Skift Take
Ian Schrager opens up about his history in hospitality, and there's more to come at Skift Global Forum in New York. Trust us — you don't want to miss this interview.
"Nothing is off limits" when boutique hotel pioneer Ian Schrager takes the stage at Skift Global Forum in New York City on Sept. 27, where he will be speaking about the next generation of hotels, as well as sharing his general thoughts on where he thinks hospitality and travel are headed.
Schrager is perhaps best known for co-founding New York City's world-famous Studio 54 nightclub in 1977 with his business partner, Steve Rubell, which became a magnet for celebrities. Seven years later, together with Rubell, Schrager opened their first boutique hotel, Morgans Hotel, in New York, marking the beginning of Schrager's more than three decades in the hotel business.
After selling Morgans Hotel Group in 2005, Schrager has since formed a partnership with Marriott International to develop and expand a new luxury lifestyle hotel brand, Edition, and he has also embarked on launching a new hotel brand all his own, called Public.
We spoke to Schrager about topics including Airbnb, the concept of "luxury for all," and how his Studio 54 days prepared him for a career in hospitality.
Editor's Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Skift: So many people know you for being a boutique hotel pioneer and for dramatically disrupting the hotel industry as we know it. What do you think will be the next big disruption in accommodations?
Ian Schrager: I think the next new frontier will be technology, but in a way that will make your stay in a hotel and every transaction that happens in that hotel completely seamless and effortless. I look for that as a way of rethinking and changing the industry again, but I'm not talking about iPads in rooms or mood boards in lobbies, or any of those other kind of knee-jerk responses to technology.
I'm talking about every single transaction you have with a hotel, whether it's booking, making inquiries, making reservations, asking for service, asking for advice in general about the area or the hotel — everything can be done with technology that is done in such a way that the technology doesn't make people miss any of the personal interaction that we've become used to.
Skift: You're not suggesting that robots will necessarily replace the hospitality experience?
Schrager: No. No robots.
Skift: So, what types of technology do you think have that power to enhance the guest experience?
Schrager: I think we should take the cues that we've seen in gas stations in p
