The Reykjavik EDITION, Iceland [Master Thread]
 

Has one heard anything else about this project?

Quote from the NY Times Travel Section earlier this month:

"We have a bunch of Editions going all over the place, some in China and one in Reykjavik, Iceland,” said Mr. Schrager, the creative force behind some of the world’s most stylish hotels, including Morgans in New York, the Sanderson in London, the Delano in Miami Beach and the Mondrian in Los Angeles."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/tr...k-edition.html

Saw this on hotel chatter:

"Fresh off opening their New York property, EDITION Hotels will open next year in Sanya, China; Thailand and Abu Dhabi with Shanghai and Times Square to happen in 2017 and West Hollywood in 2018. Paris has inexplicably dropped off the website although Edition folk say it is still happening. Also happening that's not yet listed? The Reijavkik Edition in Iceland. We cannot wait. [Source: Edition Hotels website]"

Cheers.

Wow. Whomever wrote that put zero effort into spelling Reykjavik.

No.

But construction has begun: https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/n...se_in_reykjav/

It's hard to believe there is a market in Iceland for such an expensive, up-market hotel given that most of the tourists arriving in Iceland are flying low-cost, budget airlines.

The scarcity of such properties in a booming market is exactly why it's believable.

Okay. That's a good point.

However, Marriott will be represented in Iceland by exactly four properties: three Design Hotels and one EDITION.

There's no Sheraton or Marriott; no Four Points or Courtyard; no Element or Residence Inn; no Aloft or AC Hotel; and no Fairfield or MOXY.

Reykjavik is the hub of WOW air and Icelandair. The passengers on those airlines are likely to want MOXY, not EDITION.

I realize it all comes down to business economics. Until a hotel owner has a good business case to develop a Marriott-affiliated hotel that's not at the luxury level, it won't happen.

The Edition concept is a luxury -- some might say faux luxury -- hotel. Iceland has extremely high labor costs on top of a tourism market that is heavily geared toward either outdoor adventures or low-cost stopovers. I don't know how a hotel can provide Edition's level of luxury, given Iceland's high labor costs, and still have rates that appeal to those who actually visit Iceland. Delta couldn't even justify continuing its business-class product on flights to and from Iceland.

Surely, you would expect an Edition in Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, and even Nashville -- let alone Copenhagen, Nashville, Paris -- before Iceland.

International hotel chains have largely avoided Iceland. Or, to put is another way, hotel owners in Iceland have generally chosen not to affiliate with international hotel chains.

High labor costs for construction and operations, combined with guests who don't want to pay much, apparently make it hard to build a business case to develop hotels flying the flags of mass market brands, even if those brands work well elsewhere.

That leaves catering to wealthy guests who are willing to pay high rates for the best, even if the wealthy are only a small percentage of visitors to Iceland.

The EDITION brand is off to a very slow start. The first EDITION (Waikiki EDITION) opened in 2010, but the hotel owner dropped the EDITION branding after less than a year. It's now 2018, and there are still only four EDITION properties, although the are supposedly 19 (including Reykjavik) in various stages of the pipeline.

I agree with hockeyinsider's list of cities that would seem to make more sense than Reykjavik.

What this goes to show is that the companies and investors that develop and own hotels ultimately make the decisions -- not Marriott.

According to a 2018 article at mbl.is, "Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates is one of the major investors in a new five-star hotel to be built in central Reykjavik, reports suggest." The hotel is the Reykjavik EDITION. Let's assume that's true. It should mean that Gates and the other business people who are involved see EDITION as the best branding for profitability. Or it could mean that Bill and Melinda Gates want a place to stay that appeals to their tastes, whenever they visit Iceland. Or both.

I was shocked that most hotels in Reykjavik lack AC among other common luxury amenities.

This is way overdue and I can't wait.

Come on, many hotels in Europe don't have air conditioning. Regardless, Reykjavik's hottest average temperature is in July and it's only 57.6 degrees. You don't need air conditioning in that kind of climate.

Part of me wants to say the problem with Edition is it basically is irrelevant to Marriott Rewards members.

If you believe the stereotypes of legacy Marriott and legacy SPG then Marriott's average customer -- let alone elite status customer -- was older, married and probably a businessman whereas SPG was nominally younger and slightly more affluent. I'm not saying I believe those demographics, but that was the perception and, as we all know, perception is reality.

Between Edition's practically nonexistent footprint, its lack of elite benefits, and a concept unlikely to attract the older demographic that stays at Ritz-Carlton, it just doesn't work for many potential customers.

Waikiki was a weird place to launch the brand, as only the Japanese visitors (Hawaii's biggest tourism demographic outside of mainland Americans) seem like they could afford or want that type of hotel. It's also weird looking at the list of Edition properties in the pipeline: https://www.editionhotels.com/coming-soon/. There are some unusual cities on there (like Tampa) as well as cities (Dubai and West Hollywood) that seem like they should have had Edition properties years ago.

Just looking at these cities and knowing some of the other hotels in these places it's almost as if hotel owners and developers have run out of options but want a high-end hotel and don't want to open a hotel under a brand with an existing property in the market. For example, Dubai and Miami weirdly have multiple J.W. Marriott properties.

So, they're going with Edition, which I'm sure Marriott is selling them as a Ritz-Carlton hotel but for a younger demographic. In many ways this is also why Marriott acquired Starwood. Yes, it wanted the SPG customer base but it really wanted all those additional brands because it gives developers more option. Of course, the problem is Marriott has too many brands to ensure consistency and brand identity.

I would be very surprised if the Edition property Iceland succeeds, assuming it ever opens. I say that because it was supposed to open in 2018. Now, it is 2019.

I've never stayed at a hotel anywhere without climate control. Which Marriott/SPGs in Europe are you staying at without this? I've never seen it and it is simply unacceptable.

When I went in May, I was warm. Yes, I generally like it cold. For the price we paid, they should install climate control in 3 star and above hotel rooms around KEF.