Ian Schrager, who invented the concept of the boutique hotel 23 years ago

I would question whether Schrager really "invented" the concept of the boutique hotel, though there is no doubt he did make it more mainstream by reinventing exisiting hotels in NYC. But I'm just a layman and not a hotel industry guru and that's just MHO.

My wording worries aside, it seems a curious marriage as IMHO Marriott has more to gain by courting the traveller wanting something different but delivered by somebody familiar than does Schrager who risks losing his carefully cultivated "outsider" brand by working with Marriott. I just hope the new "brand" isn't given a turkey of a name like Osmosis or Tetra or something equally as inane.