The nightclub they lost.
The hotels that came next.

Vanity Fair

1996-03

Anything Went

Farewell party on February 2, 1980, two nights before prison; exchange of notes for the Executive Hotel; friendship from Syracuse in 1964 until 1989.

UPI

1980-12-31

A federal judge Wednesday cut in half the prison...

Original 42-month sentences and $20,000 fines; reduced sentences following cooperation; prison began on February 4, 1980.

UPI

1981-09-16

Studio 54 reopens: thunder and lightning as hundreds wait in rain

Fleischman and London purchased the club; roughly $5 million was reported, while their spokesman declined to disclose the price.

The roughly $5 million figure was published reporting, not a disclosed purchase price.

The Observer / The Guardian

2004-10-24

The king of Manhattan is back

Schrager’s first-person account of accepting an IOU for Studio 54 and trading it for a hotel.

Morgans Hotel Group via Journal des Palaces

2008-09-12

Morgans Hotel Group Reveals Andree Putman’s Restoration of Morgans

Morgans opened in 1984 at Madison Avenue and 37th Street. Its original palette was black and white; richer grey tones appeared in the 2008 restoration. Also documents Mapplethorpe photographs.

The original black-and-white scheme and the 2008 restoration’s shades of grey are different periods.

Morgans Hotel Group / SEC

2006-02-13

Morgans Hotel Group final IPO prospectus, Form 424B4

Historical property descriptions: Morgans in 1984, Royalton in 1988, Starck’s block-long lobby, and the 802-room Hudson. Explains management’s pricing and occupancy investment case.

Historical company filing. Statements about occupancy and pricing power are management’s investment case, not independent proof of returns.

FX

2015-12-28

Nightclubbing: Ian Schrager

Schrager describes cold-calling collaborators: Putman’s first hotel, Armani uniforms and Mapplethorpe flower photographs at Morgans.

Skift

2017-03-20

The Complete Oral History of Boutique Hotels

Participant interviews document Rubell’s claim to the term, competing Blakes and Bedford histories, and a boutique identity based on focus rather than size.

Participant recollections differ on the first boutique hotel and the origin of the term.

Observer

2008-09

Schrager on His First Time

Schrager directly compares quiet, introverted Morgans with the busy, extroverted Royalton.

Ian Schrager Hotels via Hotel Online

1998-04-27

Paramount Hotel: The Second Act

The 1998 company release describes the Paramount’s 1990 opening, 610 rooms, Cheap Chic positioning, Starck design and social public spaces.

New York magazine

2007-04-27

Still Doing the Hustle

Schrager’s direct interview states that he and Rubell did not have a partnership agreement and discusses the loss of his friend.

Associated Press via Washington Post

1989-07-27

Steve Rubell Dies at 45

Contemporaneous reporting of Rubell’s death in July 1989, aged 45, and the announced causes of hepatitis and septic shock.

Contemporaneous public cause-of-death announcement; later reporting identified AIDS as the underlying illness.

The New York Times via WRAL

2018-10-04

A History of Studio 54, This Time Told by the Quiet Partner

Interviews with Schrager and the director discuss the film, Rubell’s AIDS-related death, and its disclosure about Schrager’s father and Meyer Lansky.

Marriott / SEC

2008-02-15

Marriott International FY 2007 Form 10-K

Marriott’s filing dates the Schrager collaboration to June 2007 and describes the initial ambition for up to 100 properties.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Hawaii

2012-05-29

In re M Waikiki LLC: Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law on Estimation of Marriott Claim

Court findings establish the first EDITION’s 2010 opening, approximately $8.4 million operating loss before debt service, removal of Marriott as manager, and Schrager’s share of management fees.

Court findings concern the first Waikiki property. Its operating loss before debt service is not a performance claim about the whole EDITION brand.

Marriott / SEC

2026-08-03

Marriott International Q2 2026 earnings release, Exhibit 99.1

As of June 30, 2026, Marriott reported 23 EDITION properties and 4,768 rooms. Its table notes that some brand counts may include hotels awaiting renovations before operating under the listed brand.

Marriott’s counts can include hotels awaiting renovations before they begin operating under the listed brand. This is the company’s system count as of June 30, 2026.

UPI

1986-04-11

Lights out at Studio 54

Supports caption 1: Studio 54 closed in April 1986 because Fleischman could not obtain liability insurance.

Interview

2026-05-28

Ian Schrager Still Has It

The May 2026 introduction describes 15 EDITION hotels Schrager created between 2008 and 2022; it does not attribute all 23 to his personal design work.