Public, New York.

Ian Schrager, co-founder first of New York's infamous Studio 54 and later the boutique hotel industry, made his mark in San Francisco in 2001 with a radical remodel of the Clift Hotel and its renowned Redwood Room. Some considered the renovation almost as big a crime as the long-ago tax evasion for which he served time - and recently received a pardon from former President Barack Obama. Visitors to the Big Apple looking for relatively affordable yet stylish digs may forgive all after experiencing Schrager's latest concept, the Public hotel. In lieu of bellmen and turndown service, you'll pay a lower rate for a Manhattan address with buzzworthy bars and restaurants close at hand. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]