Marriott International and boutique hotel
innovator Ian Schrager today announced they are partnering to
create a new brand with as many as 100 hotels around the world that
will combine Schrager's unique lodging concepts with Marriott's
operational expertise, the companies said.
The marriage of
the industry stalwart Marriott with the pioneer of the lifestyle
boutique hotel is an attempt by both to push the boundaries, break
new ground and take the hotel industry to a new level, Marriott CEO
and President J.W. Marriott said.
"Nobody has done
what Ian has been able to do with his hotels time and again, and he
is the perfect partner to help us create and launch a new, modern
genre of hotel," he said. "These hotels will be an excellent
complement to the Marriott portfolio of brands and allow us to use
our global platform and ability to execute to create something 
completely new, different
and original -- the first truly global branded boutique lifestyle
hotel on a large scale. We expect the brand to set the standard for
decades to come."
The brand, the
brainchild of the new partners, responds to new cultural and social
imperatives that Schrager said have emerged. This brand will
reflect these changing lifestyles and cater to a vast underserved
market of guests expecting and in turn demanding a unique
experience not merely a place to sleep.
"Together
Marriott and I have a new vision and plan to radically rethink and
catapult the lifestyle boutique hotel into the present by capturing
the spirit of the times," said Schrager.
The hotels will
be located in gateway cities throughout North and South America,
Europe and Asia. The initial list of markets to be explored
includes New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, San
Diego, Boston, and Las Vegas in the U.S.; London; Paris; Berlin;
Frankfurt; Madrid and Barcelona, Spain; and Rome and Milan, Italy,
in Europe; and Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo and
Seoul, Korea, in Asia.
The hotels will
have an average size of 150 to 200 rooms and will reflect the best
of the cultural and social milieu of its location and of the time,
Marriott and Schrager said. A diverse set of world-renowned
architects and designers will be recruited to create one-of-a-kind
buildings spanning the complete range of project types, from new
construction, to conversions, to renovations. The partners expect
these hotels to be not just the most aesthetically pleasing in
their markets but to be environmentally responsible as
well.
"People today are
sophisticated and they understand good design, quality, originality
and commitment to excellence. They will not accept something
derivative and they want the ethos and soul of a hotel to be
authentic and have character," Schrager said.
"They also expect
and deserve impeccable, modern and gracious personalized service
that is at the same time luxurious yet down to earth. It is the
ultimate balancing act of these apparent contradictions to create a
hotel that is simultaneously specific and customized yet
universal," he added. "We intend to make this type of lodging
widely accessible and available for the first time in the key
lodging destinations across the globe and to everybody around the
world who wants it."
The partners will
divide responsibilities for rolling out the brand, with Schrager
leading the effort on concept, design, marketing, branding and food
and beverage. Marriott will oversee the development process, and
operate and manage the completed hotels. In particular, Marriott
will use its relationships in the development community to identify
appropriate potential development partners and owners in various
markets.
The partners
expect to have at least five firm development deals signed under
the new brand by the end of 2007 and 100 hotels open or be in the
pipeline within a decade.
"The scale of
this brand requires the reach, resources and expertise of a global
player like Marriott, while the innovation necessary calls for the
experience and originality of the category's most accomplished
entrepreneur, Ian Schrager," said Marriott.
To contact
reporter Jeri Clausing, send e-mail to [email protected].