<p><br /> Set alongside the historic tenements of the Lower East Side, Public is an altogether new type of luxury hotel. The idea &ndash; the latest brainchild of revolutionary hotelier Ian Schrager &ndash; is to provide everything you want, but none of the unnecessary extras. So, you have to check-in yourself and arrange your own mints on the pillow, but there&rsquo;s plenty of upsides too. New York-inspired dishes are wood-fired at superchef Jean-Georges Vongerichten&rsquo;s Public Kitchen, while Louis &ndash; a market/canteen hybrid &ndash; serves organic slow food, fast. Every room has floor-to-ceiling windows and ooh-that&rsquo;s-clever mod cons, but for the best view of the city head to the Roof Bar &ndash; nothing beats a Manhattan above Manhattan.</p>