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

You are not the only blogger who has noted that their pricing seems a little out of step with the quality of the rooms they offer!

https://x.com/stoolpresidente/status/1765934684976951381

I don't have much experience with the brand but, after having stayed at the Abu Dhabi EDITION a couple of months ago, I would likely seek them out. That hotel was one of the best I have ever stayed in in terms of service and design (and I travel for a living).

Idk I've overwhelmingly heard negative things about EDITION.

The prices it charges does not align to the product you get. When you charge 5 star prices, the service needs to match. When you pay $1000/night, the entire experience should be seamless. More than just having a nice room/facilities, things should be very intentional and proactive.

It's quite analgous to airline seats and soft product really being a differentiator tbh. At the end of the day, plenty of hotels have great views and nice rooms, it's the hospitality and what's on the inside that matters. I've had fantastic stays at hotels, where the room might not be the biggest or fanciest, but the staff was what made all the difference.

I believe that guy is a known sex abuser and should not be platformed

No two cities are alike; Why should our hotels be?

Ever hear the quote: the US has only 2 cities, NYC and Cleveland?

It's mostly true. I challenge anyone in midtown Atlanta to tell me it's materially different, architecturally or culturally or in any other way, from its analogous neighborhood in St. Louis (downtown Clayton) as an example. Or, how is manufactured Irvine, CA different from any other suburban car centric community. There's really nothing special about San Francisco other than the temperate weather all year.

And NYC isn't exactly truly special, it's just that the density gives rise to lots of things going on.

You nailed the issue on the head with the 1.0 portion. It was cool 15 years ago but it hasn't evolved. Arguably even cool ~5 years ago. Now? They literally all look exactly the same inside and service is hit or miss. It's still better than your average Ritz-Carlton (not that that's saying much these days), and the events/parties are still good.

Admittedly, I've never stayed at one, and that's primarily because they don't offer any material Bonvoy benefits. I do know several people who seem to like the brand, but these are people who care deeply about their personal image, and want to be perceived as rich, even though they really aren't. It seems like the biggest perk EDITION offers is being able to tell people you stayed at the EDITION.

I’m not a fan of the hotel. As you mentioned, they’re trying to be an edgy hotel for young people and claim to but inconsistently provide top notch service. The “edgy hotel” is something I tolerate, not something I actively want. Furthermore, Moxy does it better at a far better price point. As for service, I don’t get consistently great experiences there. And again, I’ll tolerate far less active services at a chain like Moxy than for the Edition price point.

I think Bulgari and Four Seasons do a much better job with this market. FS is a traditional chain but inches into this territory with outstanding dining and craft cocktail bars. Bulgari goes more for the desired edginess.

want to be perceived as rich, even though they really aren't.

These people are total losers

The fact that they seem to find enough punters paying those 5*+ prices for hotels that seem to be barely at the 4* level is testament to the success of the brand.

This concept definitely isn't for me, but I would like to encourage anyone who intends to keep spending that sort of money on mainstream hotels to please keep patronising Marriott's offerings and avoiding the local competition, especially Accor properties. Many thanks!

Shoutout to Miami Beach edition for giving me some sick ambassador upgrades over the years. Great people watching in the lobby and they usually keep the pool as a nice refuge.

Excited to check out Bodrum.

The only Edition I find that offers a stay I like is West Hollywood. Great staff and love the rooms with balconies overlooking the city. Restaurant is good as well and never crazy packed.

I absolutely love the London Edition for whatever it is worth. Price was totally worth it. Service was wonderful, loved the premises and the food was excellent. Location cannot be beat

In the past couple of years, we've stayed at the EDITION West Hollywood and the Thompson Hollywood. At least at that location, the EDITION (which is beautiful) is several tiers above the Thompson (which is just OK) -- on location, design, room size, dining/bar options, and service.

The London Edition is beautiful and we had great service, but for the price there are usually better hotels.

I agree the location is good and the service is great, but the rooms are tiny and for the price it would be hard not to choose another hotel in London

Many of the same things could be said about Andaz, except that many of their hotels also lack good dining options.

Bit of "pot calling the kettle black" with that one, eh @Arps?

Ben - Don't you think that hotel brands (at least within the giant chains - Marriott, IHG, Hilton, probably Hyatt) are pretty meaningless? Do you seriously book a hotel based on brand and not location (within a city)/reviews/photos of the individual property?

is this a serious question???

@ Jack -- For sure, and I think Andaz has kind of lost its focus as a brand. The difference, as I see it, is that Andaz properties aren't nearly as expensive, on average. EDITION is pricing itself into the same range as many true luxury properties.

@ LP -- Branding definitely doesn't mean as much as it used to, as the major hotel groups become more flexible with developers. However, I'd say EDITION is one of the more "consistent" brands, in terms of design, what it's going for, etc.

I don't choose a hotel solely because of the brand, but of course it's one of the many considerations. There are hundreds of hotels in major cities, so you have to start by narrowing your search somewhere.

@ shza -- While I haven't stayed at either, I definitely believe the hotels are in different leagues. But they're also priced completely differently, and the EDITION is way more expensive (typically at least double as much, if not triple as much).

@ARPS: Hey, bite your tongue and leave NYC alone. NYC is truly special. Every aspect of NYC, even, the noise, grunge and dirtiness is special. It is a fascinating place.

The clientele is by far the worst part of the EDITION experience, and is a major reason I tend to seek out other brands if I'm looking for something at that price point.

I know this is the Marriott branding, but I find it really jarring to see the name of the hotel always in ALL CAPS, so much so that I actually find it hard to read these blog posts. Why can't we call it Edition rather than EDITION?

The Barcelona Edition was great when I stayed there. They also all have great bathroom products by Le Labo specific to the brand. I'd also note that Ian Schrager isn't just "the guy that opened Studio 54," he introduced the concept of the boutique hotel.

Another satisfied guest at the Barcelona Edition here. Stylewise, servicewise, with the rooftop bar and the food, fantastic. It is not my absolute favorite hotel chain for the segment but I personally like the style which is why I would like to stay at more of them.

From what I have seen of the pictures, it is a competitor to Andaz (maybe half a step to a step behind Park Hyatt) and Luxury Collection except it is less about location-centered style and individuality and more "elegant minimally styled luxury with light colors and tones" copied and pasted in different locations with that locale's interpretation.

Stayed at the w Rome after considering the edition. The W was fantastic - my take on the edition was meh. Your review is right on. I would say my experience with the W Rome was that the staff and service was first rate, exceptional, the best I have experienced.

Exactly. Edition was designed for millennials who didn't want to stay at their grandfather's Ritz-Carlton. Historically (and maybe still today) they were exclusively operated by the Ritz-Carlton of Marriott. Now with millenials in their 40s, Edition just feels like a time capsule to something from 2006-2010. To be fair, W too.

“ No two cities are alike; Why should our hotels be?”

Lol the main issue I have with edition hotels is that they all look and feel the same to me.

I have looked at Edition hotels many times and never found them that compelling. Mostly they are are the top end of the price range of the hotels I am looking at, yet they have no lounge, limited elite benefits, often not even a desk in the room, and they generally just don't seem that special or interesting compared to some off Marriott's actual luxury properties like St Regis or a Luxury Collection hotel.

Clearly im a minority, but Edition is my favorite brand of Marriott by a long shot. The style and decor is my style to a T. I’ve always been treated exceptionally well. I loved my stay at the Edition in Singapore, one of my favorite hotel stays ever. Had an excellent stay at the Editions in New York and Miami. Only let down so far was Dubai Edition. And not that it was bad, it was just decidedly average.

I stayed at The EDITION for a few days in New York using Bonvoy points. It was last minute, December and the location was my rationale but I definitely would not have spent the cash for it. I loved the hotel for its location, rooms and view over Madison Park but I hated that it was almost impossible to get a seat even at the bar or anywhere in the lobby for a drink on any evening as it was constantly swarmed with local New Yorkers taking up every inch of space but by 8pm it was dead. Pretty much the same upstairs at breakfast, hard to find a table not filled with mostly men talking loudly at their power breakfasts. Just not relaxing at all. I have a friend who stayed there a year ago for 3 weeks however who paid full price, loved it and said the staff were amazing.

I think Hollywood has a different profile than West Hollywood. I think of the former as dumpy, while the other trendy and actually somewhat pleasant.

'Better than a JW Marriott' isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for a high-end hotel. It'd be a lot more interesting to compare with the competition at large - SLS in Dubai, Shangri-la or even Pan Pacific in Singapore etc.

I stayed in the Dubai Edition last year - points for proximity to Dubai Mall - but is was soooo bland in terms of style - i felt like i was staying at a holiday inn - service was average & nothing about the stay is memorable for me - breakfast was in a cavernous space off the lobby that had all the atmosphere of a food court in a shopping mall but very over inflated prices - there is nothinf about the stay that would make me consider staying there again when i next visit dubai

I found the public areas of the WH Edition and the rooftop pool to be really fine but I just didn’t find our room to be anything special.

I was excited to say at edition hotels, because of the rep. I've now stayed at two, and found them to be dull, with poor service and even meh food. I don't see the point.

Editions are so overhyped and overpriced with boring, lazy designs. Some dining/bar outlets are stylish but rooms/other public spaces are bare bones and basic rather than minimalist high end design.

Honestly, if the brand doesn't work, so what? They put $100 mil into each property to change the rooms and lobby and boom, you have a new hotel brand. We've seen hotel rebranding for many decades now. Same pig, different lipstick.

As someone who used to like W hotels to the point of it being my preferred hotel stay if a city had one, I don't think there's a single aspect of Marriott that is desirable or speaks to me anymore. If it's mid range, then price and location will be my determining factor. If it's a high end luxury stay, Four Seasons is wiping the floor with all the major chain brands in the US. Oddly enough the one surprise for the last few years was the swissotel in Chicago with their corner suite having amazing views of downtown and the Chicago river. Just like US airlines, elite status means so little that it boils down to, if you want first class / a suite, then pay for it. Otherwise, the brands will extract your loyalty and give you crumbs in return. Being a free agent when it comes to travel is where it's at.

I'm never going to stay at an EDITION hotel as long as they're too arrogant to honor Marriott elite benefits like complimentary breakfast. I also avoid Ritz hotels with the exception of Ritz Kyoto, which does honor complimentary breakfast to Bonvoy Platinum and above elites. I've also moved a lot of my business from Bonvoy to IHG (Intercons, Kimptons, Indigos, and Voco - anything below is no good) - since IHG started offering full hot breakfast for two at ALL of its properties worldwide for Diamonds a few years ago - to protest Bonvoy's stinginess with free breakfast.

I have only stayed at 3 Edition properties, so I can't speak about the chain widely. But having stayed in London and the the two Tokyo properties a number of times. I have always been happy with my stays.

The service has generally been great, the recognition of returning guests formidable.

Each of these properties have some negatives driven by their specific location. Eg. not fitting a better pool in to the Toranomon tower, the gym being an after thought in Ginza, some of the small "cozy" rooms in an old renovated building in London. But overall these are hotels I am always happy to return to.

The terrace room options in Toranomon is great, who does not want a terrace facing Tokyo tower, or one overlooking Toranomon Hills. Of course you do pay for that, but they are great rooms and suites.

I hate their signature scent . It is very artificial and seeps into my clothes and room. Who wants to be blasted with petrochemicals when entering a hotel ?

- 1/10th as edgy, MAYBE, as a design hotel
- The least generous with elite benefits of ALL the luxury brands (the front desk agent WILL fight you here + lie about suite upgrade availability)
- The worst service level of all the luxury brands (the W was, but is no longer, a luxury brand in both experience or price)
- RC has the 3x yearly club upgrade cert that you can use which (depending on the market) can save you thousands of dollars.
- Guests give triangle of sadness and b-list influencer vibes. Mixed with athletes (who don’t care about the cost) and young professionals who booked bc of the branding but wont make this mistake again.
- Despite all this, it’s usually the 1 or 2 most expensive Marriott properties in any given city. Especially the totes presh ones like LA or Miami.

TLDR; I can’t.

The mind truly boggles.

That all makes sense, Ben. You definitely travel more than I do, so I can appreciate using brand to narrow down your search, while I can spend more time researching hotels for more limited stays.

A couple examples of how brands are meaningless to me:
1) Traveling with young kids and trying to keep food costs in check, we've loved the Grand Hyatt DC for its lounge. If the "Grand Hyatt" brand consistently meant a decent lounge with food in the morning and night, I might consistently book it. But I would fail miserably at keeping food costs in check at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, which has no lounge, only super expensive restaurants with few nearby options.

2) Traveling to Aruba as a couple, I wanted a good resort with good beach access, and I booked the Holiday Inn (resort) for a few nights, then the Hilton for the last night for a more "upscale" experience, especially with my Diamond status. The Hilton cost 2x HI, but my HI room was oceanfront (decent upgrade for my lowly Platinum status) and I could almost jump into the ocean from our balcony, with easy palapa access and room decor that was indistinguishable between properties. Surely my top-tier Hilton elite status earned me a nice oceanfront upgrade, right? Nope, just a 1-category "upgrade" to better pool view far from the beach. Service was similar at both. I guess the Hilton pool was better, but I don't assume "Hilton = good pool" - if pool is super important to me, I look at the pictures and reviews. And did my Hilton Diamond status get me access to the brand-standard Hilton lounge? Nope, the Aruba Hilton rebranded their lounge to exclude Diamond members.

Virtually nothing about "brands" told me anything meaningful about any of these 4 properties. So my booking process is just to consider all the points-bookable hotels in a area I want to visit, then look at locations, reviews, etc. Brand is almost totally meaningless. If a Courtyard is oceanfront and walking distance away from great restaurants, I could care less about its lack of "signature restaurant". I'd return to the Waldorf Astoria Cabo in a heartbeat for the great service and unique location, but I'd skip the WA Maui for the lack of service and generic Hawaiian location. etc.

NYC is a gigantic crapfest with some of the worst people in the known world. The only solution is to nuke it from orbit, and take out Boston while you're at it.

It's a custom Le Labo scent made for the hotel. It's artificial in the sense that...literally all manufactured scents are? So I guess you're saying you don't want any scent used in a hotel vs. having issue with the specific scent?

I quite like it but understand if folks are sensitive to scents or don't like room diffusers / room sprays, etc. The rooms typically don't have the scent circulated from what I've seen (I usually notice the little machines that circulate the scent in hallways or around the lobby) but it definitely spreads enough that it feels like it.

I'm literally on this exact same path. I have lifetime Marriott status, and Hilton status via credit card so that is no longer a deciding factor for mid range. I do sometimes stay at Hyatts if they're nicer (and convenient) enough to get a low tier status. This stuff mattered in my 20's when I was traveling in consulting and liked the idea of 'free vacations'.

But for vacations now where we do high end luxury we almost never do Marriott. Four Seasons is our typical option and we've also had great stays at Rosewood and Aman properties. Ironically, the benefits you get through booking with travel advisors are more consistent and honored in a much better way than anything I ever received from Marriott, even when I was Ambassador status.

Just stayed at the Edition in Reykjavik and we were pretty disappointed, the room was meh with the bathroom looking like a prison cell.
And the service was well intentioned but totally off the mark.
They also tried to charge me 90$ cuz they said I took a hand soap from the room.
All in all totally not worth the price.

We stayed at Times Square, West Hollywood and Shanghai. Times Square I would not recommend. Rooms really small and not really a hotel vibe. Loved the Shanghai property, and breakfast was fabulous. I was looking to stay in their Dubai property, but prices are really cheap compared to other hotels, so I'm a bit in doubt. Jeddah is also on my list.

Honestly, there are just to many "brands." They need to chill out and select a few brands that they will do well.

Right, there’s nothing “materially different architecturally” about San Francisco, Miami Beach, New York City, Boston or countless other US cities.

Clown.

For Marriott, yes hotel branding matters, as certain brands exclude elite benefits and I won't stay at any Marriott properties that don't confer elite benefits.

Like Sweden or Norway, Iceland's high labor costs make it almost impossible to have genuine 5-star luxury service.

"I'm never going to stay at an EDITION hotel as long as they're too arrogant to honor Marriott elite benefits like complimentary breakfast."

It's not a question of an Edition not honoring the Bonvoy breakfast benefit. Marriott has totally exempted them.

Thanks for doing this piece, Ben. Whereas some brands try to be a hotel for everyone, and others a hotel for a select audience, EDITION hotels seem to be largely a hotel for no one.

The design is derivative, service at most is non-existent (with some exceptions that prove the rule), and it is way overpriced for what it delivers, seeming to justify it based on perceived dopeness for socials.

That's before you get to the bit where EDITION, as a now homegrown Marriott brands, seeks to avoid giving anything to elite clients. It's a bad Marriott with a thin veneer of minimalist interior design and occasionally good bars + restaurants.

Tl;dr - EDITION is a classless, poorly designed and poorly implemented hotel that doesn't deliver luxury, true style and charges an arm and a leg.

Strongly concur.

Reykjavik EDITION is next level bad, even at the already low standards of this brand. The Borg (in the same town) is referred to as four star but significantly better.

- You're being generous on the design hotel comment
- They once lied to be about even providing a paid upgrade when the website showed there was availability
- Agreed on EDITION's service and W no longer being luxury
- Preach
- LOL'd so hard at this because it is so true

Fair. Perhaps we're operating under the illusion that Marriott actually intends to deliver on the branding promised instead of half-@$$ing it

Agreed.

Zing! Couldn't agree more. And the cool is only a layer of paint deep.

They call that damning with faint praise

100% agree on Andaz. It has no clear identity, but at least it doesn't charge as much as EDITION and some of their hotels are decent (Scottsdale for instance).

Definitely basic and overpriced. My only experience is Singapore. Never back in any Edition for sure.

Would be nice, most people couldn't tell you the difference between one brand or another other than the name since there's so many occupying the same segment (luxury, extended stay, limited service, business, etc.) and often some overlap between them. At the end of the day, the brands aren't for us. It's for the hotel owners.

I've been thinking about this post and will offer some thoughts as to hotel positioning with brands and design. I do a lot of studies within my own industry that identifies patterns of each generation and the products, designs, and lifestyle that they seek. As such, I have some fairly good knowledge related to hotels as well which I spend almost 300 nights a year in.

Edition is specifically targeted to Gen X and younger last few year Boomers who are the minimalists of the current population. This is the generation that emerged out of homes that were the accumulators of the 20th century. Big homes, lots of stuff, too much stuff one might say. As such, the movement of their lives towards minimalist existence. Edition fits the bill well in this and Gen X are some of the most significant spenders and travelers today.

Millennials though are a whole different breed. In fact, the futurist, Faith Popcorn, long ago predicted that they would become a generation enamored with "second hand nostalgia" and become maximalists in defiance of the minimal, disposable, always moving, broken homes, and transient lifestyle of their parents. This is why the newest and coolest hotels opening are no longer Edition type but are total over the top maximalist in design. One example that a lot of people are talking about is The Lafayette Hotel in San Diego. Rococo is hardly what you think of younger generations liking. But they do. A lot. Chintz and over the top design that is overwhelming at times. Especially for me - a Gen X minimalist.

Edition does well for its demographic. If anything they balance well the needs of Gen X even as we age. W on the other hand I think is lost. Gen X is getting older, nearing retirement and W is stuck in the times of when we were 35. We don't want scenes anymore. Millennials do to a certain point but they crave "old timey" as the backdrop.

That's my take at least in understanding Edition a bit more and hotel brand positioning.

Ben - I am late to this post, but I have some strong opinions (and insights), and will provide them…

I have stayed at or visited the London, Barcelona, West Hollywood, and both New York Edition properties. IMO, they excel at a few things and lack in others:
1) Public space - I like hotels with active public spaces. Editions all have these, which I value
2) Property level service - I have generally gotten great, personalized service at all of these properties that is at least on par with (and mostly better than) with other luxury brands at the big chains.

3) Good gyms, pools (where appropriate), etc
4) Great scent, music, etc. I think these are important for this kind of hotel

Where Editions lack are elite benefits (but I don’t think you will see a new luxury brands with strong elite benefits ever launched again), and pricing is tough.

Personally, the London Edition, West Hollywood Edition and the Barcelona Edition all rank as three of my favorite hotels ever. They are all well located, have great restaurants, bars and such, and create an enjoyable stay. I have fond memories at those properties and I am glad they exist. I would stay at these hotels over a variety of other Hilton, Hyatt and independent options.

In terms of the Brand’s success? There are not many open, and not many in the pipeline. I think (actually I know for a fact) that Marriott hoped this brand would open many more hotels. I think that has to do with the overall economics of high price hotels the past 15 years or so, but the brand evidentially hasn’t generated enough value for owners or guests to get beyond its current size. I think that is because at the price Editions want to charge, guests expect more either from a luxury standpoint or a benefit standpoint. So while I really like the hotels, not enough high paying guests to do really get the premium for the brand.

I would correct one thing you wrote about owners - owners apparently don’t like Editions, because they haven’t rushed out to build them or buy them. In contrast, owners *love* the AC Hotels brand - which I think tries to basically be an edition for the select service market. That brand actually delivers some style, value and such to a big enough market for everyone to be happy.

I loved my stay at The Singapore Edition. The lush garden and common areas are beautiful. The rooms have really cool tech, like the self-adjusting blinds and nice lighting, too. Breakfast at the Fish restaurant was one of the best I've ever had, and I enjoyed the bar as well. The suspended pool is astonishing. It did feel really modern and high-end, and it made me want to try other properties.

Absolutely agree with you. AC from an owner standpoint is a better investment. There is a consistency, a delivered expectation throughout, and it's great for what it charges. You can go somewhat bare bones on amenities if an owner or if you see opportunity add in a rooftop restaurant/bar etc. AC is probably the best overall brand within Bonvoy at this point. They are smart as to openings as well. Going into places like Missoula and Asheville where a good market is there for this style of hotel and had been lacking before.

PS....not all Marriott brand-properties offer the same bonvoy benefits as the next. The EDITION's are not cutting corners on the bonvoy benefits they offer something different than the Ritz's, the St. Regis's and so forth.

The EDITION Abu Dhabi is definitely one of my favorite Bonvoy hotels in the world. It's quiet luxury style so definitely expensive furniture but subtle and muted color palette. They offer complimentary breakfast for Platinum+. And the EDITION fragrance smell is out of this world. Also I love the breakfast in Abu Dhabi without buffet but more like fine dining. Our stays were every time exceptional. Will try the new one in Jeddah next and hope that the one in Doha will open soon. In general we perceive hotels in the Middle East as very generous and having a high level of hospitality with huge rooms compared to Europe where for the same price point you might end up in a room without windows...

All the Editions hotels look the same (sorry, 'EDITIONS')

I stayed at an NYC EDITIONS once and it was nice, but as others have said, it's a 4* hotel that charges a 5* price.

Agree with others about the arrogance at the Edition hotels. In recent times, my preference for a Marriott luxury brand is St Regis because of what is included with the status. Also agree the problem with IHG is that status does not get you lounge access, breakfast, and other benefits that Marriott provides.

Would not stay at any of these hotels unless I booked through FHR, Stars or Virtuoso, or booked Club Lounge at Ritz-Carlton, other than the few hotels that offer breakfast to elites.