Ian Schrager has introduced his new brand Public to New York City, with a 367-key, Herzog & de Meuron designed property on the Lower East Side. Centred on the fundamental premise of ‘luxury for all’, the brand is built on four key pillars of service, style, unique experience and value.

“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,” explains Schrager. “I was responding to cultural shifts that were emerging. I see the exact same opportunity now. That is the reason for Public.”

Rethinking service and comfort to respond to new guest desires and needs, Public focuses on human interaction, with personalised attention and tailored solutions at the forefront.

“I recognised that there are things people just don’t need or want anymore at a hotel, services and amenities that are pointless and no longer matter,” he continues. “We live in a modern world. The services should reflect our modern way of living. People want a really comfortable bed, but they could care less about sheet thread count. They want great coffee, but delivered fast and hot, not in fine bone china.”

The hotel will further pride itself on what is billed as ‘the fastest WiFi in the city’, free to all guests, as well as the integration of technology including iPads, Apple TVs, mobile check-in and keys, and 12 outlets and USB ports in every guestroom.

“We didn’t just put an iPad in every room under the guise of being a tech hotel like so many other brands are doing. Every interaction with technology was considered for ease, efficiency and effectiveness,” he adds. “Public is the people’s hotel, It’s about inclusivity, not exclusivity. And all of the different elements that we are bringing together in one place: great service, great style, great fun, at a great price, in totality create tremendous value.”

Billed as having a style that is personal, provocative and flamboyant, whilst also being refined, modest and sophisticated, Schrager describes the aesthetics of the project as having “no pretense,” and “like home, but better.”

Featuring a precisely chosen mix of finishes and furniture that vary in style, the public spaces are designed to bring people together, create community, and combine work, leisure, culture and fun. Guestrooms reject clutter, with the essentials present and nothing extraneous, balancing comfort with function. The food, beverage, meeting and entertainment spaces at Public have also been rethought to reflect the modern lifestyle, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Public Kitchen and Louis dining venues serving up healthy and organic fare.

The former is the hotel’s main restaurant, featuring a smoker, wood burning oven and wood burning grill as a focal point, and a menu reflecting the melting pot of cultures that make up New York City. Louis, meanwhile, is part grocery store, part luncheonette, part coffee shop and part market all rolled into one, serving gourmet ‘slow food’.

The hotel’s 3 bars, Diego, The Roof and Lobby Bar, feature alongside landscaped gardens, multiple communal workspaces, and private event rooms, both indoor and outdoor, whilst an avant-garde multimedia performance space titled Public Arts will offer cutting-edge cultural programming including film screenings, dance productions and lectures.

The 7 June launch will also see the introduction of the brand’s Public Advisor concept; hosts with intimate knowledge of the property and locale.

“I am always looking for a new and better way of doing things, to upset the status quo and shake things up,” Schrager concludes. “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 traveller.”

www.publichotels.com