EDITION Hotels Brand: Cool & Luxe, Or Basic & Overpriced?

I recently published my reviews of the Tokyo EDITION Toranomon and Tokyo EDITION Ginza, and there was some interesting discussion in the comments section about the overall quality and value of the EDITION brand. I thought it would be worth talking about that in a bit more detail in this post, as I’m curious to hear how OMAAT readers perceive the brand.

What Marriott’s EDITION hotel brand is supposed to be

EDITION is one of Marriott’s 30+ hotel brands. The way I view it, the brand is intended to be positioned as a hybrid between Ritz-Carlton and W Hotels. It’s essentially supposed to be like a more luxurious version of W Hotels, and like the equivalent of Ritz-Carlton for younger people, with more of a modern and lifestyle focus.

For some background on the brand, EDITION was founded in 2008 by Ian Schrager, the same guy who co-founded Studio 54 in New York. Interestingly, Schrager cut ties with Marriott as of 2022, so he’s not involved in the brand anymore.

At just over 15 years old, EDITION is actually one of the newer luxury hotel brands out there that belongs to one of the major hotel groups. Currently, EDITION has around 20 open properties, with another 10 or so properties under development.

The EDITION brand describes itself as offering “extraordinary style & exceptional service,” and as being a “boutique, design hotel” brand. Here’s the sales pitch:

No two cities are alike; Why should our hotels be? From New York City to Sanya, China, each property is designed to give guests a curated taste of the locale, reflecting the best of cultural and social miliieu. The result is a refreshing collection of individualized hotels (the anti-hotel chain), representing a new generation of luxury.

My perception of what the EDITION hotel brand offers

I’d like to think that I’m not any sort of an EDITION brand hater, or anything. Quite to the contrary, I’ve voluntarily stayed at several of the properties over the years, and I really like some of them. However, I remain confused by what the brand is actually going for, and I question how well the brand will age over the years, and how sustainable the current concept is, especially when it comes to pricing.

What are the first things that come to mind when I think of the EDITION brand?

• EDITION properties have a heavy focus on dining outlets, and often have restaurants and bars that are popular with locals, which is good in a way, but also a double-edged sword (since it can detract from hotel service levels)
• EDITION properties are almost never a good value; they’re priced at the very high end of what you’d expect from hotels of this caliber, and they also cut corners with Marriott Bonvoy elite perks, not offering free breakfast
• EDITION properties actually feel pretty low cost in terms of design, since the design is minimalist — there’s little art, not much furniture, and just a lot of white walls (usually not even with wall treatments, but just white paint)
• EDITION properties are pretty cookie cutter, and often lack many design elements that make them unique, but rather they all just kind of flow together
• EDITION as a brand doesn’t consistently offer attentive or anticipatory service; while staff are friendly, service just isn’t as personalized as you’d hope for, given the rates being charged

So this brings me to what I find interesting about the brand. I don’t perceive EDITION to deliver on anything that the brand claims to be:

• “Boutique?” 200+ room hotels are boutique?
• “Exceptional service?” Compared to what?
• “Extraordinary style?” Really?
• “The anti-hotel chain?” I’d argue the opposite is true…

I’ve gotta be honest, EDITION is the perfect example of a brand that I sometimes stay at because of the loyalty program angle. If EDITION were an independent hotel brand, I’m not sure I would’ve ever given one of the brand’s properties a try. It just shows the hamster wheel that loyalty programs often put us on.

Let me be clear, though — not all EDITIONs are created equal. For example, I think the Bodrum EDITION is gorgeous and is an example of what the brand could be, while I think the Tokyo EDITION Ginza has amazing service. But my point is that I view the properties as being that way in spite of being EDITIONs, rather than because they’re EDITIONs (due to the lack of consistency between properties).

How will the EDITION brand evolve over time?

I can’t help but wonder how the EDITION brand will evolve over time. The way I see it, we’re still on “EDITION 1.0,” 15+ years after the brand launched, and I don’t think we’ve seen any material strategy shift or design update for the brand. If you ask me, this presents some problems, as I don’t view EDITION as a “timeless” brand:

• I think the decor is just starting to look a bit drab and dated, and even new properties look like they don’t have cutting edge design
• With any lifestyle hotel concept, there’s a certain generation they’re going after, and as time goes on, you need to evolve, either to keep serving the same generation, or to serve the next generation
• The hotels charge top dollar while simply not delivering differentiated customer service, and almost seem more geared to outside guests at dining outlets, rather than hotel guests
• In many ways, I’d consider EDITION and Thompson to be comparable, with the main difference being that Thompson honors elite perks, generally has more reasonable pricing, and also puts a bit more effort into decor

From a hotel owner’s perspective, EDITION seems awesome — the design is low cost, hotels don’t have to offer much in the way of elite benefits, and the brand generates lots of outside revenue through its dining outlets.

But I can’t help but wonder if EDITION will suffer the same fate as W Hotels, and start to become a bit uncool. We’re finally seeing W Hotels undergo a brand refresh, but I can’t help but think that actually making the brand cool again will be a struggle. That’s the challenge with these brands designed for a specific generation at a specific point in time.

Bottom line

I struggle with Marriott’s EDITION brand. EDITION is intended to be a more luxurious version of W Hotels, and essentially Ritz-Carlton for a new generation. However, I find that there’s quite a difference between what the brand purports to be, and what it actually is.

EDITION properties generally have very steep pricing, while offering relatively little in terms of service, design, or amenities. But EDITION views itself as the anti-hotel chain, with extraordinary style, exceptional service, and a boutique vibe.

It’s possible that my impression is just very different than how others feel, which is why I’m writing this post, as I’d love to hear from the OMAAT community.

What’s your take on the EDITION brand, and what it offers, from the style, to the value?