Hip Hotelier, Voyager

Hip Hotelier, Voyager

IT’S A CHEEKY MOVE – EVEN BY HIS STANDARDS. Ian Schrager, the man who brought hip hotels to London with St Martins Lane and the Sanderson, has just bought the Berners Hotel in Fitzrovia, central London, with his new partner, Bill Marriott, boss of the giant US hotel chain. Over the next year, the two men will redevelop the ageing property to create The London Edition, part of their new stylish-but-affordable hotel brand called Edition. This hotel will be just yards away from the Sanderson, which Schrager opened in 2000 but sold five years ago. He is going head to head with his former self – and he can’t wait. “I’m thrilled to be returning to London,” he says, with an impish grin. “I’m passionate about creating a new, authentic and original experience.”