Times change. People change. Culture changes. Luxury as we once knew it has changed. Hotels have not. A new way of living requires a new kind of hotel. There has 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. The time is right, in this new milieu, for a disruption in hospitality as there clearly is a dislocation in the market. It is the same type of dislocation and void that led Schrager to conceptualize Morgans back in 1982 which created a cultural revolution and changed the industry.

“I wanted to create a hotel for my generation, not my parents’, and one that reflected my tastes and sensibilities as well as popular culture at the time. I was responding to cultural shifts that were emerging. I see the exact same opportunity now. That is the reason for PUBLIC,” says Schrager.

PUBLIC’s fundamental stated 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 emocratized and is now for everyone.

“I truly believe that everyone deserves a one-of-a-kind experience that lifts their spirits and makes their heart beat faster, one that elicits an emotional response… and to deliver this at a reasonable price point is even more on the mark for today’s savvy and sophisticated traveler,” says Schrager.

Opening in New York City on the Lower East Side on June 7th, PUBLIC opens with a $150 per night starting rate on rooms.

Public, www.publichotels.com