Marriott and Schrager remain positive about Edition brand

by McLean Robbins on
Marriott’s purchase of New York City‘s iconic Clock Tower building and the announcement of five new Edition hotels has reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the brand, part of a long term partnership with hotelier Ian Schrager.
Marriott yesterday announced new locations in Bangkok and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and a hotel in Los Angeles and Gurgaon, India, HOTELS Magazine reported. At present, the hotel has a hotel in Istanbul with planned openings listed on the main Edition website in London, Miami and Mexico City.

Marriott has committed $800 million to develop the brand, which has made news of late due to the ongoing legal battle between the owner of the former Edition Honolulu, now called The Modern Honolulu.

“I’m working with what I consider to be the best operators in the business. As far as I’m concerned, all the other hotel companies are run by financial guys and marketing guys and Marriott is the only true operator and they execute superbly,” Schrager, the hotelier who is also behind PUBLIC hotels, told CNBC on Thursday.

“2011 ended well. I think as we head into 2012, we see more optimism in the newspapers, which can’t help but help the demand side of the equation so we feel really quite good about 2012.”

PUBLIC Hotel in Chicago plans $1 sale

by McLean Robbins on

Ian Schrager may already be the hotel world’s darling, but he’s going to capture even more fans when his hotel, PUBLIC Chicago, launches their $1 sale soon. We’ve seen a few of these before for special promotions, and they’re usually hellishly hard to score. That won’t stop us from trying, however.


Here’s how to snag a deal on this one:

  • For a 90-day period commencing on a secret date soon to be announced, PUBLIC will offer three special guest rooms per night, each with a rate of only $1.
  • Participants must sign up to receive a priority email detailing when the sale goes live
  • Once the sale goes live, participants will have 48 hours to book a room at the $1.00 rate – first come, first served.

PUBLIC’s One Dollar Sale will be announced through social media, email, PUBLIC Chicago’s website, and the hotel’s partners.

“PUBLIC is a brand that stands for outstanding value – not to mention sophisticated, authentic style and spot-on service. We thought this would be a really fun thing to offer our guests to expose them to how special the hotel is,” said Schrager.

Of course, we’ll let you know when we see the deal live – be sure to let us know if you scored a room!

Luxury hotel planned for Washington DC’s ‘nightlife’ neighborhood

by Melanie Nayer on

The Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington DC is mostly known for its lively nightlife, late-night bars and endless take-out restaurants, but plans to add a little luxury to the ‘hood are in the works.

Washington Post reporter Jonathan O’Connell reports that plans for a luxury hotel in the trendy neighborhood have been in the works for the past six years. Developer Brian Friedman proposed transforming a historic church, formerly the First Church of Christ, Scientist, into a 174-room luxury hotel, according to the paper. While financing and development details are being worked out, one aspect of the hotel seems to moving along: the design.

Reports say Friedman signed with visionary hotel designer Ian Schrager to help turn the church from goth to glam. Schrager is behind the works of notable living spaces including Gramercy Park Hotel and the residential building 40 Bond in New York City. Shrager also works closely with Marriott for the Edition collection, which currently has plans for hotels in Waikiki, Istanbul, Barcelona, Mexico City, Bangkok, South Beach and soon, Adams Morgan.

Marriott’s Edition brand is focused on bringing the boutique hotel atmosphere to luxury travelers, and the new Adams Morgan hotel would be part of that plan. Friedman told the paper the hotel would offer “something a little more interesting” for guests.

[Photo credit/ Flickr user ultraclay]