NEW YORK— Contrary to published reports, Ian Schrager is not parting ways with Phillippe Starck, his long-time designer, nor is he opening his hotels to different segments. Schrager was responding to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal which indicated the hip hotelier was changing his style dramatically and switching to a more residential design for his properties. Instead, Schrager said his comments related to the time period immediately after Sept. 11, and not to the current environment. Schrager also told HOTEL BUSINESS® he is eyeing the Maxim Hotel in Las Vegas. “We’re looking at Las Vegas. We put a deposit on it. We’re in the process of doing due diligence now. I’m going there this week to see if what we’ve been noticing there— the way hotels have been trying to capture what we’ve been doing— is something that is really happening. Of course, whether we get it or not will depend on the dynamics, economics, the site, etc.— all those normal things you look for in a hotel.” Schrager said he wants to see if the Maxim will make sense for his hotel company. Schrager is also heavily eyeing Europe. “We’re aggressively after Europe right now. We’re looking to expand there, and we like Paris. Hopefully soon we’ll be able to announce a deal in Paris. We’re definitely onto something there,” he told HOTEL BUSINESS®. If the deal comes to pass, this will mark the third European Schrager property. Schrager already has two hotels in London, St. Martins Lane and Sanderson. — Barbara Capella Loehr
