CONTRACT & HOSPITALITY
HOTEL
New York
Pop luxury hospitality Hotels as cultural revolutions. It’s a passion for Ian Schrager, the brains behind some of the most innovative trends in the travel and leisure sector, who returns to the fold with Public, a New York hotel operating under the mantra of “inclusivity, not exclusivity”
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t was 25 years ago that Ian Schrager first sent shockwaves through the hospitality industry, revolutionising long-established trends and ripping up the rulebook. Now, he’s back among a packed field with his finger on the pulse of the modern lifestyle and an eye for new demands. Schrager – a radical, visionary hotelier who invented the concept of the boutique hotel – loves setting the rules as much as he does breaking them. His new hotel, New York’s Public, has just one: luxury for all. “I wanted to create a hotel that matched the context we live in,” he explains. “Something that reflected my taste and passions, but that also encapsulated popular culture right now.” This democratic ap-
proach to luxury is the US entrepreneur’s next big thing, with his new hotel Public – the name of which speaks volumes – revolving around four key concepts: service, style, uniqueness and value. Shrager wants his guests to experience the full pleasure of an experience that few others are able to offer, one measured in emotions rather than in the language of business and costs. To achieve this, Shrager completely revolutionised his approach to service and comfort (the two main focuses of the hotel) in order to tailor them to the guests’ true needs. “The public care about sleeping in a comfortable bed, not the type of thread used for the sheets,” he adds. “They care about drinking quality coffee, served hot and quick. IFDM | 41