sure these businesses stay operating and LGBTQ+ owned protects our communities.
I’m a gay man and love to travel and entertain. It’s a dream to own my own nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels, where I get to host other gays from all over the world to have a great time. When I was younger, I saw the movie The Birdcage and since then wanted to own a hotel because of it. Years later, someone pointed out to me that it was a nightclub and now I own those too. I used to live in a hotel, which is a lot more fun when you don’t own the hotel.
Charles Baran: Fire Island Pines was ready for someone like you to come along and re-envision the downtown area. Tell us about the plans you have in the works.
Tristan Schukraft: It’s one of the most celebrated queer community hubs in the country. The Blue Whale is home to the original tea dance in 1966! It’s an iconic gay travel destination and it needs some love. I want to invest in these properties and make them everything they can be. For the 2024 season, everything will pretty much operate the same as it has. I don’t actually take ownership until the deal closes and the liquor licenses all transfer over some time in the middle of the season. Then, this fall, we’ll start making investments to upgrade and improve the businesses in a way that preserves the history and heritage of Fire Island and creates a world-class nightlife experience. I plan to start renovations on the hotel (the old Boatel) and, hopefully, open The Tryst Fire Island in time for the 2025 season. For The Blue Whale, Pavilion, the Canteen and the other retail shops and restaurants, I’m going to take some time this summer and listen to feedback from the community, the management and staff. Everybody needs a little refreshing and a touch-up as we age.
Charles Baran: Are you working with a design team? If so, tell us about them.
Tristan Schukraft: We are working with a world-class design team who have worked on some luxurious and iconic properties. We’ll share more about the design very soon.
Charles Baran: I imagine the Suffolk County zoning board has a say in any proposed construction. Has it been a challenge to get your plans approved?
Tristan Schukraft: We haven’t filed anything yet because we’re still in the design phase but the community has been so supportive. People want to see these institutions protected and carried into the next generation.
Charles Baran: What can we expect from a stay in a Tryst Hotel?
Tristan Schukraft: If you want to get a taste of what Tryst Hotels are all about, visit our website, www.trysthotels.com, or better yet, book a trip to our new flagship in Puerto Vallarta, which is taking reservations now for September 2024 stays.
Charles Baran: Fire Island can be a bit intimidating and expensive for many members of our LGBTQ+ community. What ideas do you have to help make it more accessible to the average person?
Tristan Schukraft: I’ve seen people talking online about how Fire Island doesn’t need a luxury hotel; that it’s already too expensive or inaccessible. Right now, there are not a lot of options for nice places to stay for the weekend. The Tryst Fire Island will give the community more options. You don’t have to be connected to someone with a house, you don’t have to buy a whole summer share, you can just come out for a few days and have somewhere nice to stay. The Tryst Fire Island will make Fire Island accessible to more people.
It’s been a hard several years for bars and restaurants everywhere. So many gay bars have closed because of the pandemic, rising inflation, high rents and so many other increased costs. Many of them are doing what they can to keep the lights on. I’m in the fortunate position where I can invest in these properties, make them great and provide an experience worthy of an iconic gay travel destination like Fire Island.
Charles Baran: After the Fire Island Pines project, are there other iconic queer destinations that you have your sights on? Key West or P-Town perhaps?
Tristan Schukraft: We have The Tryst San Juan and Circo, an iconic gay nightclub in Puerto Rico, The Tryst Puerto Vallarta, The Abbey in West Hollywood, DS Tequila in Chicago and The Tryst Fire Island along with the businesses at The Pines. All of these were opportunities, not necessarily things I was looking for. It’s not about where I want to go, it’s about where the opportunities are.
Charles Baran: One last question, what was Tristan Schukraft like as a little boy?
Tristan Schukraft: I grew up in Los Angeles. Oftentimes, I like to remind my parents that I was a perfect child, because sometimes our recollection differs. All joking aside, while I was a headstrong kid, I did well in school and always had some kind of entrepreneurial hustle. I had stores at swap meets, mowed lawns and even left high school a year early for a modeling contract in Italy. It was in Europe where I discovered my gay self, met my boyfriends and experienced the effects of caring for and losing a friend to HIV. I came out when I was 17, and my parents and entire family were very supportive. I was very lucky, back then it was not as accepting as it is today. My mother was the family matriarch, and everyone had to accept me or deal with her. Sadly, she passed away shortly after I came out.
Charles Baran: I’m sure she would be very proud of all your accomplishments.
Tristan Schukraft: I like to think so too!
