Ian Schrager Relaunches His Transformative New Brand Public for A New Beginning for Both the Hotel and New York City
PR89960
NEW YORK, June 8, 2021, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--
It is not often in life, if ever, that you have a once in a lifetime
opportunity to be involved in something really special, and yet have a second
chance to rethink, refine and improve upon what was previously done. This
unprecedented period of madness has given Ian Schrager just that…. a second
chance.
PUBLIC, what Schrager considers his most important idea to date, is a hotel
that exudes impeccable taste and offers great style, great fun, great service,
a new kind of luxury and affordability to everyone who wants it. For the past
year, Schrager has re-imagined and re-thought all amenities and offerings at
PUBLIC in a pursuit of excellence, and on his quest to do a hotel as close to
perfection as possible.
"I'm on a mission to create a masterpiece. I may never get there, but I'll die
trying," says Schrager.
When PUBLIC premiered in 2017, its new, radical idea was LUXURY FOR ALL.
Schrager is taking advantage of this second chance to clarify and demystify the
idea—so people will understand it—and what he is trying to accomplish.
Schrager's first hotel, Morgans, created with his late partner and friend Steve
Rubell, was a profound game changer. That and Royalton spawned a new genre of
hotel— "the lifestyle hotel/boutique hotel"—and every hotel since then has been
built on that foundation. There are now thousands of versions of them in
virtually every city of the world.
Simply put, their intention was to do an entirely new kind of hotel. One for
their generation that reflected their lifestyle, their popular culture, tastes
and the spirit of the times—and one that was modern. It was not intended for
previous generations, because things had changed, as they always do.
In the exact same way, PUBLIC and LUXURY FOR ALL is a new idea for a new age.
It is intended to reflect a new time, a new reality, and a new way that people
live. If you come to PUBLIC expecting the traditional luxury that your parents
or grandparents expected, you will not find it here. The old idea of luxury
needed an update…a revision to reflect what people actually want today.
"Everything changes…times change and people change. Change is the only constant
in life. Luxury as we once knew it has also changed, and will continue to
change. The notion of luxury simply cannot be static and the same as it was in
the past. It has to stay in step with the way modern people live. You cannot
have an analog definition of luxury in a digital world.
The old and outdated idea of luxury was defined by how rich you were, where you
lived, what car your drove and what fashion brands you wore. Luxury is no
longer about those irrelevant and meaningless status symbols, material
possessions or how much something costs. It's not merely a business
classification for marketers to sell to you.
LUXURY IS HUMANITY. Luxury is now accessible to everyone who wants it…and it
should be. It's egalitarian and democratized. Luxury today is about how
something makes you feel, it's emotional and visceral, and about comfort, ease,
convenience as well as being freed from distractions and hassles and allowing
more free time to do the things you really care about. It's the ULTIMATE
LUXURY…the FREEDOM OF TIME.
Absolute freedom, to me, is contentment, emotional wellbeing, feeling good,
protected and looked out for. You can connect the dots all the way from Studio
54 to PUBLIC—that freedom to be yourself and be happy and feeling good and
protected that we sought at Studio 54, which I feel was one of the main reasons
for its success—is the same that we seek at PUBLIC," says Schrager.
Schrager realized that there are things that people just don't need or want
anymore at a hotel—services and amenities that are pointless, no longer matter
and are out of step with today. Modern people have simply moved on. Travelers
today want a really comfortable bed and a great night's sleep and don't really
care anymore about the pretentious idea of sheet thread count. Similarly, they
want great coffee, but delivered fast and hot, not in fine bone china or a
sterling silver pot and served by someone wearing white gloves.
LUXURY FOR ALL is built on 4 key pillars—modern, re-thought and re-edited
service, sophisticated style, a unique, fun and elevated experience that makes
your heartbeat faster and value. Schrager sought to make this new notion of
luxury accessible and affordable to everyone who wants it—not only rich people.
It's the right thing to do and so well suited for the times and the future.
Two imperatives to ensure a successful execution of LUXURY FOR ALL was
rethinking the entire approach to service and the use of technology. At PUBLIC,
technology is smart, intuitive, effortless, user friendly, well thought out and
hassle free. It's not technology for the sake of it.
"Our approach to technology was similar to Steve Job's approach. We started
with the need and what made things easier, quicker, cheaper and more convenient
and then sought out the technology rather, than starting with the technology
and searching for a use which usually turns out to be useless, pointless and
pretentious—like gratuitous interactive display boards in a lobby," says
Schrager.
Every interaction was considered for ease, breakneck speed, efficiency and
effectiveness. Check-in and check-out are meant to be completely invisible and
the Arrival/Departure experience seamless and holistic. You can get up to your
room using your mobile device just as quickly as you can get up to your home or
office…which, to PUBLIC, is the ideal and the future. There is no longer a need
to make small talk or sit and have a glass of Champagne while being checked-in
or checked-out. People don't want that anymore. They want to get up to their
room as fast as possible and not stop by a front desk. There is ample
opportunity for personal contact with team members in countless more important
ways and times. Other technology offerings which make a stay effortless include
a state-of-the-art app, live chat, web chat, mobile key and key sharing and
major enhancements to the iPad check-in technology.
PUBLIC SERVICE, a brand new department, was created to solely support and help
guests when they need it. Service will be humanizing, friendly, caring,
emotional, warm and empathetic, with ferocious follow through. The focus was on
universally appealing service such as being treated genuinely. It won't be
obsequious service, but rather that which is attentive, unscripted and tailored
for the individual—because service is not 'one-size-fits-all'.
"We created another new idea for the hotel called "PUBLIC SERVICE". I wanted to
ensure that when you came to the hotel and throughout your stay, you felt as
if you were staying at your friend's or family's house who really cared about
you and tried to be a gracious host—you felt good, cared for, dignified and at
home. It's personalized comfort. We are genuinely concerned about looking after
you. The inspiration came from the tech companies, such as Amazon and Apple,
and how they have mastered customer service and providing support and guidance
when needed in an instant. At PUBLIC, like them, we are customer and product
obsessed," says Schrager.
Schrager rethought everything at PUBLIC and has introduced many new initiatives
and offerings. The popular oasis Chrystie Park has been thoughtfully redone
with new landscaping by Madison Cox. This lush, verdant garden park in the city
with its plentiful variety of trees, flowers, plants and grasses will now be
available for dining, drinking, lawn parties, picnics, sculpture installations
and private events. It's PUBLIC's own micro version of Central Park in downtown
New York City.
Upon entering the hotel and just past the amber glow of the escalators,
familiar faces and friends of PUBLIC will notice a completely re-imagined
LOUIS, and a new restaurant and bar. The new food and beverage offering brings
together a collaboration between two outstanding world class award-winning
chefs—Diego Muñoz and John Fraser. It's the first time ever that two chefs of
this caliber are coming together, each with his own role, on a single project.
"Two chefs working together like this is an unprecedented collaboration. No one
is better suited to interpret the culinary intent of a great chef than another
great chef. It is a first of its kind, with Chef Diego in the kitchen and Chef
John running front of house, which makes it so unique and ensures a holistic
experience," says Schrager."
"Previously, we were the first to recognize that the hotel's bars and
restaurants should be geared to the people of the city first and foremost, and
visitors will want to go where the people in the know of that city go. We are
taking this to a new level with Chef Diego and Chef John. With PUBLIC's many
outlets and the variety of culinary experiences, we are creating an immersive
food bazaar that has never been seen before. Moreover, there is a global
aspect, since Peruvian cuisine, with its multicultural influences, is a
microcosm of the world's best food," says Schrager.
At Popular, diners will have a special opportunity to enjoy authentic,
original, healthy and globally inspired Peruvian cuisine by Chef Diego Muñoz,
who helmed The World's 50 Best Restaurants' #1 rated Latin American restaurant,
Astrid y Gaston, in Lima. Chef Diego, a rare talent, proudly brings to New York
City, the ultimate international getaway, the best of his Peruvian homeland's
multicultural cuisine—a microcosm of some of the world's greatest culinary
traditions—Incan, Spanish, Moorish, African, Italian, Chinese and Japanese.
Signature dishes include sublime ceviches, wood-fire roasted Pollo a la Brasa
and Duck Leg Fried Rice, American classics like Prime New York Strip Steak, and
an abundance of fresh vegetables. The intimate Bowery Garden, the restaurant's
outdoor dining space, will be ideal for al fresco dinners and a special weekend
brunch.
The faster, more casual, lively and less expensive Cantina and Pisco Bar will
turn into a hot Latin club complete with its own bespoke menu from Chef Muñoz,
an extensive selection of Pisco, the aromatic grape spirit and Peru's legendary
unaged brandy, best-in-class cocktails, and curated live music and
entertainment. This new spot will be perfect for Champagne and oyster pairings,
a pre-dinner indulgence or after dinner cocktails and entertainment. Both
Popular and Cantina and Pisco Bar menus will be highlighted with the freshest
seafood of the day from the new Ceviche and Raw Bar, the only freestanding
Ceviche Bar of its kind in New York City that will feature "Live" Ceviche made
tableside and à la minute.
"The food is really healthy. The ceviche and raw bar are totally authentic and
will give people a special and unique experience. The preparation, right out
there in front of everyone, is a first in New York City. It all adds up to not
only great food, but dining as theater," says Schrager.
The cocktail culture will be taken to new levels of creativity and originality
by both chefs. Cocktails will come "out of the kitchen" versus from the bar.
"On the cocktail side, the best people to create cocktails are chefs. Chefs are
focused on the best possible tastes in their food, and as such, they can create
the best cocktails with the best tastes. The entire hotel will take cocktails
to a new level," says Schrager.
LOUIS is PUBLIC's global, fast gourmet food bazaar, bakery and a sophisticated
coffee and tea bar with handpicked domestic and international offerings. It
beckons with an eclectic array of prepared delicacies created by Popular's Chef
Diego Muñoz, with New York City favorites and street foods curated by
Michelin-starred chef John Fraser. This combination of high and low creates a
combustible experience and variety…as it always does.
Presenting the next standard in gourmet food markets, LOUIS serves freshly
baked in house breads, bagels and other bakery items, wood-fired pizzas,
salads, fine local and global coffees, teas, wine, beer, soft drinks and
housemade bottled cocktails. Popular's Chef Diego crafts artisanal empanadas,
ceviche bowls and Peruvian-style, triple decker sandwiches, while Chef John
spotlights reimagined New York City street foods, like kosher hot dogs and
pretzels with spicy mustard, blending refinement and pop culture in every tasty
bite.
Other food and beverage and entertainment offerings at the hotel will include
PUBLIC EXPRESS for the "Best Of" breakfast favorites by two world class chefs
delivered to your room at lightening speed in less than 10 minutes—you no
longer need to wait 45 minutes for your breakfast and pay a fortune; A fully
stocked array of curated, personalized minibar treats awaiting you upon
arrival—"Do It Your Way"—options will include Junk Food, Healthy, Beverage, and
a special chef's curated; Healthy, vegan and wellness menus from Diego Muñoz
and John Fraser, so you can "come to NY for the cure" and actually go home
feeling better than when you came; Weekend brunch; Barbecues and Tea Dances on
the Roof with its 360-degree views of the city; A reimagined Diego bar with the
most exquisite cocktails from Chef John Fraser; And a big surprise for the
multimedia theater and interactive performance space. Both Diego and the new
theater will be opening in September.
The Lobby will be a new destination for OFFICE-LESS AND DESK-LESS CREATIVES who
will come to work but have fun as well. As leisure and work are more and more
combined and the lines blur between home, office and hotel, Schrager sees more
people desiring a social space to work, play, relax and create a sense of
community. It's a SOCIALIZE "ON DEMAND" concept.
Technology refinement will also be apparent with state-of-the-art audio/visual
equipment for the most progressive virtual meetings in the redesigned banquet
space on the 17th floor. Additionally, a multi-media installation on the
ground floor will wow with curated art and video by top talent and artists from
around the world.
"I am finally getting to fully realize my dream for PUBLIC—It's a new class of
hotel and the best is yet to come. I have an incredible completely new
management team—a dream team—to support me every step of the way to pull off
this new idea. I feel so lucky to be living in New York City and to be getting
our lives back. PUBLIC and NYC together are the perfect storm for the
Renaissance that is inevitable for the city. The future holds great prosperity
and forward-thinking creativity and I'm so grateful to be a part of it with
PUBLIC," says Schrager.
ABOUT PUBLIC
PUBLIC's fundamental premise is LUXURY FOR ALL. It is built on four key
pillars: service, style, unique experience and value. However, it's not luxury
as we traditionally know it, but luxury reflecting a new definition. Luxury is
no longer about things or how much something costs. It is not a business
classification, a price point or based on scarcity. Luxury is now about
experiences and how something makes you feel. Luxury is being democratized and
is now for everyone. The 3 bars, Diego, The Roof and Lobby Bar each have their
own unique vibe and personality so depending on the time, you might end up
hitting all three on the same night or just one, depending on your mood.
Lushly landscaped gardens, multiple communal workspaces, and private event
rooms, both indoor and outdoor atop the building with jaw-dropping 360-degree
unobstructed views of the city, the spaces provide the ultimate in socializing,
entertaining, working and even just people watching.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1526452/Chrystie_Park_at_PUBLIC.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1526401/PUBLIC_Logo.jpg
SOURCE: PUBLIC
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