Ian Schrager set to launch Public in London

Ian Schrager, the man claimed to be the founder of boutique hotels, looks set to launch his new hotel brand, Public, in London.

His company, together with Westmont Hospitality and Grove International Partners, has bid £75m for the 196-bedroom Crowne Plaza in Shoreditch.

Schrager opened the first Public - a new group of hotels which intends to take the best from luxury, boutique and limited service properties to create a new kind of operation - in Chicago this week. Two sites have also been earmarked for New York.

The brand aims to only offer service that guests really want, rather than an array of superfluous services they do not use.

Schrager previous foray into London was with the launch of the Sanderson and St Martins Lane hotels, operated by the Morgans Hotel Group. He left the company in 2005 to start the Ian Schrager Company.

As consultant to Marriott International's Edition brand, Schrager is also currently involved in the refurbishment of the former 193-bedroom Berners hotel in London. The property is due to reopen next year as an Edition.

Capital Hill Hotels confirmed as buyer of Sanderson and St Martins Lane >>

Ian Schrager to launch two new hotel brands >>

Marriott buys Berners hotel for Edition brand >>

By Janet Harmer

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