‘Strange Bedfellows’ Conceive Boutique-Hotel Chain Edition | wsj.com
The Edition Chain of Hotels Appears to Be On a Roll Despite the Partners’ Differences
As hotel impresario Ian Schrager and Marriott International Inc. were putting the finishing touches on their venture’s new Miami property, a dispute broke out over what to do with some extra basement space. Marriott executives suggested conference rooms. Mr. Schrager, co-founder of the glitzy 1970s disco Studio 54, had something else in mind: a backlit ice-skating rink with bikini-clad women gliding across the ice, with floor-to-ceiling windows to attract passersby. Mr. Schrager’s vision for the new high-end hotel brand Edition won out, as it usually has in the often-erratic collaboration between tradition-minded Marriott and the man credited with starting the boutique-hotel craze.
