Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, went on quite the rant about his stay at the Tampa EDITION (this is the same guy who flexed his balance of 45 million Amex points at Rite Aid). I’m curious where OMAAT readers stand on this one (thanks to @NDH330 for flagging this).
In this post:
Dave Portnoy not happy with $5K per night EDITION Tampa suite
Dave Portnoy posted a roughly three minute video on Twitter/X, ranting about his stay at the Tampa EDITION. He needed to be in Tampa for work, and asked a friend where to stay, and he recommended the EDITION. For those not familiar, EDITION is one of Marriott’s luxury brands — think of it like a younger, more modern version of Ritz-Carlton.
In fairness, Portnoy’s friend is right. The EDITION is objectively Tampa’s best hotel, which isn’t necessarily saying a whole lot. So when he had his assistant book the property, she told him that suites ranged anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 per night. He wanted the “middle of the road” option, so he booked a suite costing $5,000 per night.
Well, suffice it to say that he wasn’t happy with the suite he received. While you can watch the video for yourself below (note that there’s quite a bit of bad language), here are a few of the highlights:
- “For the money, it is the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in.”
- “This is what $5K a night gets you in Tampa? This hotel room is okay, for $5K per night in Manhattan you can be at a suite in a Four Seasons, which is a thousand times nicer.”
- “This hotel in Tampa should be $1,200 maybe max, and that’s a lot.”
- “Whoever is pricing the EDITION Tampa should be thrown in prison.”
- “I thought I was going to walk up, get my d*ck sucked for $5K per night in Tampa.”
- “I guess I’m the idiot, ha ha, joke’s on me, because I still stayed here.”
- “$5K for Tampa, I’m going to have an infinity pool, overlook the water, gonna have a masseuse, this is an average suite.”
- “Put it down, whatever book you have, the EDITION in Tampa, for the money, is the worst hotel in the United States of America, and if you stay here after hearing this, you are a moron and an idiot, and they deserve to steal your money. Shame on this hotel. Disgusting.”
For some context on the Tampa EDITION, pulling up rates for a random upcoming date, entry level rooms at the hotel seem to start at around $600 per night.
Entry level suites do indeed start at around $2,000 per night.
It would appear that Portnoy was in the Bay Suite, which retails for around $5,000 per night, and is the hotel’s second highest suite category.
The highest category is the Penthouse, which retails for nearly $10,000 per night.
Is this frustration justified?
Oh boy, where do we even begin with this? I’m conflicted on this topic, so let me share my take, and then I’m curious to hear how y’all feel.
On the one hand, I think Portnoy is being ridiculous here:
- A large part of Portnoy’s argument seems to be predicated on the belief that Tampa is a dump, and that Tampa hotels should basically pay people to stay in them; Tampa has seen a significant increase in hotel rates over the years, and he’s booking the second nicest suite at the nicest hotel in the city, so of course it won’t be cheap
- Portnoy seems to be conflating staying at the Tampa EDITION at all, and booking a $5,000 per night suite at the Tampa EDITION; those are two totally different things, yet he’s saying no one should stay at the hotel because the $5,000 per night suite isn’t a good value
- Portnoy suggesting this suite should cost $1,200 max is unfair; the suite he booked is about three times the size of a base room, is a specialty suite, has premium views, and is on a high floor
- Premium suites are often priced significantly more than base rooms per square foot since they aren’t as consistently sold; rather they exist for those where pricing is no object, and they just want the best option available in a city, and they’re priced accordingly
- I know Portnoy was probably being hyperbolic regarding the expectation of an infinity pool and masseuse in his suite, but it doesn’t seem like the hotel was false advertising in any way, as the suite looks exactly as marketed
- Portnoy also complains that his sheets weren’t changed every day; even top luxury properties don’t change sheets every night, unless you specifically request it, or they’re dirty
Now, all that being said, I agree with Portnoy on a major point — the suite he was in isn’t at all good value for money. I’ll take it a step further, and say that on balance, the luxury travel industry doesn’t really offer much in the way of value nowadays.
The demand for luxury travel has increased so greatly post-pandemic, so just look at how much inflation we’ve seen to hotel rates. It’s now not unusual to see a base room at a luxury property in Hawaii or Kyoto or the South of France retailing for over $2,000 per night. And that’s just a standard room.
Of course I wish hotels made an effort to offer better value for money, but many don’t. That’s especially true for properties belonging to Marriott, since many Marriott properties just don’t have to try, given the size of Marriott’s portfolio, and the Bonvoy membership base. Just look at my recent stay at the St. Regis Deer Valley, where a night would have cost $4,000, yet the fireplace was broken in my first room, and there was no hot water in the second room.
This whole episode feels kind of like booking an outrageously expensive American Airlines business class ticket, and then being surprised to learn the value isn’t great. Well, of course not.
Bottom line
Dave Portnoy stayed at the EDITION Tampa in a $5,000 per night suite, and called it the worst hotel he has ever stayed at in terms of value, and suggested the hotel’s revenue manager should be thrown in jail.
I totally agree with Portnoy that the hotel room he booked doesn’t represent good value. However, I think this is part of a much bigger issue in the hotel industry, whereby value isn’t really something we can expect anymore. The demand for luxury travel has increased greatly, and rates reflect that.
What do you make of Portnoy’s Tampa EDITION rant?
He was 100% correct. Absolute ripoff. Tampa is a great city but not a $5k a night city. The only way that suite is worth $5K is if it comes with a $4200 bar and restaurant credit.
Edition has bad food and bad customer service. Sorry for most locals it's a one and done affair, unless you're looking for social media clout/posts. Its sad that Marriott properties has invested all the money into aesthetics and hype and taken away from customer service and client experience.
I had always heard the EDITION brand was more upscale. We stayed at the one near LAX and while I know that most airport type hotels are not the bomb, this was a bigger disappointment than I expected. It looked like a run down 10 story Crown Plaza from long ago that was "beiged up" in color, but of course the footprint you can't change. Their website boasted of a great breakfast area and lounge...
I had always heard the EDITION brand was more upscale. We stayed at the one near LAX and while I know that most airport type hotels are not the bomb, this was a bigger disappointment than I expected. It looked like a run down 10 story Crown Plaza from long ago that was "beiged up" in color, but of course the footprint you can't change. Their website boasted of a great breakfast area and lounge in the lobby. When we got there the pool and "lounge" was actually across a driveway to another building and it was only ok. Their website makes you think you're steps away from Venice beach and all the trendy action is within a block or two. NOPE!
At the end of the day he isn't wrong about this..
I've stayed here. And had a similar feeling about being totally ripped off. But Tampa is pretty much devoid of any kind of decent hotel choices for some reason.
If you think it is not good value for money do not stay there. I often think people like that purposely claim to have an experience that does not meet their expectations so they can rant online about it. However, I think it is also about relative expectations. If you fly Zipair, for example, then you cannot rant that there is no service, but given the price it is a great deal and serves most...
If you think it is not good value for money do not stay there. I often think people like that purposely claim to have an experience that does not meet their expectations so they can rant online about it. However, I think it is also about relative expectations. If you fly Zipair, for example, then you cannot rant that there is no service, but given the price it is a great deal and serves most people's basic business class requirements. Perhaps hotels should consider not giving a room to people like this.
and read the fine/super-small print carefully: for a recent stay on Maui the "facilities charge", "taxes", etc., were shocking. What appeared to be a kinda-nice place ... after I booked it I got an automatic email, "For an additional charge of $150 per night you can upgrade to a private bath."
Inflation is down around the entire country except in Florida. Thanks Meatball Ron Desanctimonious! Rent alone in Tampa is out of control. You get a crack den now for $5K a month. Thanks for the review on the Edition as I always had a feeling it was overrated but didn’t even want to test it out.
Inflation being down does not mean prices will go down, it just means they won't rise as quickly anymore.
He’s 100% right. Even the furniture is shabby. Looks like ikea circa 2002. And the tiles in the bathroom? Yuck. That room does not speak luxury.
David is 100% justified in his complaints. Without a doubt this is definitely not $5k worth of anything. It’s not just his opinion, he showed facts with the snack bar and mini fridge. If you are going to charge a premium, you need to deliver premium service.
We’ll see what the Hotel and parent company do about this. Maybe ban him? Sue him? Or respond and acknowledge their service did not live up to...
David is 100% justified in his complaints. Without a doubt this is definitely not $5k worth of anything. It’s not just his opinion, he showed facts with the snack bar and mini fridge. If you are going to charge a premium, you need to deliver premium service.
We’ll see what the Hotel and parent company do about this. Maybe ban him? Sue him? Or respond and acknowledge their service did not live up to the image, reputation, and expectations.
I’m in total agreement with David and his response is totally justified. Well done.
For $5/per night, parking, meals need to be complimentary as well as more than just 2 cocktails, Jees.
He thought "He was going to get his D*ICK sucked for $5000.00"? Tell him not to say it too loud in San Francisco, Half of the Town might be willing to do it for Free. (Male,Female,LGBTQPRST).
The main issue here is thay we have all been paying more, MUCH MORE, and getting far less. They can't fill up the mini bar? They can't change the sheets? They can't replace the $21 chocolate bar you ate? I don't get little mini toiletries now? If hotels came back with SERVICE after the pandemic I think we all would have a little laugh at this guy, but frankly with how much he paid, he...
The main issue here is thay we have all been paying more, MUCH MORE, and getting far less. They can't fill up the mini bar? They can't change the sheets? They can't replace the $21 chocolate bar you ate? I don't get little mini toiletries now? If hotels came back with SERVICE after the pandemic I think we all would have a little laugh at this guy, but frankly with how much he paid, he should have have flawless service and been upgraded. I mean, who else is in Tampa this week paying $5,000 for a room? Give this guy the Penthouse and a butler.
I agree with Portnoy here.
Two comment.
First , the guy comes across as an entitled attention seeking jerk. Had to watch the other video Ben referenced, and that was even more annoying. Why show your wealth to the minimum wage cashier and then include it in a video? Yes, she will never have 45M points and probably never had to think what they are worth. Yes- you’re amazing.
Second - dude, you are the problem. The reason...
Two comment.
First , the guy comes across as an entitled attention seeking jerk. Had to watch the other video Ben referenced, and that was even more annoying. Why show your wealth to the minimum wage cashier and then include it in a video? Yes, she will never have 45M points and probably never had to think what they are worth. Yes- you’re amazing.
Second - dude, you are the problem. The reason the EDITION charges these rates is because there are enough idiots willing (or telling their assistant) to pay. Realistically- if she told him suites went for $5,000-$30,000 he would have paid $20,000 for the same suite.
I know there are idiots in the world, I may be one, but idiots on social media - that’s too much
Dave Portnoy is a perennially triggered crybaby.
Probably got charged for resort fees and parking also.
This hotel suite rate may be indicative of the trending "20/80 rule," which states that 20% of our actions create 80% of our results.
Among other examples, the "20/80 rule" accounts for 20% of a company's patrons being responsible for 80% of a company's profit.
Ahhhhh, so THAT's "Portnoy's Complaint"! :-)
Simple solution (no pun intended): outsource the travel to Ford. Win-Win.
Whenever someone throws out a you get what you pay for argument, this is a great response to that. Not if you're getting suckered.
Two, it's on him or assistant. If I personally buy something and realize I hate it it's on me for not doing my homework. But he's perfectly free to (and welcomed as well) to pick it apart as a after the fact review for everyone else.
As someone from Safety Harbor, all I've got to say is that "a fool and his money are soon parted". This isn't a great value, but like Ben said that isn't why people pay the cash rate for things like this - its the willingness/ability to pay an inflated amount for a marginal difference.
Honestly, the fact that this dude still stayed there was a win for the Revenue Manager at the hotel.
Portnoy is spot on. Tampa is not a $5k a night hotel market. Even for a mid level suite at the Edition. That should be a $1200 to $1500 room tops. $10k for the Presidential is even more outrageous. I’d be shocked if the Presidential gets booked more than 5 times a year.
1) Was the hotel website misleading? No.
2) Was there anything inherently wrong with the room? No
3) Did the hotel delivery what they "offered?" Yes.
4) Is Portnoy a privileged whiny baby? Yes
News flash. Don't set expectations based on price. Had any of us researched the hotel & room, we would never have booked the room based on value. If we needed a room that size and with its attributes,...
1) Was the hotel website misleading? No.
2) Was there anything inherently wrong with the room? No
3) Did the hotel delivery what they "offered?" Yes.
4) Is Portnoy a privileged whiny baby? Yes
News flash. Don't set expectations based on price. Had any of us researched the hotel & room, we would never have booked the room based on value. If we needed a room that size and with its attributes, we would know the price and and either accept it or not. Guess it depends on what your needs are, and your price sensitivity.
Instead, it was "Assistant...Get me the 2nd best hotel room in Tampa. Oh, its $5000, ok, it must be really nice."
Fool.
Sorry 9v. Tampa is most definitely a $5k a night because of the simple reason someone is willing to pay for it. You may argue that the business model of the hotel is based on idiots, that’s probably true, but luckily for them, there is no shortage of idiots
It also has the worst valet entries of any hotel in Tampa you get wet when you get out of your car because Only a small part is covered. And if you're coming from the Airport or the West you have to go all the way around the block the entrance is in the wrong location.
I'm a limo driver and people can't find me cause there's no room
By comparison that JW is absolutely excellent.
A two bed family suite at The Savoy in London is gbp2601 and River view suite £3456. And this is Tampa lol
He's right $5,000 is WAS too much for that room.
The reviews at the EDITION Tampa have been bad from the moment it opened, and my own experiences there have been super underwhelming.
They capitalized on the fact that the only 4*+ property in the city proper is the JW, so they could provide a pretty inferior product to other EDITIONs and get away with it. The place is bad - full stop. Dave was probably a little over the top, but they deserve to get called out.
Apparently this commentator has never stayed at an Edition hotel or really ever paid attention to pricing in Florida. The Edition hotel is a brand who defines their luxury differently from the traditional one. The design aesthetic is part of their branding and may not be to his liking, which is understandable. I will agree if the minibar was not filled or snacks replaced, then that should be addressed by the GM. However, he is...
Apparently this commentator has never stayed at an Edition hotel or really ever paid attention to pricing in Florida. The Edition hotel is a brand who defines their luxury differently from the traditional one. The design aesthetic is part of their branding and may not be to his liking, which is understandable. I will agree if the minibar was not filled or snacks replaced, then that should be addressed by the GM. However, he is in a hotel with multi-million dollar condos all around him, gorgeous views, amazing restaurants, including Michelin star, and he is staying in that area during a prime season.
A hotel is so much more than a single room. His rant is ludicrous in its generality of bashing the entire location based upon the room. As someone who feels he should have the power to make or break the validity of a place based upon his one visit; I would think he would report on the entire experience from beginning to end instead of throwing a tantrum on social media.
As a prior guest at Edition hotels, including the Tampa location, I personally enjoy the brand and their commitment to it. Possibly, the Edition hotel is meant for a certain generation demographic that he hasn't seen in decades.
As for the value of a room: that is subjective to the individual. But is he really trying to make some PSA? As if the average person in America these days would fathom spending $5K a night for a hotel?
All that I derive from this is that his assistant should be better trained to obtain the service and _ _ _ _ sucking he desires when he arrives at his locations.
Looks perfectly nice to me, I'd gladly pay $500 for this suite (Which standard room costs lol which makes the standard room worth maybe 200 max!)
of course nowadays premium hotels are priced all over the place and very inflated
Interesting rant. He used two of the magic words that tell one to pay no mind to what he says: "moron" and "idiot." If he had said that the suite or the hotel was "stupid" in the first sentence (the clearest magic signal word), one could stop watching there.
Oh please. This idiocy makes LoyaltyLobby look reasonable.
Was the room any different than the pictures? No? Then I guess it’s on him. We’ve all made mistakes.
Maybe next time he can ask his assistant to book the Residence Inn.
Dave is 100% right on this. Luxury hotels in the US have become a total scam. Since they pandemic they have gutted the service and amenities so much that there is nothing luxurious about them except the price.
They should replenish the minibar every day, not just every stay. Room service should come on a silver tray, not a paper bag. They should put fresh, crisp sheets on every day.
Since when does the price of something convey to you benefits that you have created in your head?
If I go to a fine restaurant where most entrees are $60-$80, but they offer a unicorn steak for $500, do I have the right to make up in my head the attributes of a unicorn steak, and when the steak doesn't meet those expectations, I get to complain that the steak isn't worth $500?
Because most luxury hotels provide an elevated level of service, especially to those in their highest priced suites..... Pretty simply
They make steaks from unicorns? Gross.
This pushed a lot of Ben’s buttons!
Hometown Tampa
Hotel review
Right wing chucklehead being obnoxious
Did I miss any?
Right? As a super lefty gay dude, I'm actually completely in agreement with Dave Portnoy. I've stayed in a one-bedroom suite at the Abu Dhabi EDITION that was on par with what he paid. And the pics look nearly identical, which you expect from an EDITION. And it was an upgrade for being an Ambassador. So this is pretty pathetic if they can upgrade you to a suite in an historically expensive city but then...
Right? As a super lefty gay dude, I'm actually completely in agreement with Dave Portnoy. I've stayed in a one-bedroom suite at the Abu Dhabi EDITION that was on par with what he paid. And the pics look nearly identical, which you expect from an EDITION. And it was an upgrade for being an Ambassador. So this is pretty pathetic if they can upgrade you to a suite in an historically expensive city but then charge $5000 for a 4th string quality city. And there, I said it. Let's all be real...Tampa is not, well, just not that great compared to other cities in FL, let alone the rest of the US.
Dave doesn't get any points for medium used or the language or, well, most of what he stands for. But he's absolutely right. Though caveat emptor...he knew what the price was. While Marriott absolutely has become a shitty cesspool of crummy hotels, Dave must be faulted for not doing a modicum of homework.
He's someone who had 45 million AMEX points, he probably doesn't have meaningful status. But he could have booked a STARS/Virtuoso rate one category down for 3k and gotten in line for a space available upgrade.
Another bro with more money than common sense. We already have enough pretentious posers here in Tampa, so I hope his stay was so bad he will never return.
Saw the video on Twitter yesterday and I was similarly torn. He wasn't saying the room was bad per se it was just bad value. I agree with him that it seems terrible value and but, as he admits, he was the sucker for agreeing to book it. To me these modern hotels that have this very bland aesthetic -- if you just saw picture of this room you wouldn't know if it was an...
Saw the video on Twitter yesterday and I was similarly torn. He wasn't saying the room was bad per se it was just bad value. I agree with him that it seems terrible value and but, as he admits, he was the sucker for agreeing to book it. To me these modern hotels that have this very bland aesthetic -- if you just saw picture of this room you wouldn't know if it was an Edition Hotel (i.e. Ritz) or just a new Hyatt Regency -- are shooting themselves in the foot as they don't give off premium vibes. When you combine that with ho-hum service that doesn't pick up on small details -- either because you lost your tenured staff during covid or your wages aren't competitive to attract talent with a bit more experience or there is just a very baseline manner the team exudes then I agree that some of this is on the hotel which is charging a premium for the experience.
There's a lot of hyperbole in Portnoy's rant, but ultimately he is correct: this suite is not good value at all for the money paid. Basically a rip off. Now, Portnoy (not being a shades of gray guy) goes on to bash the entire hotel which may not have been accurate nor fair. But he sure did get taken on that room. Not good.
It’s like watching an alternative universe where Lucky was born a frat douche…
If those are the actual pictures it kind of looks like a standard room at something like a Marriott. Without all the drama it probably is a total rip off. A rip off for people willing to pay $5K a night for a hotel room. I never feel sorry for rich people that get ripped off from something supposedly catering to rich people. Next time save yourself $4.8K and stay at a Holiday Inn Express. You will even get a free breakfast.
Tampa Edition is an Instagram hoes wet dream. It's crowded with folks who are taking outlandish pictures in the lobby and flashing rented jewelry.
Shake that ass for Drake, now shake that ass for me.
Top 10 post!!
Love it
In general I like Edition hotels, but this post is pretty funny and spot on. Last time I stayed at West Hollywood Edition, I was awoken at 4 AM by someone blasting that exact Drake song out of their car on repeat in front of the hotel...
A hotel room (or most other things) is worth exactly as much as someone is willing to pay for it. If an idiot chooses to pay $5k for a room, they have nobody but themselves to blame.
The only thing surprising here is that Portnoy was correct that you can get a suite at the Four Seasons in Manhattan for $5k.
He’s right to call out shameless pricing
Location, location, location! The real estate saying goes for hotels as well as houses!
Who ? It’s spring break and those suites are often thrown in as the cherry on the top for the travel coordinator when booking a group of rooms for a convention. They don’t want a one night stay person who’s going to wreck the place with girls young enough to be his father. How much did he tip the housekeeper who made up his room ? Should someone be fired or is this person out of touch with reality ?
If it's good enough for Iron Maiden, it should be good enough for him.
A lot of hyperbole going on in that rant, but looking at the square metres of the bay suite (about 110), it is indeed much more expensive than the smaller suites (about 75) and thus overpriced. And with the upmarket brand positioning and the price of the suite, I would also have expected better servicing of the room (For 5000 USD I would not want to be required to explicitly asking for the sheets to...
A lot of hyperbole going on in that rant, but looking at the square metres of the bay suite (about 110), it is indeed much more expensive than the smaller suites (about 75) and thus overpriced. And with the upmarket brand positioning and the price of the suite, I would also have expected better servicing of the room (For 5000 USD I would not want to be required to explicitly asking for the sheets to be changed, and I definitely would expect the minibar items to be restocked).
In my view the Edition brand is very high on the style over substance scale.
Now, if he only had a Founders Card . . .
Dude should have used his points and booked through FHR - may have ended up in a suite for free!
I never understood the demand (and thus the high price) for Edition hotels (any location). They seem like upscale hotels with luxury marketing which suckers fall for. Granted, I've never stayed in one, but I've never seen photos/videos/reviews which justified their pricing.
Spot on. They’ve taken trendy minimalism (which isn’t even trendy anymore) to such an extreme that you just get nothing. I think of Edition as the NFT of hotels: it’s a lot of money just to pretend you’re in on the joke
In all fairness to Tampa, and The Edition, when is a 5,000 USD room actually ever worth it?
But I guess the main point of his posts is neither the quality nor the perceived value of the room. It is the "I can afford to pay 5,000 for a room without looking in to what I get in advance." effect.
Why would you give this raging misogynist any attention??
Because he's obviously more intelligent than you?
There is a reason I have this @sshole blocked on Twitter.
Probably also why you have no followers
He’s 100% right. That’s a ripoff
He comes across as a massive d**che bag. The room is beautiful. I love the Edition Design aesthetic. They are simple and clean and bright and modern. He’s the idiot for paying $5,000 per night for something he wouldn’t appreciate. His video looks exactly like the photos on the website. What was he expecting?
I just stayed in the same suite at The Edition in Singapore and loved it. But I also used suite...
He comes across as a massive d**che bag. The room is beautiful. I love the Edition Design aesthetic. They are simple and clean and bright and modern. He’s the idiot for paying $5,000 per night for something he wouldn’t appreciate. His video looks exactly like the photos on the website. What was he expecting?
I just stayed in the same suite at The Edition in Singapore and loved it. But I also used suite night awards and didn’t pay market rate which at the time was ~$3,500 per night.
I don't know (and don't wish to know) who Portnoy is, but he does sound like an idiot for publicly complaining about his stay at this Tampa hotel, in the same way as billionaire Kyle Bass complaining about his $85 breakfast. Pieces in OMAAT are usually informative, but what's the purpose of this piece? To show inflated cost of luxury lodging? There's a bubble in lodging, due to post-pandemic revenge travel and higher cost of...
I don't know (and don't wish to know) who Portnoy is, but he does sound like an idiot for publicly complaining about his stay at this Tampa hotel, in the same way as billionaire Kyle Bass complaining about his $85 breakfast. Pieces in OMAAT are usually informative, but what's the purpose of this piece? To show inflated cost of luxury lodging? There's a bubble in lodging, due to post-pandemic revenge travel and higher cost of labor. 4-figure standard hotel rooms aren't uncommon in North America and Western Europe these days. But like any bubble, it will eventually pop, as demand from revenge travel recedes and recessions inevitably arrive.
You don't know who he is because you're old
Hopefully you will get to be old one day.
Ben makes a point that the suite can’t be priced at $1200 because it’s triple the size of a regular room which prices at $600.
In my view, that’s not an argument for suit pricing, but against regular room pricing - if the decor and feel of regular rooms in this hotel are as dull and uninspiring as the suite, it’s $300/night tops, inclusive of fees and taxes
@ Syd -- Fair, but you're basing pricing off of what you think offers good value or what seems fair, rather than based on what people are willing to pay. As we've learned in recent years, those two amounts are often worlds apart.
Hotels use sophisticated systems to price rooms in order to maximize revenue and profitability. I imagine people are willing to pay $600 per night, even if many of us would value a stay here at significantly less than that.
You're right, 100%. They do price what people pay. Sadly, that's where the industry is, as you said.
It's not even about good value with luxury hotels - it's more like they are not even trying anymore.
I'm with Portnoy on that. I don't think he meant to degrade Tampa - but it's not a city where four digits per night are a regular occurrence (as it is in say NYC). So when you do pay that much - you expect something special, and there's none.
He booked into the Marriott bubble. For those of you who are not familiar with Tampa this area is called Water Street and is adjacent to the hockey arena and convention center. Notable hotels include Edition, JW, Marriott Waterside and an older but sufficient Embassy Suites..... The Edition is the newest and arguably nicest hotel in downtown but rates in the area are inflated by Marriott and if the guest is checking in during an...
He booked into the Marriott bubble. For those of you who are not familiar with Tampa this area is called Water Street and is adjacent to the hockey arena and convention center. Notable hotels include Edition, JW, Marriott Waterside and an older but sufficient Embassy Suites..... The Edition is the newest and arguably nicest hotel in downtown but rates in the area are inflated by Marriott and if the guest is checking in during an event at the arena, convention center or larger downtown weekend event such as Gasparilla rates are again bumped up.
The JW is quite nice, but there's not really many other options in Tampa for luxury. Grand Hyatt is nice but by the airport, the Westin is old, and the Epicurean is in a weird location (I get it's next to Berns but still)
Anyone doing bookings for this guy should be experienced enough to understand hotel nuances. If me, I would have said, "Mr. Portney, I personally think $5K a night at an Edition in Tampa is not a good value for a suite. Are you ok with a smaller suite category? Closer in I'll be sure to contact the hotel and see about securing you something better in the way of a reduce cost or courtesy upgrade."...
Anyone doing bookings for this guy should be experienced enough to understand hotel nuances. If me, I would have said, "Mr. Portney, I personally think $5K a night at an Edition in Tampa is not a good value for a suite. Are you ok with a smaller suite category? Closer in I'll be sure to contact the hotel and see about securing you something better in the way of a reduce cost or courtesy upgrade."
Also, how this guy doesn't have a profile given his probable spend at hotels is strange. You would think that the hotel would at least recognize that he is paying a wild rate for this suite and maybe research his profile and then do some "dress up" of the suite with fresh flowers, amenities, GM welcome, and some other perks. Really, if you are going to charge this kind of rate, suite or not, offer a bit more than just a room, and recognize an opportunity to please a whale. Sounds like a failure on the part of Edition as well.
On the reverse, I wonder how many Ambassador's have been upgraded to that very room on a $500 a night rate.
Absolutely. If a trendy hotel like the Edition knew an extremely-online celebrity was staying there, they should give the VIP treatment. Doing otherwise would be old-money, Ritz Carlton logic, and I would even expect the Ritz Carlton to provide some free perks to him.
I thnk he is right on all accounts. tht is a really nice suite but it looks like something worth around $1,000 per night MAX and I personally would never ever pat that much . The point he is making is for that vast amount of money there should be something special. To me that looked like a boring but nice room. $5,000 per night is highway robbery. I am not the biggest fan of...
I thnk he is right on all accounts. tht is a really nice suite but it looks like something worth around $1,000 per night MAX and I personally would never ever pat that much . The point he is making is for that vast amount of money there should be something special. To me that looked like a boring but nice room. $5,000 per night is highway robbery. I am not the biggest fan of his and I like my pizza to flop a little :) but he is right 100%. I do not think he is meaning to down Tampa...he is just saying its not the hotel market of NYC/LA/Chicago.
I bet they will rename that suite the Portnoy Suite and charge $10,000 form now on.
For the literary members among us? "Portnoy's Complaint" by Phillip Roth, anyone ?
Google it. Some interesting parallels ... :-)
Sorry but it’s Tampa Florida ……. Really
One stay. Everyone knows the rules.
I never liked Edition hotels, and I don't know this Dave Portnoy. But based on the way he raves I really think he is better off staying at Trump Hotels
Great comment.
But he would definitely see value at a trump hotel, specially if the room rate bundled a trump sneaker and the soon-to-be-released matching trump gold adult diaper.
Not sure this dave guy would be able to handle so much winning.
It’s a big suite. But it isn’t luxurious-looking. Bland colours, no style. I wouldn’t pay more than a couple of grand.
Yeah, it looks like a relatively nice, sparsely furnished basic rental aparment. Not luxurious in any way. Worth perhaps a tenth of the cost.
@ UncleRonnie @ Daniel from Finland -- I don't love the EDITION aesthetic, though in fairness, this is the brand's design template. So this isn't specific to this suite or hotel, but you'll find the same at all EDITION properties.
That is what millennials want...boring..no character.. matches most the generation. Gone is beautiful classic luxury.
I suppose for the hotel there is a market for those who don't book hotels by themselves or who don't do much research before booking. This is their target market. I, for myself, would be happy to use a Nightly Upgrade Award for this and feel pretty good about it when I check it's cash rate.
Rates are as high as they are precisely because people like him pay it.
Partially correct. It is also because an unethical mayor and city council have sold out to developers that have no problem destroying the city for massive profits and political influence. Instead of a balance of what is good for the general public