Innovative Hotel Aims to Beat Airbnb

Innovative Hotel Aims to Beat Airbnb at its Own Game

Over the last few years, the travel industry has been transformed by technology and an ever-growing need for autonomy. With companies like Airbnb providing simple and affordable places to stay, the hotel business has new challenges – and Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC Hotel in New York City is specifically designed to meet those challenges!

A Different Kind of Hotel Experience

With Airbnb’s popularity growing at an alarming rate, hotel owner Ian Schrager has taken action against its most attractive features with his hotel, PUBLIC . Airbnb’s popularity has shown that autonomy and technology are some of the biggest priorities for the modern traveler so PUBLIC emphasizes both.  As guests arrive, they are greeted by self-serve tablets where they can check in and create their own room keys. For dinner, guests can choose from five unique bars and a restaurant- not the traditional room service.  Even the way prospective guests interact with the hotel is influenced by technology. Rather than needing to call the hotel,  questions can be answered by a chatbot through Facebook.

Other PUBLIC Perks

Located in the heart of New York City, PUBLIC is undoubtedly glamorous. Many rooms in the hotel offer beautiful views of the city, including the 360-degree view from the bar, “The Roof.” The hotel also offers a multimedia performance area home to movie screenings, musical performances, rotating art exhibitions, you name it.

Impact of Airbnb

Since its humble beginnings in August of 2008, Airbnb has grown into a multibillion dollar company that has transformed the hospitality industry. If you don’t believe us, check out some of these stats:

  • Airbnb has over 150 million users, not including those that host locations
  • Users can choose from more than 4 million listings
  • Airbnb is active in 65,000 cities, spanning across 191 different countries
  • Even more stats about Airbnb

In an interview with the Wallstreet Journal Schrager commented on his attempts to beat Airbnb by saying, “The only way you can compete with a strong idea is by having another strong idea.” Over the next few years, we may begin to see more and more hotels take hold of this strong idea!

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