Boutique Design - January/February 2009 - (Page 16)

Q&A Boutique’s Latest Edition High Culture Meets Mass Market Attitude BY KELLY HUSHIN B ill Marriott called him the undisputed creator of boutique hotels, saying that he “not only invented the concept, he continues to reinvent and raise the bar.” French Vogue said he “revolutionized the way we live our lives — how we dance and party, how we holiday, how we work and even how we see the world.” As if those compliments weren’t enough, Travel + Leisure said he’s “done more to bring design to the travel experience than any other living person — singlehandedly reinventing the hotel as a site of electrifying cultural significance.” What do we say about him? He’s a straight up hotel rock star. Oh yeah, if you didn’t guess — big surprise — we’re talking about Ian Schrager. If Studio 54 was the only thing Schrager had ever done, we’d probably still talk about him just as much. But lucky for us, he didn’t stop there. Now he’s crafting a plan for boutique world domination (don’t worry, not of the sinister movie villain type) that will bring his genius to an audience waiting with bated breath for him to unearth the newest cultural trend. BD spoke with Schrager about this new endeavor. If you haven’t heard about it (and we’re pretty positive you have), it’s called Edition and it’s a boutique hotel concept that Schrager is working on under a partnership with Marriott International, Inc. The concept is that Edition will be a line of revolutionary boutique hotels with presence all over the world. As the first edition of Edition gets closer to opening (early 2010 is the plan), Schrager dished on his goals for the brand, where he sees the hotel market going and where he likes to go when he’s not at one of his own hotspots. 16 • boutique DESIGN january/february 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - January/February 2009

Boutique Design - January/February 2009
Contents
Boutique Buzz
Designer’s Eye
Ian Schrager on Edition, His Partnership with Marriott
Business Sense
Niche. Improvement. Escape. The State of the Industry: Now and the Future
Industry Research
Three Firms Fight On
Designology
The Do’s and Don’ts of Networking
Simeone Deary Design
Haute Suites
Shopping the Market: Tabletop
Shopping the Market: Seating
Jeffrey S. Degen, AIA On Reasons Why the Time is Right for Hotel Development
Wanda Jankowski Speaks to Karen Daroff about Bathroom Trends
Calendar/ Advertisers Index

Boutique Design - January/February 2009