HotelChatter

Street Signs' anchor Erin Burnett looked a flustered during the first part of this interview. Was it Ian's Mystic tan and BriteSmile? Probably. She first asked Ian how the hotel biz is doing. According to him, hotels are showing no signs of a slow down although next year it might dip.

Ian then talked some business, rev-par, blah blah. As for how to get the high-end customers to keep coming even during tough economic times Ian said the key is have a distinct product that distinguishes you from the rest of the market.

Then Burnett appeared to get some confidence, probably because she looked away from Ian and back at her notes thus not being blinded by tan and teefuses. She dropped some kiss-ass quote from T+L which said, "Ian Schrager single-handedly reinvented the hotel" and that prompted a big smirk from Ian.

But the funny thing is Burnett talked about all of Ian's hotel achievements including his work at Morgans, but totally skipped the Gramercy Park Hotel--his big "game-changing" hotel--before moving onto Ian's deal with Marriott.

She asked Ian if thanks to the recent troubles in the economy if Marriott and Schrager are slowing down their plans or being cautious in a way?

Ian answered, "Not at all." Ian said Marriott's business plan is not as capital-intensive as his plans so he inferred this partnership might be easier than what he's used to.

He then rambled on about building hotels during the Reagan administration when interest rates were sky-high at 22 % and why he does what he does.

I do a hotel because there's a need for a hotel in a particular area. I'm offering a service or experience that no one else is offering and those things don't depend on what part of the cycle we might be in at that particular moment.

Not that we are trying to be a hater or anything but we swear Burnett got a little turned on when Ian dropped the Reagan administration's 22% interest rates. She managed to look Ian in the eye (or is that us?) and give a big confident grin and say, "It nice to get a shot of perspective when you really need it." Someone's getting a free night in a suite at GPH soon.

Related Stories:
· All about Ian Schrager [HotelChatter]
· Ian Schrager: Marriott is like Wal-Mart [HotelChatter]