BETHESDA, Md.
Marriott International has reaffirmed its commitment to its lifestyle Edition brand--created with Ian Schrager--with the announcement of five hotels.
The locations include the Clock Tower building in New York City, which Marriott bought for $165 million from prior owner Africa Israel USA last year. Renovation and conversion of the Clock Tower will begin later this year.
Other locations announced include buildings under construction in Bangkok and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and a hotel in Los Angeles and Gurgaon, India. The Bangkok Edition will be part of a mixed-use development, while the Abu Dhabi Edition will be part of the Al Bateen Harbor complex within the Abu Dhabi Marina, a mixed-use development including luxury residential and retail.
The announcement bolsters Marriott’s stated commitment of $800 million to develop the Edition brand, an atypical move for the company that is primarily focused on managing hotels. The Edition brand has had a rocky start with only two Edition-branded hotels opened so far in Istanbul and Honolulu, and the Honolulu hotel has since rebranded amid legal acrimony between the hotel’s owner and Marriott.
Marriott has previously announced two other Edition locations: The London Edition, set to open next year in the historic building formerly known as the Berners Hotel, is in the city's Fitzrovia neighborhood. Meanwhile, the Miami Beach Edition, under construction in the former Seville Hotel, is expected to open in late 2013.
