Ian Schrager (born July 19, 1946)[1] is an American entrepreneur, hotelier and real estate developer, credited for co-creating the "boutique hotel" category of accommodation.

[5][6] His father Louis owned a factory in Long Branch, New Jersey, which manufactured women's coats and was an associate of Meyer Lansky whose nickname was "Max the Jew".

[11][12][13] In December 1975, after practicing law for three years, Schrager partnered with Rubell to open Enchanted Garden, a disco in Douglaston, Queens.

Police reports state that cash and receipts were in the building and were hidden in the ceiling sections of Rubell's office, where both he and Schrager worked.

The pair hired Roy Cohn to defend them, but on January 18, 1980, they were sentenced to three and a half years in prison and a $20,000 fine each for the tax evasion charge.

They enlisted world-renowned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki to reimagine the old music hall into a nightclub, while still maintaining the space's integrity.

He collaborated with artists Francesco Clemente, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel, Kenny Scharf, and Keith Haring to create a curated environment.

He has since worked with architects, artists and designers such as Philippe Starck, Herzog & de Meuron, Andree Putnam, Julian Schnabel and John Pawson.

[16] Turning their attention to hotels, they found that their "on the pulse," keen instincts for the mood and feel of popular culture gave them a unique perspective that would allow them to significantly impact the hospitality industry just as they had done with nightlife.

[19] Schrager stayed in the hotel business and went solo after he lost his partner Steve Rubell, who died of early exposure to AIDS on July 25, 1989.

The same year, he launched the Ian Schrager Company, which owns, develops and manages hotels, residential and mixed-use projects.

[28] EDITION currently has hotels in London, Miami Beach, New York City, Sanya (China),Tampa, West Hollywood, Tokyo (two properties in Toranomon and Ginza), Barcelona, Bodrum, Rome, Madrid, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, the Mexican Riviera and Reykjavík, Iceland.

[29] According to their website, new hotels are slated to open in Jeddah, Nayarit, Fort Lauderdale, Bali, Dubai, Milan, Lake Como, Doha, Nashville, Scottsdale, Kuala Lumpur, and Detroit.