BERLIN—It is not often that one person gets two shots at fame and success in the hospitality game. For Ian Schrager, one man who has managed to do just that, inspiration has always come from the people and the streets.
Schrager, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 International Hotel Investment Forum held this month in Berlin, has been watching the streets—initially those of his native New York—for more than 40 years.
Twice he understood. Twice he got it.
The first time was when he opened Studio 54 in Manhattan, working with such artists and designers as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Philippe Starck. The second time was when he opened Morgans Hotel, also in New York, and overnight invented a new style of hotel called “boutique.”
Morgans was followed by more Manhattan hotels, including Royalton and Paramount, and then later by swish additions in other major cities, such as London with the St Martins Lane and Sanderson.
Further innovations included the “urban resort” of The Delano in Miami and Mondrian in West Hollywood.
Speaking to Hotel News Now after receiving the IHIF award, Schrager said the idea for boutique hotels came from the streets, too.
“It was just a question of seeing the need for it,” Schrager said, “and I had the passion, creativity and love for what I do. I love creating things. And I was lucky.”
At the award ceremony, Schrager said he cherished the curiosity that remains within him.
“I am more a social scientist, encapsulating what is in the air and putting that into hotels. I consider myself part mother, father, cheerleader, conductor—whatever is needed to make things work.
“I’d like to be remembered for making a difference, changing things, bucking the system,” Schrager said. “Break the rules, if you wish. Why should London restaurants never have music?”
Being social
Another Schrager idea was the “social lobby,” which started with his first hotel ventures and blossomed in future endeavors, including the Ian Schrager Company, which he founded in 2005 to develop properties such as the Gramercy Park Hotel; 40 Bond; and 50 Gramercy Park North, all in New York, as well as his current projects Edition and Public.
Public, which was established in 2011 with Public Chicago but has five properties in its pipeline, is owned and managed by ISC. Schrager’s Edition Hotels partnership with Marriott International has established three properties—in Istanbul, London and Miami Beach. There are plans for hotels in such gateway cities as Bangkok, Beijing, Paris, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.
Schrager said that Public is more of a risk and value proposition but no less stylish than Edition, although coming at a lower price point. He said Marriott has been a fantastic partner, one ready to be innovative, even if its business model has before largely eschewed radical design.
Edition and Public hotel rooms remain relatively tight for space. Schrager said for his early hotels he translated what was being done on transatlantic liners, which had very small cabins. His rooms were small even for the tight confines of New York.
“I saw I needed to be aggressive in my hotels’ public spaces, and smaller rooms helped with defined budgets in conversion projects. I was afraid of getting hurt. Design came into play, to create the type of small but excellent rooms you would see in yachts,” Schrager said.
Schrager’s future
Schrager continues to innovate.
“There’s always an opportunity to innovate. I like companies such as Apple, which elevates experiences. I see a lot of people out there doing a good job, but I always felt I could up the ante,” Schrager said.
“I want to create magic,” he added. “Anywhere there is a hotel, we can do better.”
And what does Schrager consider the biggest peak of his career?
“I’m still not there,” he said.