Marriott, Schrager announce name, details of new boutique hotel chain

WASHINGTON -- A new chain of boutique hotels planned by Marriott and upscale hotelier Ian Schrager will be called Edition.

Marriott and Schrager plan to open the first Edition brand hotels around 2010 in nine cities, including Paris, Madrid, Miami, Chicago and two in Los Angeles. A Washington hotel is planned for the 18th Street corridor, but details on the exact location and timetable were not available.

The Bethesda, Md.-based company said more than 100 of the "lifestyle" hotels could eventually be built worldwide. The partnership was originally announced in June but the name for the chain was just announced Jan. 29.

Edition is a new tack for Marriott, a family-run hotel operator known for more traditional brands like Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard or its eponymous Marriott properties. But the company is also trying to update its image to attract younger and affluent travelers, sprucing up lobbies, improving food service and building its technology offerings in rooms.

For Edition, Marriott is teaming up with Schrager, one of the founders of the infamous but defunct Studio 54 nightclub in New York. The hotels will be relatively small, averaging between 150 to 200 rooms. Each hotel will be designed by different architects and designers to give them a unique look.

Schrager will oversee design, marketing and food and beverage for the brand while Marriott will handle development and operate the hotels when they are finished.