Hotel Pioneer Ian Schrager on Airbnb, Donald Trump and the True Definition of Boutique
Photo Credit: Ian Schrager spoke at the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference. Boutique Lifestyle and Lodging Association
Skift Take
They don't call him the "godfather of boutique" for nothing. Schrager's candid, insightful remarks give you a glimpse into the inner workings of a true innovator — and they will certainly surprise you.
For the past few years, Ian Schrager, co-founder of the groundbreaking Morgans Hotel, one of the iconic hotels that helped propel the boutique hotel movement back in 1984, has had a ritual.
Just before Schrager steps onto the stage for his yearly one-on-one interview, in front of a packed audience of boutique hotel investors, owners, suppliers, and brand strategists, he likes to quietly sneak into the auditorium. There, at the Boutique Lifestyle and Lodging Association's (BLLA) Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, he finds a seat in the back, just so he has a few moments to take it all in, and get a feel for the crowd, before he gets onto the stage.
This year, at the BLLA conference in New York, the 69-year-old hotelier behind Marriott's Edition Hotels, was as candid, insightful, and sharp as ever, speaking to interviewer CNN Money's Vanessa Yurkevich. He was willing to speak at length about a number of different topics, from Airbnb and Donald Trump to the real definition of
