HOTEL REVIEW
in the value end of the market, and love the idea of making good design available to everybody,” he explains, pointing out the potential in the “ripe and vulnerable” limited service model. “But there was nothing new, all the hotels looked alike and everything had been reduced to a formula,”
Public Chicago opened in October 2011 in the city’s Gold Coast. Described as having a “passionate focus on what guests actually want, need and is essential today”, it takes elements from the luxury, lifestyle, and limited service models.
In its former incarnation as The Ambassador
East, the hotel was hugely popular for its Pump Room restaurant favoured by stage and screen legends Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlie Chaplin and Cary Grant. Whilst retaining an air of sophistication, Schrager’s creation is markedly different. Far from being a hotel that only the rich and famous can afford, Public is designed to cater to the public.
There are some reminders of the former
hotel’s heydey however, notably a light installation over the entrance that is made up of a series of glass chandeliers rescued from the original Pump Room. At the heart of the hotel is the Living Room and Library, flexible and functional spaces that go by Schrager’s ‘lobby socialising’ concept. Communal tables, a make-shift self-serve business centre complete with 21.5-inch iMacs, high-back wing chairs, and custom armchairs in 100% baby alpaca provide a range of places to work, rest and play. Featuring 20-foot ceilings, original wood paneling and a natural limestone-coloured concrete floor, the Library has been restored as a fresh interpretation of the traditional English Gentleman’s Club. Chesterfield sofas, darkened oak armchairs upholstered in long-haired Mongolian lambswool, and a roaring fireplace are complemented by an eclectic collection of antiques, coffee-table books and board games.
088 MARCH / APRIL 2012
WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM
The interiors are distinguished by a refined no-look, no-colour approach in what Schrager calls a rejection of “design on steroids”. “We didn’t want to do anything over-designed and we don’t want to have a specific look,” he explains. “We want it to appeal to all kinds of people and so relied on good taste and the belief that less is better,” he adds. “It’s harder to do something very very simple that’s comfortable and warm, without sacrificing on the glamour.” While the overall concept was created by Schrager, his long-term associate and closest confidante Anda Andrei directed the process with collaboration from interior design firms Yabu Pushelberg and Gabellini Sheppard. Public’s F&B offering, The Pump Room, reflects a modern version of the old Pump Room, complete with the famous Booth One, the Frank Sinatra booth, and over 3000 framed photographs of celebrity guests who have dined here. Four distinct dining areas,
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