Well I could count on you to misspell his name. Better find that Hooked on Phonics tape soon. But that aside, notice the one thing lacking in the concept that you describe - the financial logic. So you are telling me George is "hip"? The guy that cut a verbal deal for his cruise boat with ADVT? This is getting better and better.
Ian Shrager
Ian Shrager Hotels defined "hip" for hotels with Morgans in New York. Then he turned his attention to the Mondrian in LA. Then he spread the gospel of blending fashion, comfort, service and technology - in the unique Shrager mix - to the Delano in South Beach, Miami, where Chris Blackwell and other prominent hoteliers are preserving the Art Deco district. Now Shrager is expanding in other sophisticated gateway markets. Reportedly, he is developing a 190-room hotel in London's Covent Garden district. Certainly the design sensibilities of Philippe Starck which are displayed in Morgans, the Paramount and the Royalton have attracted attention, but Ian Shrager himself looks at three other criteria in order to achieve his distinctive brand of success: the financial logic of the project, good service, and "you have to provide something special, unique." To focus on that aspect, he looks at trends, "to hit the market a little askew." "Design," he says, "Is a marketing tool. It gets us noticed." irmamann.com |
