Public West Hollywood Opens July 15 — No TVs, No Celebrity Chef, No Apologies

Ian Schrager’s long awaited return to West Hollywood is finally here – almost. Public West Hollywood, the third iteration of Schrager’s democratic luxury hotel concept, opens July 15 on Sunset Boulevard, on the site where the Standard Hotel operated for years before closing in 2021.

The property has 137 rooms, a pool, three food and entertainment venues, and a 16,000-square-foot private rooftop park. The park has Adirondack chairs, a campfire and landscaping designed to frame panoramic views of Los Angeles. Rooms start at $495 a night.

The address at 8300 Sunset Blvd. has a long history. Before the Standard, the building served as a mid-century motel — the Thunderbird, later the Hollywood Sunset Hotel — and then operated for years as Golden Crest, a retirement home. When the Standard closed, the City of West Hollywood considered granting the property landmark or cultural resource status. That process stalled, clearing the path for redevelopment.

Schrager and hotelier Ed Scheetz purchased the property in early 2023 for $112.5 million and later secured a $121 million construction loan from iBorrow to fund the redevelopment.

Schrager wants people to understand the new hotel by what it’s left out. No celebrity chef. No in-house spa. No traditional front desk. No television in the rooms. He described the design philosophy as the maximum effect in the most minimal way.

“We don’t have a celebrity chef, even though that’s something I introduced to the industry. We don’t have a fancy menu. That’s out of touch. We don’t have a traditional front desk so you go up to your room almost like you would your own apartment or a residence. We don’t even have a TV in the room,” Schrager said in a video message reported by Women’s Wear Daily.

Every room doubles as a screening room, outfitted with an 8-by-12-foot screen. There’s also a nightclub, designed so guests feel the music physically rather than just hear it.

Schrager co-founded Studio 54 with Steve Rubell in 1977. After both men served prison time for tax evasion, they conceived a different kind of hospitality. Morgan’s Hotel opened in New York in 1984 and is widely credited as the world’s first boutique hotel.

West Hollywood has been part of his story for decades. In the mid-1990s, Schrager launched the Mondrian Hotel at 8440 Sunset Blvd., bringing Philippe Starck’s design and the Skybar to the Strip. The Mondrian changed hands several times over the years. It recently rebranded as The Valorian.

Schrager later introduced the Edition brand with Marriott International in 2008. The West Hollywood EDITION opened at Sunset and Doheny in 2019. He stepped away from the brand in 2022. Edition now has 20 properties globally.

His first Public hotel opened in Chicago in 2011 and was later sold. Public New York followed in 2017.

In February, Schrager announced a joint venture with hospitality investment firm Highgate to expand the Public brand globally. Under the deal, he retains full creative authority.

He said the West Hollywood property is the most important work of his career.

“It’s subversive yet very sophisticated. It’s rebellious yet very, very refined. Very provocative and original yet timeless,” Schrager said in the video message, per WWD.

Reservations are open at the Public West Hollywood website.