Ian Schrager
Encyclopedia
Ian Schrager is an American hotelier and real estate developer. Often associated with co-creating of the Boutique Hotel
genre. Originally, he gained fame as co-owner and co-founder of Studio 54
.
in 1968 and a Juris Doctorate from St. John's University School of Law
in 1971. In 1975, Schrager opened Enchanted Garden, a disco in Douglaston, Queens with Steve Rubell
, a friend he had made at Syracuse when they were both dating the same woman. The club was set up in a former golf course clubhouse with a capacity of 2,000.
Ian Schrager first became known for creating the New York nightclub Studio 54
with his partner, Steve Rubell
. Such celebrities as Liza Minnelli
, Andy Warhol
, Mick Jagger
, his wife Bianca Jagger
and Truman Capote
among other and many celebrities were Studio 54 regulars. The club closed when the pair were charged with income tax evasion and obstruction of justice
, and then sentenced to three and a half years in jail. As partner Jack Dushey had given information against them, Rubell and Schrager themselves cooperated with authorities in naming
other club owners who were skimming cash
and their sentences were reduced to 20 months. Still a valuable property, Studio 54 was sold for $2.2 million in 1981.
, but were unable to obtain a liquor license, so they set their sights on the hotel business.
They were able to purchase the Executive Hotel for the money they had, $60,000, and due to unusual terms, were able to use the hotel itself as collateral. Reopening it as the Morgans Hotel
, in 1984. (Morgans houses the highly successful restaurant Asia de Cuba by NY restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow
.)
With their success of Morgans, they opened the successful Century Paramont Hotel, as well as acquiring and renovating the Royalton in 1988. Rubell, diagnosed with AIDS in 1985, died the following year.
(aka Ian Schrager Hotels) and opened the Royalton Hotel
and the Hudson Hotel
, in New York City
, the Delano Hotel
, in Miami, and the Sanderson Hotel
and the St. Martin's Lane Hotel, in London
, the Clift, in San Francisco, and the Mondrian Hotel
, in Los Angeles
.
By 1998, Schrager was the largest private hotelier in New York.
to create the Ian Schrager Company, and collaborated with artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel
on the Gramercy Park Hotel
. The $200 million dollar, 185-room hotel has a residential project next door, 50 Gramercy Park
North.
Schrager’s latest venture is a partnership with Marriott International
, intending to create a new brand of hotel with about 100 properties to be located in cities throughout North America and South America, Europe and Asia and another New York residence, 40 Bond Street, with architects Herzog and De Meuron. The EDITION hotel brand launched its first hotel in Hawaii on October 15, 2010—The Waikiki EDITION, located in Honolulu, Hawaii and managed by Marriott under a 30 year contract. Celebrities attended a weekend of introductions to the new Hawaiian property including Christina Aguilera, Whitney Port and Danny Masterson.
Less than one year into the contract, on August 28th 2011, the Marriott managers at the Waikiki Edition hotel were locked out by the hotel ownership group who claimed the property was losing money due to Marriott's poor management. A new management group from Modern Management Services LLC took over operations. Marriott received a court order reinstating their control over the property on August 31st, but the owners prevented the enforcement of that order by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the same day. The hotel continues to operate under new management as both sides prepare for the legal dispute.
On May 13, 2009, Ian Schrager and Murray Hill Properties, LLC, a New York City real estate investment firm, reportedly signed a deal to develop a six-star, ultra luxury hotel at 1414 Avenue of the Americas.
On November 15, 2008, he married Tania Wahlstedt, a former ballerina with the New York City Ballet, who also has two daughters, Amanda and Lili.
Furniture retailer Crate & Barrel named one of their sofas "Ian" in Schrager's honor.
Boutique hotel
Boutique hotel is a term popularized in North America and the United Kingdom to describe intimate, usually luxurious or unique hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized accommodation and services / facilities...
genre. Originally, he gained fame as co-owner and co-founder of Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
.
Early years
Schrager's father was a garment worker. Ian Schrager received a Bachelor of Arts from Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in 1968 and a Juris Doctorate from St. John's University School of Law
St. John's University School of Law
St. John's University School of Law is a Roman Catholic law school in Queens, New York City, affiliated with St. John's University. The School of Law was founded in 1925, and confers Juris Doctor degrees and degrees for Master of Laws in Bankruptcy and Master of Laws in U.S. Studies. Over 13,000 St...
in 1971. In 1975, Schrager opened Enchanted Garden, a disco in Douglaston, Queens with Steve Rubell
Steve Rubell
Steve Rubell was an American entrepreneur and co-owner of the New York disco Studio 54.-Early life:Rubell and his brother Don spent their childhoods with their parents in Brooklyn, New York. His father worked for the U.S. Postal Service and later became a tennis pro...
, a friend he had made at Syracuse when they were both dating the same woman. The club was set up in a former golf course clubhouse with a capacity of 2,000.
Studio 54 Era
In 1974, Steve Rubell teamed up with Ian Schrager to run a chain of Steak Loft restaurants, and after spending some time in the NY nightclub scene, the two decided to open a club of their own. John Addison, owner of La Jardin on West 43rd Street, introduced Rubell to Billy Smith A/K/A Billy Amato, in 1974. Smith was asked by Schrager and Rubell to handle the promotions for their new disco club called "Enchanted Gardens", a dinner/disco in Queens. While still in the music business, Smith then joined Rubell and Schrager part-time at Studio 54 in the Spring of 1977 and full-time in 1981. Smith stayed with the pair until the closing of Studio 54 in April 1986.Ian Schrager first became known for creating the New York nightclub Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
with his partner, Steve Rubell
Steve Rubell
Steve Rubell was an American entrepreneur and co-owner of the New York disco Studio 54.-Early life:Rubell and his brother Don spent their childhoods with their parents in Brooklyn, New York. His father worked for the U.S. Postal Service and later became a tennis pro...
. Such celebrities as Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, his wife Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger is a Nicaraguan-born social and human rights advocate and a former actress and model...
and Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
among other and many celebrities were Studio 54 regulars. The club closed when the pair were charged with income tax evasion and obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
, and then sentenced to three and a half years in jail. As partner Jack Dushey had given information against them, Rubell and Schrager themselves cooperated with authorities in naming
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
other club owners who were skimming cash
Skimming (fraud)
A form of white-collar crime, skimming is a slang termhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/skim that refers to taking cash "off the top" of the daily receipts of a business and officially reporting a lower total.- Examples :* A skimming crime may be simple tax evasion: the owner of a business...
and their sentences were reduced to 20 months. Still a valuable property, Studio 54 was sold for $2.2 million in 1981.
Hotels
Schrager and Rubell dabbled in nightclubs again by opening PalladiumPalladium (music venue)
The Palladium was a concert hall and later a nightclub in New York City. It was located on the south side of East 14th Street, between Irving Place and 3rd Avenue....
, but were unable to obtain a liquor license, so they set their sights on the hotel business.
They were able to purchase the Executive Hotel for the money they had, $60,000, and due to unusual terms, were able to use the hotel itself as collateral. Reopening it as the Morgans Hotel
Morgans Hotel
Morgans Hotel is a boutique hotel located on Madison Avenue, New York City, USA. Owned by Morgans Hotel Group, this was the first property in the group and opened in 1984. Andrée Putman served as interior designer for the 1984 renovation of this 1927 structure.- Design features :New design features...
, in 1984. (Morgans houses the highly successful restaurant Asia de Cuba by NY restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow
Jeffrey Chodorow
Jeffrey Chodorow is an American restaurateur and financier.-Early career:Jeffrey Chodorow's father died when he was young and he was raised by his mother, a manicurist. He attended Wharton and has a law degree from University of Pennsylvania.In the 1970s, Chodorow developed shopping centers in...
.)
With their success of Morgans, they opened the successful Century Paramont Hotel, as well as acquiring and renovating the Royalton in 1988. Rubell, diagnosed with AIDS in 1985, died the following year.
Morgans Hotel Group
Schrager started the Morgans Hotel GroupMorgans Hotel Group
Morgans Hotel Group is a hospitality company that owns & operates boutique hotels as well as acquiring and redeveloping in the United States and Europe....
(aka Ian Schrager Hotels) and opened the Royalton Hotel
Royalton Hotel
The Royalton Hotel is a hotel in at 44 West 44th Street, midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA.The building was built in 1898 as the exclusive residential Hotel Royalton. The firm of Rossiter & Wright served as the architects, and the contractor was E. F. Dodson & Company...
and the Hudson Hotel
Hudson Hotel
The Hudson Hotel is a boutique hotel located at West 58th Street, New York City, USA.-History:The building, which currently houses the Hudson Hotel, was constructed in 1928 by the daughter of J. P. Morgan as the American Women’s Association clubhouse and residence for young women in New York....
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the Delano Hotel
Delano Hotel
The Delano Hotel is an upscale resort located at 1685 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. The resort features 194 guest rooms, suites and lofts, and is located directly on the beach. Delano is now a part of the Morgans Hotel Group collection. The Delano is known for its whimsical, art-deco...
, in Miami, and the Sanderson Hotel
Sanderson Hotel
The Sanderson Hotel was constructed on Berners Street, London during 1958 as the new headquarters and showroom for Arthur Sanderson and Sons, manufacturers of wallpaper, fabrics and paint for the occasion of its centennial birthday. It was designed by architect Jeff Holroyd, of the architectural...
and the St. Martin's Lane Hotel, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the Clift, in San Francisco, and the Mondrian Hotel
Mondrian Hotel
The Mondrian Hotel is the name of three boutique hotels owned and/or operated by the Morgans Hotel Group.-Mondrian Los Angeles:The original Mondrian Hotel is located on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. The structure was built in 1959 as an apartment building. It was later renovated...
, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
By 1998, Schrager was the largest private hotelier in New York.
Ian Schrager Company
In 2005, Schrager left Morgans Hotel GroupMorgans Hotel Group
Morgans Hotel Group is a hospitality company that owns & operates boutique hotels as well as acquiring and redeveloping in the United States and Europe....
to create the Ian Schrager Company, and collaborated with artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel
Julian Schnabel
Julian Schnabel is an American artist and filmmaker. In the 1980s, Schnabel received international media attention for his "plate paintings"—large-scale paintings set on broken ceramic plates....
on the Gramercy Park Hotel
Gramercy Park Hotel
Gramercy Park Hotel is a luxury hotel located at 2 Lexington Avenue, in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, adjacent to Gramercy Park. It is known for its rich history.-History:Gramercy Park Hotel was designed by Robert T...
. The $200 million dollar, 185-room hotel has a residential project next door, 50 Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
North.
Schrager’s latest venture is a partnership with Marriott International
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
, intending to create a new brand of hotel with about 100 properties to be located in cities throughout North America and South America, Europe and Asia and another New York residence, 40 Bond Street, with architects Herzog and De Meuron. The EDITION hotel brand launched its first hotel in Hawaii on October 15, 2010—The Waikiki EDITION, located in Honolulu, Hawaii and managed by Marriott under a 30 year contract. Celebrities attended a weekend of introductions to the new Hawaiian property including Christina Aguilera, Whitney Port and Danny Masterson.
Less than one year into the contract, on August 28th 2011, the Marriott managers at the Waikiki Edition hotel were locked out by the hotel ownership group who claimed the property was losing money due to Marriott's poor management. A new management group from Modern Management Services LLC took over operations. Marriott received a court order reinstating their control over the property on August 31st, but the owners prevented the enforcement of that order by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the same day. The hotel continues to operate under new management as both sides prepare for the legal dispute.
On May 13, 2009, Ian Schrager and Murray Hill Properties, LLC, a New York City real estate investment firm, reportedly signed a deal to develop a six-star, ultra luxury hotel at 1414 Avenue of the Americas.
Personal life
Schrager has two daughters, Sophia and Ava, from a previous marriage.On November 15, 2008, he married Tania Wahlstedt, a former ballerina with the New York City Ballet, who also has two daughters, Amanda and Lili.
Furniture retailer Crate & Barrel named one of their sofas "Ian" in Schrager's honor.
Further reading
- The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- Nov. 27, 2008 - TimesOnline (UK) - Marriott goes for boutique hotels, Nov. 11, 2007
- The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- A Hotelier Is Breaking the Mold Once Again, Aug. 24, 2007 - Travel & Leisure - Design Champion 2007
- ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
- Hotelier Ian Schrager draws lessons from Apple, July 24, 2007 - Daily Truffle - Ian Schrager Opens New Waikiki Hotel "The Edition" with Christina Aguilera, October 18, 2010
External links
Videos
- Charlie RoseCharlie RoseCharles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
- Interview, Nov. 28, 2006 skip to 38:50 mark - CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
- Interview, May 5, 2007 - BloombergBloomberg L.P.Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
- Schrager on boutique hotels,Studio 54, July 3, 2007