Legendary Edition Hotels’ Ian Schrager tells us what true luxury means in 2019
Schrager is the hotelier behind the EDITION and PUBLIC brands, and co-founder of New York nightclub Studio 54
What does luxury mean in 2019?
It’s a question that global industries, from retail to travel, have struggled with as the public moves away from traditional ideas of luxury, choosing unique experiences over sheer opulence and investing in habits and lifestyle choices rather than material goods.
Few people have their fingers on the pulse of modern luxury to the same extent as Ian Schrager, the legendary American hotelier behind the EDITION and PUBLIC brands.
Schrager, who co-founded Studio 54, the New York City nightclub known for its wild star-studded parties in the 1970s and early 80s, says the whole notion of luxury has changed.
What makes a great hotel is great service
Today, luxury is “not about wearing a big brand on your sweater”, Schrager said. “It’s really about being involved in a unique experience and one that makes you feel really good about yourself and really comfortable. I think that’s totally different than what my parents thought luxury was.”
He says his newest hotel, the New York EDITION in Times Square, isn’t about design.
“It’s about how it makes somebody feel when they’re in here,” he said. “That they feel good, that they’ve been treated respectfully and with courtesy … You actually feel comfortable and warm being here. That, to me, is true luxury.”
That’s not to say that luxury hotels shouldn’t pay attention to aesthetics.