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The hotelier said his ambition is ‘to upset the status quo’
Ian Schrager’s latest hotel has opened in New York’s Bowery neighbourhood, in a building designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.
According to the pioneering hotelier, the 367-room Public will be “the people’s hotel,” providing unique memories for guests looking for more than just a place to sleep.
“Luxury is no longer about things or about how much something costs,” said Schrager. “It’s not a business classification, a price point or based on scarcity. Luxury is now about experiences and how something makes you feel.”
He has described the interiors, by the Ian Schrager Company, as “personal, provocative and flamboyant”, while paradoxically simple and modest; a style designed to resonate with all generations and make them feel as though they’re “at home, but better.”
“It’s not shabby chic, retro, industrial, reclaimed or the ubiquitous Brooklyn look,” continued Schrager.
“It’s simplicity as the ultimate sophistication,” he added. “There’s no pretence. It’s invisible design done with honesty, conviction, love and passion.”
The rooms are designed “like cabins in a yacht, where you have everything you need and want, and nothing extraneous.” The hotel’s public spaces have been created to “connect work, leisure, fun and culture” for those who visit.
Public also has private apartments with interiors designed by John Pawson.
The hotel’s amenities include French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Public Kitchen; a cafe; three bars; landscaped gardens; multiple communal workspaces; private event rooms, and a number of observation points with 360-degree views of New York.
Arts programme Public Arts – a “progressive, avant-garde multimedia performance space” – will host film screenings, theatrical and dance productions, art exhibitions, lectures, readings, workshops and comedy nights.
A statement announcing the opening of Public read: “There’s not been a new idea in the lifestyle hotel space since Ian Schrager’s Morgans, Royalton and Paramount hotels over 25 years ago. Every hotel since then has been derivative of those.” Expanding on this, Schrager said: “I’m always looking for a new and better way of doing things to upset the status quo and shake things up.”
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
The hotelier said his ambition is ‘to upset the status quo’
Ian Schrager’s latest hotel has opened in New York’s Bowery neighbourhood, in a building designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.
According to the pioneering hotelier, the 367-room Public will be “the people’s hotel,” providing unique memories for guests looking for more than just a place to sleep.
“Luxury is no longer about things or about how much something costs,” said Schrager. “It’s not a business classification, a price point or based on scarcity. Luxury is now about experiences and how something makes you feel.”
He has described the interiors, by the Ian Schrager Company, as “personal, provocative and flamboyant”, while paradoxically simple and modest; a style designed to resonate with all generations and make them feel as though they’re “at home, but better.”
“It’s not shabby chic, retro, industrial, reclaimed or the ubiquitous Brooklyn look,” continued Schrager.
“It’s simplicity as the ultimate sophistication,” he added. “There’s no pretence. It’s invisible design done with honesty, conviction, love and passion.”
The rooms are designed “like cabins in a yacht, where you have everything you need and want, and nothing extraneous.” The hotel’s public spaces have been created to “connect work, leisure, fun and culture” for those who visit.
Public also has private apartments with interiors designed by John Pawson.
The hotel’s amenities include French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Public Kitchen; a cafe; three bars; landscaped gardens; multiple communal workspaces; private event rooms, and a number of observation points with 360-degree views of New York.
Arts programme Public Arts – a “progressive, avant-garde multimedia performance space” – will host film screenings, theatrical and dance productions, art exhibitions, lectures, readings, workshops and comedy nights.
A statement announcing the opening of Public read: “There’s not been a new idea in the lifestyle hotel space since Ian Schrager’s Morgans, Royalton and Paramount hotels over 25 years ago. Every hotel since then has been derivative of those.” Expanding on this, Schrager said: “I’m always looking for a new and better way of doing things to upset the status quo and shake things up.”
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
